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In order to study RBD, we needed a lot of brain scans from people who 1) have RBD, and 2) the RBD was caused by a brain injury (such as stroke, cancer, etc.). Where did we get these scans?
We used case studies. In case studies, an individual who is experiencing a troubling symptom goes to a doctor or other professional to get help. The doctor records the history of the person's symptoms, treats the person, takes brain scans, and follows up to see how treatment went. Sometimes, the doctor thinks that the treatment they did for the patient was so unique, new, difficult, or interesting that other doctors would benefit from learning about the patient and how they were treated. When this happens, the doctor gets permission from the patient to publish a paper about their treatment where they share, without using the patient's name, the history of the person's symptom, the treatment, brain scans (sometimes), and how treatment worked long-term. This helps other doctors to learn and to apply that knowledge if they see another patient in a similar situation.
For this study, we searched online for these case studies: specifically ones 1) about RBD, 2) where the RBD was caused by a brain injury (such as stroke, cancer, etc.), and 3) where it included a brain scan. We wrote down detailed notes of how we found each study, and more information can be found in the section of the site titled, "More about the study" --> "Methods" --> "Screening process for literature search".
After finding the case studies, we input the information about what parts of their brain had been injured info a software made for this task. Then, a supercomputer analyzed the files to tell us which networks of the brain were affected in most of the individuals. This is how we ultimately got our results.
Screening process for literature search
Screening process for literature search
This is what is called a PRISMA diagram. It's a common way to keep track of how researchers conducted a literature search. The purpose of making this detailed diagram is two-fold: 1) to show that the process was objective, that is, we didn't decide to take out studies because we didn't like them, and 2) so that other researchers could, if they wanted to, redo our study to see if they get the same results.
Template from:
Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021;372:n71. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n71. For more information, visit: http://www.prisma-statement.org/
Which cases were actually included in the analyses for the poster?
Which cases were actually included in the analyses for the poster?
29 cases passed all our requirements for the literature review. Normally, we would then use all 29 cases. However, because of time constraints, and due to the fact that many articles included multiple scans per patient, cases were included on the following basis:
3/3 ischemic stroke cases were included (this is a stroke caused by blockage of a blood vessel in the brain)
2/2 probably ischemic stroke cases were included
3/5 cancer cases were included, and, for the remaining 2 cancer cases, every other scan was omitted to reduce the time required to input the data for analyses
2/2 cavernoma cases were included
Some scans were omitted because it was hard to see where the brain injury was, or because they were really similar to another scan for the same individual.
To see a full list of each case included in the study, refer to the "References" section. You can find it under "Bonus Content" on the website main menu, or you can find a link to it on the home page.
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