Some people think they’re always right. Others seem to find themselves on the wrong side of every argument. But neuroscientists have discovered that some people simply agree with others to avoid the mental stress of an ongoing disagreement.

For younger women, particularly those 40 years or older with average risk, a conflict in the guidelines regarding when to begin regular breast cancer screening remains an issue of confusion, and there seems to be no definitive answer to the question, “Should I have a mammogram?”

Breast MRI examinations assessed using BI-RADS guidelines don’t always coincide with expected clinical management recommendations, according to results of a study published online in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

New research suggests that fMRI may have a role to play in evaluating the effectiveness of potential new painkillers and could allow “more effective and safer pain medications to reach patients who suffer from chronic pain sooner,” according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists.  

Even without contrast, MRI can provide highly accurate assessment of appendicitis-suspected abdominal pain. As a bonus, the modality offers a viable, radiation-free option for guiding evaluation of other-than-appendicitis discomfort in that same section of the stomach area, according to a 403-patient study published ahead of print in Radiology.

MRI-based measurements of the head are sufficient to estimate body composition in the absence of CT measurements of abdominal fat, according to results of a new study published in Clinical Radiology.

Preliminary research at Imperial College London has shown that increased levels in binding of the Alzheimer’s-associated radioligand 11C-PiB—the go-to radioactive biochemical substance in PET imaging for cerebral amyloid beta plaque—also show up in people who have had traumatic brain injury, and for more than a decade after the TBI event. 

When Carol Krucoff collapsed after drinking too much water during a marathon, she had no knowledge of the tiny tumor growing inside her brain. She would get to know it intimately over the next 10 years, employing a “watchful waiting” strategey to closely monitor the tumor while withholding treatment unless symptoms appear.