Improving MRT image quality in patients with movement disorders.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Medical Engineering

Background:

• Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by involuntary movements (dyskinesia) that degrade neuroimaging quality.
• Simultaneous functional MRI (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) are valuable for studying HD but are sensitive to motion artifacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a head immobilization technique for improving fMRI and EEG data quality in HD patients.

Main Methods:

• A head mask, adapted from radiotherapy repositioning techniques, was designed to fit within an MRI head coil.
• The mask was tested in three HD patients during simultaneous fMRI-EEG acquisition, comparing data with and without the mask.

Main Results:

• The head mask significantly improved both fMRI image and EEG signal quality across all tested patients.
• Image quality was comparable to healthy controls in patients with mild to moderate dyskinesia.
• While improved, image and EEG quality in a patient with severe dyskinesia remained below healthy control levels.

Conclusions:

• A novel head immobilization mask effectively enhances fMRI and EEG signal quality in Huntington's disease patients.
• The mask is compatible with MRI environments and does not interfere with MRI signals.
• This technique offers a promising solution for improving neuroimaging in movement disorder populations.