Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Institute of Genetic Medicine and Centre for in vivo Imaging, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Ann Neurol. 2019 Mar;85(3):455-459. doi: 10.1002/ana.25422. Epub 2019 Feb 5.
A novel diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging protocol sensitive to contraction of individual skeletal motor units was developed. We applied this technique to the lower limb muscles of 4 patients with confirmed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 6 healthy controls. A 3-minute scan revealed florid fasciculation in ALS patients, involving both superficial and deep muscles, and at a frequency higher than in healthy controls. This novel imaging technique reveals hitherto unobtainable information on human motor unit structure and function, which may allow earlier diagnosis and recruitment to clinical trials. ANN NEUROL 2019;85:455-459.
我们开发了一种新的扩散加权磁共振成像方案，可敏感地检测到单个骨骼肌运动单位的收缩。我们将该技术应用于 4 名确诊为肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS）患者和 6 名健康对照者的下肢肌肉。3 分钟的扫描显示 ALS 患者的肌肉出现明显的肌束颤动，涉及浅层和深层肌肉，且频率高于健康对照组。这种新的成像技术揭示了以前无法获得的有关人类运动单位结构和功能的信息，这可能有助于更早地诊断并招募到临床试验中。
