Magnetic Resonance Based Method for Assessing Alzheimer's Disease and Related Pathologies
First Claim
1. A method of assessing conditions or disease of a brain in a patient comprising:
- acquiring spatially-encoded MR echoes along a acquisition axis of a selectively-excited internal volume positioned within a targeted region in a patient'"'"'s brain while applying a magnetic field gradient;
analyzing the spatially-encoded MR echoes along an acquisition axis in the selectively-excited internal volume to yield a spectrum of textural wavelengths in a region of interest along a spatially-encoded axis of the internal volume;
characterizing and assessing the conditions or disease from the region of interest and the spectrum of textural wavelengths in the region of interest in comparison to known spectrums of textural wavelengths in a corresponding region of interest taken from the same or different patients.
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Abstract
The disclosed invention is a method for detecting indications of the presence of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease (AD) and related dementia-inducing, motor-control-related pathologies, and other diseases in the human brain using a magnetic-resonance based technique for measuring fine tissue and bone textures. Specifically, the invention focuses on refinements/adaptations to a prior art magnetic resonance fine texture measurement technique that facilitates/enables pushing the detection limits closer to the cellular level, so as to be able to measure the fine scale structures and tissue changes that are known to be characteristic of the neurodegenerative processes involved in the development of these diseases.
19 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A method of assessing conditions or disease of a brain in a patient comprising:
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acquiring spatially-encoded MR echoes along a acquisition axis of a selectively-excited internal volume positioned within a targeted region in a patient'"'"'s brain while applying a magnetic field gradient; analyzing the spatially-encoded MR echoes along an acquisition axis in the selectively-excited internal volume to yield a spectrum of textural wavelengths in a region of interest along a spatially-encoded axis of the internal volume; characterizing and assessing the conditions or disease from the region of interest and the spectrum of textural wavelengths in the region of interest in comparison to known spectrums of textural wavelengths in a corresponding region of interest taken from the same or different patients. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification