Brainscapes Resolution Template - Case Study Example

No: CASE STUDIES IN HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY This case study focuses on the relative concentrations of sodium (Na+) in the hippocampus(associated with memory) detectable using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — which usually is based on the magnetic behavior of hydrogen ions (H+) from water in the tissues. Why is thisapproach relevant or useful to understanding the loss of function in neurons.?There are many documented studies that have employed the use of sodium imaging to detect cell death and cell viability.

Sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to assess the metabolic changes that ensue from loss of cell ion homeostasis due to cell death in the brain. Alzheimers disease(AD) is characterized by neural cell death thus the concentrations of sodium in the hippocampus (which is the most affected part of the brain in AD) might be an indicator of the presence of AD as well as the extent of disease.2) How does the change in the sodium concentration detected from MRI of the hippocampus suggest that the neurons in the hippocampus became diseased and were not functioning properly?

What sort of a change in the Na+ concentration gradient would you expect when neurons are damaged or malfunctioning? In a normal brain tissue, the large intracellularcompartment maintains a low sodium concentration( ~10mmol/l) against a high sodium concentration in the extracellular compartment(~140mmol/l) After the death of neural cells,the intracellular space of a cell shrinks and the extracellular space increases. The larger concentration of sodium in the extracellular space yields a larger sodium signal intensity.

3 In addition to the information in the case presentation (including the web sites contained in the case itself, what other information did you find to determine whether the differences in Na+ concentrations in hippocampal cells could be related to changes in memory function? Where did you find this information?There is considerable evidence to suggest that the hippocampus and the related medio-temporal lobe structures of the human brain are crucial for the encoding and storage of information in long term memory4) What does each of these additional items contribute to the solution of the case?

For example, the item contains data from specific tests, trials, or experiments, or presents analyses that canbe used to understand the main issues in this case.The initial studies have established that the loss of memory experienced in alzheimers disease means the hippocampus has been affected either by cell degeneration or cell death.The Thulborn study has provided evidence for the changes in sodium concentration upon death of neural cells. These have enabled the use of sodium magnetic resonance imaging to determine the sodium levels in hippocampus to test for the presence or extent of AD.5) What other findings or information in this case are consistent with the information you located?

Sodium magnetic resonance imaging has been found to be sensitive to cell death and viability. Studies have used this method in testing investigating brain tumors and cerebral infarction6) What findings or information are inconclusive or in conflict with the information in 2? There may be situations where the sodium content may increase in cells that are not dead or degenerated thus giving a false interpretation of the results. Increased sodium in the tissue could be caused by direct leakage of sodium because of amyloid beta channels in membranes or by the impairment of the Na/K ATPase channels7) If your proposed resolution of the case is correct, what other observations might we expect to find in this case?

Reduction in volume of the hippocampus as well as reduction in the volume of the cortex of the brain as a whole Decreased blood supply to the brain 8) Give your solution to this case and, on a scale of 1–5, rate how confident you are in yourconclusions in questions 1 and 2.The results of this case are consistent with those from similar studies exploring the use of sodium MRIs in exploring cell death and viability. The differences in the sodium concentrations observed between the cases and the controls was of significant (p value