The bed moved towards the magnetic ring. Gu Jun did not move. He relaxed his mind and allowed the machine to record his condition.
While the FMRI machine was running, Professor Ma, Professor Shen, and the others were looking at the images on the computer screens in front of the operating table in the front room.
At that moment, the blood flow in Gu Jun's brain was displayed on the image. However, only professionals would be able to understand the meaning of the different colors and brightness of the different brain regions, as well as the information revealed by the parameters such as MR value, TE value, and T2 value.
Even Cai Zixuan could only sigh helplessly at the image, much less Wu Shiyu.
"Ah Jun's condition is normal." Doctor Shen told them.
After a while, after recording enough image data, Prof Ma told Gu Jun through the loudspeaker, "Ah Jun, we will now proceed with the exciting mission, from light to heavy. First, I will give you the names of the abnormal objects, listen carefully. If you feel a headache, don't hold it in. Scream to let us know the severity of your condition. If you can't take it anymore, tell me to stop immediately. "
"Okay." Gu Jun answered, "Prof Ma, you can start now."
Prof Ma's face darkened and he started to list the names one by one, "Spell, Deep One, Malformed Banyan Disease, Human Malformed Banyan …"
Following Prof Ma's words, the brightness of the brain image on the screen brightened. The activity of Gu Jun's brain became more active.
"Mutated Scale Disease, ritual, Dagon, Tian Yi …" The more Prof Ma said, the brighter the image became. The more nervous the group became.
"Ah!" Gu Jun suddenly screamed in pain. The dull pain in his head turned into waves of excruciating pain, and his body started to stiffen.
This was his state of stress and also the condition of this mission. By subtracting the blood flow map from the control condition, the computer would be able to find the brain regions related to the psychological manipulation during the mission. The comparison result was displayed on the screen.
Doctor Shen naturally understood the image. He frowned and whispered to Wu Shiyu and Cai Zixuan, "Prefrontal lobe, amygdala and hippocampus, the blood flow in these three areas has increased significantly."
Cai Zixuan couldn't help but sigh. He scratched his bald forehead. These three areas were definitely not a good thing …
He had read some research papers on PTSD. One of the main results of PTSD brain imaging research was the discovery of functional abnormalities in the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, prefrontal lobe, etc. Therefore, there was the pathological hypothesis of the 'prefrontal lobe-amygdala hippocampal loop'.
In other words, the damage to the prefrontal lobe resulted in the weakening of the amygdala's ability to regulate and control the amygdala, causing the amygdala to overreact to fear. The damage to the hippocampus itself and the imbalance between the prefrontal lobe and amygdala were also involved in the process of memory impairment.
Now, Tycoon Jun's blood flow measurement results were in line with the hypothesized typical performance of local brain activity.
The location of Tycoon Jun's previous brain hemorrhage was in the right prefrontal lobe. If the damage and related surgery caused the prefrontal lobe dysfunction, then the cause could be found.
"Ah Jun, now we need to increase the intensity of the stimulation. Try to remember what happened on that island." Professor Ma added, "Stop when you can't take it anymore. Don't force yourself."
Gu Jun obeyed and completed the stimulation mission. The pain in his head was almost unbearable. His breathing turned into wheezing.
Next was the most important mission. The nurse next to the FMRI machine handed him a document. They were pictures of Deep One bodies and Malformed Banyan Disease patients. Gu Jun only skimmed through two or three of them before his brain started to throb involuntarily. He immediately closed his eyes and stopped reading.
That was the end of the stimulation mission. However, Gu Jun did not leave the examination bed. He allowed the machine to record the changes in his brain blood flow.
On the other side, Prof Ma and Doctor Shen looked at the comparison images on the computer screen. Their faces turned darker and they were surprised …
When Gu Jun recalled the traumatic scenes, his blood flow continued to increase; when he looked at the pictures, his blood flow changed drastically. It was not just limited to the prefrontal lobe, amygdala and hippocampus, the blood flow of his whole brain increased. This physiological reaction was much stronger than normal PTSD patients.
Furthermore, this kind of rapid cerebral hemorrhage was very dangerous. It would cause a sudden increase in blood pressure and the capillaries in the brain could rupture.
Considering Gu Jun had a history of cerebral hemorrhage and craniotomy, this level of stress was fatal to him.
"This is not optimistic, this is really not optimistic …" Doctor Shen mumbled. He was not a pessimist but he felt helpless.
When Gu Jun exited the examination room and saw their expressions, he knew the situation was not optimistic.
When he looked at the results of the scans, his heart was at a loss. Abnormal brain function caused by prefrontal lobe damage? That was hard to cure …
"Dirty-minded Jun." Wu Shiyu patted him on his shoulder. "You were still unconscious half a month ago. You'll recover soon."
"Yes." Gu Jun nodded at her and turned to Prof Ma. "Prof Ma, I wish to perform MRI and MRS as well."
MRI was a type of magnetic resonance imaging. MRS was a type of in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Both could measure the volume of the hippocampus and assess the damage or loss of hippocampal neurons. This was because changes in the structure of the hippocampus was a typical symptom of PTSD patients.
Both tests required an injection of a radioactive substance, or in other words, contrast agent. Before this, due to concerns about the side effects on his body, they did not use it easily.
Now that it was Gu Jun's request and BOLD-FMRI could not show the structure of his hippocampus, after a discussion between Prof Ma and Doctor Shen, they agreed to perform the test. However, they had Gu Jun rest in the lab for 3 hours. Then the nurse gave him the contrast agent and he completed the MRI and MRS tests.
MRI was an anatomical image while MRS was a composite of all the chemical signals in the subject. The result was a spectrum of multiple lines.
Gu Jun's MRI showed indirect signs of hippocampal volume reduction — his temporal horn of the lateral ventricle was enlarged and the shallow groove of the head of the hippocampus had disappeared.
MRS also showed signs of a decrease in the number of neurons in his hippocampus.
On that day, Gu Jun also performed some other tests, such as a blood test for BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). The BDNF level of PTSD patients was usually lower than that of normal people. Now, his BDNF level was on the low side and had dropped significantly compared to the results of the previous physical examination.
Phecda research data showed that people with high spirituality had higher BDNF levels than normal people, which could be the source of their spirituality.
Now, Gu Jun seemed to have not only lost his high spirituality but also the neuroendocrine characteristics of PTSD pathology.
Putting all the test results together, Prof Ma and the rest knew the answer … Gu Jun's brain shape had indeed changed.
"Ah Jun, go back and have a good rest. Relax and don't think too much. We will discuss the most suitable treatment plan for you," Doctor Shen comforted him while pretending to be relaxed and sent Gu Jun and the other two out of the lab.
Then, Doctor Shen and Prof Ma went to the conference room next door for a remote meeting. Tong Ye, Yao Sinian, and the director were all waiting for the test report.
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