UPDATE ON NEUROLOGICAL CLINICAL TRIAL | CZABA JUHASZ

A total of 15 participants (10 with SWS and 5 siblings) in 2021 have been enrolled.  The youngest was 5 years old, and the oldest was 24. We obtained some really interesting results and further improved our MRI method. Among others, we improved our diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) approach which is now able to construct whole brain fiber connectivity, show it in 3D, and also demonstrate function-specific pathways (such as motor and language tracts) and their reorganization in exquisite details. Below, are a few images that have been obtained in the past few months to illustrate these. Our susceptibility-weighted images (SWI) also show some interesting patterns of deep venous remodeling. Our MRI physicist, Justin, is working on an algorithm that would segment out objectively and quantify the volume of these compensatory veins in the brain.

From healthy siblings, we have found two who had some unexpected (luckily asymptomatic) brain abnormalities (one venous vascular), we will be on the lookout if this is more than a coincidence. Our neuropsychologists, Mike and Nore, were very active and found some interesting patterns in brain functional reorganization  (and some curious issues in some of the siblings, which they want to explore further).