Diagnostic Imaging in Neurological Diseases

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Imaging and Theranostics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 762

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Neuroscience, Section of Rehabilitation, University of Padova, 35121 Padua, Italy
Interests: ultrasound imaging; neurological diseases; diagnostic imaging; neurophysiology; ultrasonography; neurology; neuroimaging; movement analysis; trauma; clinical neurology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

“Diagnostic Imaging in Neurological Diseases” will represent a pivotal publication focusing on the diagnostic role of various imaging techniques in neurological disorders. The first section of this Special Issue of Diagnostics will delve into the fundamental physics and potential complications associated with available diagnostic modalities. This foundational knowledge can serve as a crucial basis for understanding subsequent discussions on the application of these imaging techniques.

The remainder of the publication will be dedicated to exploring various signs and symptoms of central nervous system abnormalities through diagnostic imaging. Taking a conservative approach, authors should emphasize the importance of considering the accuracy, necessity, and patient benefits of each diagnostic test, weighing them up against the risks, time, and costs involved. This balanced perspective will allow for a nuanced exploration of the practical and ethical considerations involved in utilizing diagnostic imaging for neurological diseases.

Dr. Daniele Coraci
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • diagnostic imaging
  • neurological diseases/disorders
  • central nervous system
  • imaging techniques
  • magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • positron emission tomography (PET)
  • diagnostic modalities

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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20 pages, 4286 KiB  
Article
The Classification of Vestibular Schwannoma (VS) and Cerebellopontine Angle Meningioma (CPAM) Based on Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis
by Lihua Yuan, Jaming Lu, Xin Shu, Kun Liang, Cheng Wang, Jiu Chen and Zhishun Wang
Diagnostics 2025, 15(9), 1157; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15091157 - 1 May 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: This study evaluates the diagnostic efficacy of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T1-weighted contrast-enhanced (T1W + C) and T2-weighted (T2W) imaging modalities in differentiating vestibular schwannomas (VSs) and cerebellopontine angle meningiomas (CPAMs), aiming to optimize clinical imaging protocols for these [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: This study evaluates the diagnostic efficacy of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T1-weighted contrast-enhanced (T1W + C) and T2-weighted (T2W) imaging modalities in differentiating vestibular schwannomas (VSs) and cerebellopontine angle meningiomas (CPAMs), aiming to optimize clinical imaging protocols for these tumors‌. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 97 surgically and pathologically confirmed cases (65 VS, 32 CPAM) from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. Imaging features from ADC, T1W + C, and T2W sequences were extracted using medical imaging software. A support vector machine (SVM) model was trained to classify tumors based on these features, focusing on first-, second-, and third-order radiomic characteristics‌. Results: The ADC images‌ demonstrated the highest classification efficiency, particularly with third-order features (AUC = 0.9817). The T2W images‌ achieved the best accuracy (87.63%) using second-order features. Multimodal analysis revealed that ‌ADC alone‌ outperformed combinations with T1W + C or T2W sequences, suggesting limited added value from multi-sequence integration. Conclusions: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences, particularly ADC maps, exhibit superior diagnostic utility compared to T1W + C and T2W sequences in distinguishing VS and CPAM. The findings advocate prioritizing DWI in clinical imaging workflows to enhance diagnostic accuracy and streamline protocols‌. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostic Imaging in Neurological Diseases)
19 pages, 2991 KiB  
Article
The Diagnostic Value of EEG Wave Trains for Distinguishing Immature Absence Seizures and Sleep Spindles: Evidence from the WAG/Rij Rat Model
by Olga S. Sushkova, Alexei A. Morozov, Alexandra V. Gabova and Karine Yu. Sarkisova
Diagnostics 2025, 15(8), 983; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15080983 - 12 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Background: Absence epilepsy is a non-convulsive form of genetic generalized epilepsy characterized by spontaneous bilateral spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) in EEG. In contrast to grand-mal epilepsy, absence epilepsy without greatly expressed motor and interictal EEG abnormalities is difficult to detect, especially at the early [...] Read more.
Background: Absence epilepsy is a non-convulsive form of genetic generalized epilepsy characterized by spontaneous bilateral spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) in EEG. In contrast to grand-mal epilepsy, absence epilepsy without greatly expressed motor and interictal EEG abnormalities is difficult to detect, especially at the early stages. The WAG/Rij rat strain is a well-validated animal model of childhood absence epilepsy. At the early, preclinical stage, precursors or immature SWDs appear. Then, with age, immature discharges gradually turn into mature ones and mature SWDs prevail at the clinical stage. Mature SWDs, with an amplitude several times higher than the background EEG, can be easily distinguished visually. However, the amplitude of immature discharges is significantly lower than that of mature SWDs and is comparable to the amplitude of sleep spindles. Therefore, it is quite a difficult problem to distinguish immature discharges from sleep spindles. The task is further complicated by the fact that absence seizures mainly appear in a state of drowsiness and slow-wave (non-REM) sleep, when a lot of sleep spindles occur. The purpose of the present study was to develop a diagnostic method that allows us to precisely distinguish immature forms of epileptic seizures from background EEG and sleep spindles. Methods: The idea of analyzing wave-train electrical activity is to investigate the wavelet spectrum, find local peculiarities in this spectrum, and estimate generalized time-frequency peculiarities of the signal in terms of the found local peculiarities. Results: The criteria for diagnosis of the immature form of epileptic discharges and sleep spindles have been developed based on the analysis of wave-train activity with the construction of AUC diagrams (area under the curve diagrams). Conclusions: The method of wave-train analysis with the construction of AUC diagrams can be used for extracting the diagnostic features necessary for the diagnosis of absence epilepsy at the early stages of the disease in people with a genetic predisposition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostic Imaging in Neurological Diseases)
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12 pages, 3842 KiB  
Opinion
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Neuroimaging of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy—Parkinsonism Predominant: Limitations and Strengths in Clinical Evaluation
by Piotr Alster, Michał Kutyłowski and Natalia Madetko-Alster
Diagnostics 2025, 15(8), 945; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15080945 - 8 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is an atypical Parkinsonism, pathologically described as a four-repeat tauopathy. The contemporary criteria for diagnosis of PSP indicate akinesia, oculomotor dysfunction, postural instability, and language/cognitive impairment as core symptoms. Among these features, the first two are linked to PSP—Parkinsonism [...] Read more.
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is an atypical Parkinsonism, pathologically described as a four-repeat tauopathy. The contemporary criteria for diagnosis of PSP indicate akinesia, oculomotor dysfunction, postural instability, and language/cognitive impairment as core symptoms. Among these features, the first two are linked to PSP—Parkinsonism predominant (PSP-P). PSP-P is the second most common subtype of PSP, following PSP—Richardson’s syndrome (PSP-RS), and is associated with a more gradual deterioration, beneficial course, and longer life expectancy after diagnosis. It is also problematic in terms of clinical evaluation, as this entity may overlap with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in early stages and with other atypical Parkinsonisms in more advanced stages. The evolution in understanding PSP and the possible progress in care and therapy of the disease leads to the necessity of finding optimal examination methods with sufficient sensitivity and specificity. In this context, PSP-P seems a crucial point. The goal of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the possibilities provided by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) assessments in terms of PSP-P and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostic Imaging in Neurological Diseases)
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