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Neuroimaging Techniques for Investigation of the Insula

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Island of Reil (Insula) in the Human Brain

Abstract

The insula which is deeply placed to the temporal lobe of the brain has many important functions, even though it accounts for only 2% of the brain's cortical surfaces. Much of the information we have about the functions of the insula is owed to the developments in magnetic resonance (MR) technology. We can clarify whether the insula is affected by pathological conditions with advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques such as diffusion-weighted MRI, susceptibility-weighted MRI, perfusion MRI, and MR spectroscopy. We can also get important information about the functions of the insula with functional MRI (fMRI), which allows functional evaluation. Another purpose in imaging is to determine the possible risks before operation and contribute to operation planning, by assigning areas of social and vital functions such as speech, motor, and cardiopulmonary functions.

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Abbreviations

ADC:

Apparent diffusion coefficient

BOLD:

Blood oxygen level-dependent

CBF:

Cerebral blood flow

CBV:

Cerebral blood volume

CSF:

Cerebrospinal fluid

CT:

Computed tomography

DSA:

Digital subtraction angiography

DWI:

Diffusion-weighted MRI

FLAIR:

Fluid attenuation inversion recovery

fMRI:

Functional MRI

MCA:

Middle cerebral artery

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

MTT:

Mean transit times

NAA:

N-Acetyl aspartate

SWI:

Susceptibility-weighted MRI

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Ertekin, E., Tunçyürek, Ö., Turgut, M., Özsunar, Y. (2018). Neuroimaging Techniques for Investigation of the Insula. In: Turgut, M., Yurttaş , C., Tubbs, R. (eds) Island of Reil (Insula) in the Human Brain. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75468-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75468-0_9

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