Jane M Lawrence Dewar

Publications (14) View all

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  Available from: Jane M Lawrence Dewar

  Article: Human cervical spinal cord funiculi: investigation with magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging.

  Mihaela Onu, Patricia Gervai, Julien Cohen-Adad, Jane Lawrence, Jennifer Kornelsen, Boguslaw Tomanek, Uta Nicola Sboto-Frankenstein
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  ABSTRACT: To use spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for investigating human cervical funiculi, acquire axial diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data with an in-plane resolution sufficient to delineate subquadrants within the spinal cord, obtain corresponding DTI metrics, and assess potential regional differences. Healthy volunteers were studied with a 3 T Siemens Trio MRI scanner. DTI data were acquired using a single-shot spin echo EPI sequence. The spatial resolution allowed for the delineation of regions of interest (ROIs) in the ventral, dorsal, and lateral spinal cord funiculi. ROI-based and tractography-based analyses were performed. Significant fractional anisotropy (FA) differences were found between ROIs in the dorsal and ventral funiculi (P = 0.0001), dorsal and lateral funiculi (P = 0.015), and lateral and ventral funiculi (P = 0.0002). Transverse diffusivity was significantly different between ROIs in the ventral and dorsal funiculi (P = 0.003) and the ventral and lateral funiculi (P = 0.004). Tractography-based quantifications revealed DTI parameter regional differences that were generally consistent with the ROI-based analysis. Original contributions are: 1) the use of a tractography-based method to quantify DTI metrics in the human cervical spinal cord, and 2) reported DTI values in various funiculi at 3 T.
  Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 04/2010; 31(4):829-37. · 2.70 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Jane M Lawrence Dewar

  Article: Novel claustrum activation observed during a visuomotor adaptation task using a viewing window paradigm.

  Lee A Baugh, Jane M Lawrence, Jonathan J Marotta
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  ABSTRACT: Previous literature has reported a wide range of anatomical correlates when participants are required to perform a visuomotor adaptation task. However, traditional adaptation tasks suffer a number of inherent limitations that may, in part, give rise to this variability. For instance, the sparse visual environment does not map well onto conditions in which a visuomotor transformation would normally be required in everyday life. To further clarify these neural underpinnings, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed on 17 (6M, age range 20-45 years old; mean age=26) naive participants performing a viewing window task in which a visuomotor transformation was created by varying the relationship between the participant's movement and the resultant movement of the viewing window. The viewing window task more naturally replicates scenarios in which haptic and visual information would be combined to achieve a higher-level goal. Even though activity related to visuomotor adaptation was found within previously reported regions of the parietal lobes, frontal lobes, and occipital lobes, novel activation patterns were observed within the claustrum - a region well-established as multi-modal convergence zone. These results confirm the diversity in the number and location of neurological systems recruited to perform a required visuomotor adaptation, and provide the first evidence of participation of the claustrum to overcome a visuomotor transformation.
  Behavioural brain research 10/2011; 223(2):395-402. · 3.22 Impact Factor
• Article: Strategy-dependent dissociation of the neural correlates involved in pain modulation.

  Jane M Lawrence, Fumiko Hoeft, Kristen E Sheau, Sean C Mackey
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  ABSTRACT: Cognitive strategies are a set of psychologic behaviors used to modulate one's perception or interpretation of a sensation or situation. Although the effectiveness of each cognitive strategy seems to differ between individuals, they are commonly used clinically to help patients with chronic pain cope with their condition. The neural basis of commonly used cognitive strategies is not well understood. Understanding the neural correlates that underlie these strategies will enhance understanding of the analgesic network of the brain and the cognitive modulation of pain. The current study examines patterns of brain activation during two common cognitive strategies, external focus of attention and reappraisal, in patients with chronic pain using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Behavioral results revealed interindividual variability in the effectiveness of one strategy versus another in the patients. Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed distinct patterns of activity when the two strategies were used. During external focus of attention, activity was observed mainly in cortical areas including the postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, middle occipital gyrus, and precentral gyrus. The use of reappraisal evoked activity in the thalamus and amygdala in addition to cortical regions. Only one area, the postcentral gyrus, was observed to be active during both strategies. The results of this study suggest that different cognitive behavioral strategies recruit different brain regions to perform the same task: pain modulation.
  Anesthesiology 10/2011; 115(4):844-51. · 5.36 Impact Factor
• Article: Noninvasive observation of cervical spinal cord activity in children by functional MRI during cold thermal stimulation.

  Jane M Lawrence, Jennifer Kornelsen, Patrick W Stroman
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  ABSTRACT: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive neuroimaging tool that indirectly identifies areas of neural activity in the brain and more recently has been applied to the adult spinal cord (spinal fMRI). Spinal fMRI could clearly benefit pediatric populations as well. The purpose of this work was to characterize the response observed with spinal fMRI in the brainstem and cervical (C) spinal cord of awake, healthy children during thermal stimulation (17°C and 27°C) applied to the right hand. Functional MRI detected neuronal activity in the expected region of the spinal cord (C6 and C7) as well as in the brainstem and thalamus. The observed magnitudes of signal change of the responses to 17°C and 27°C were similar; however, the spatial distribution of active pixels was greater during 17°C stimulation. The results of this study indicate that fMRI can be used to assess activity in the spinal cords of children, with good sensitivity and reliability.
  Magnetic Resonance Imaging 07/2011; 29(6):813-8. · 1.99 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Jonathan J Marotta

  Article: A novel integrative method for analyzing eye and hand behaviour during reaching and grasping in an MRI environment.

  Jane M Lawrence, Kamyar Abhari, Steven L Prime, Benjamin P Meek, Loni Desanghere, Lee A Baugh, Jonathan J Marotta
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  ABSTRACT: The development of noninvasive neuroimaging techniques, such as fMRI, has rapidly advanced our understanding of the neural systems underlying the integration of visual and motor information. However, the fMRI experimental design is restricted by several environmental elements, such as the presence of the magnetic field and the restricted view of the participant, making it difficult to monitor and measure behaviour. The present article describes a novel, specialized software package developed in our laboratory called Biometric Integration Recording and Analysis (BIRA). BIRA integrates video with kinematic data derived from the hand and eye, acquired using MRI-compatible equipment. The present article demonstrates the acquisition and analysis of eye and hand data using BIRA in a mock (0 Tesla) scanner. A method for collecting and integrating gaze and kinematic data in fMRI studies on visuomotor behaviour has several advantages: Specifically, it will allow for more sophisticated, behaviourally driven analyses and eliminate potential confounds of gaze or kinematic data.
  Behavior Research Methods 03/2011; 43(2):399-408. · 2.12 Impact Factor