帕金森病合并认知功能障碍与脑白质纤维束改变的关系

目的探讨帕金森病(PD)合并认知功能障碍与认知相关脑白质纤维束改变的关系。方法纳入PD患者35例,根据蒙特利尔认知评估量表(MoCA)评分将PD患者分为PD认知功能正常组(PD-nCI,n=14)和PD认知功能障碍组(PD-CI,n=21);另选择同期行查体的健康志愿者20名作为对照组。所有受试者行弥散张量成像(DTI)检查,通过基于纤维束的空间统计分析(tract-based spatial statistics,TBSS)方法选出与认知相关的脑白质纤维束,并测量各纤维束部分各向异性(fractional anisotropy,FA)值。比较各组不同纤维束FA值差异,采用Pearson相关分析法分析PD-CI组差异有统计学意义的纤维束FA值与MoCA评分的相关性。结果(1)3组间胼胝体膝部、胼胝体体部、胼胝体压部、右扣带回(海马)、左扣带回(海马)、右穹窿/终纹、左穹窿/终纹、右上额枕束、左上额枕束FA值比较存在统计学差异(均P0.05),PD-nCI组和PD-CI组间胼胝体膝部、胼胝体体部、胼胝体压部、右扣带回(海马)、左扣带回(海马)、左穹窿/终纹、右上额枕束、左上额枕束FA值比较存在统计学差异(均P0.05);(2)PD-CI组胼胝体压部、右扣带回(海马)、右上额枕束、左上额枕束FA值与MoCA评分呈正相关(均P0.05)。结论 PD患者认知功能损害程度与胼胝体压部、右扣带回(海马)、右上额枕束和左上额枕束等纤维束病变严重程度呈正相关。     

女性重性抑郁障碍患者体质量指数与脑白质完整性异常的相关性研究

目的:探讨女性重性抑郁障碍患者体质量指数(BMI)与脑白质完整性异常的相关性。方法:收集自2017年10月至2018年10月门诊就诊的女性重性抑郁障碍患者58例(患者组)及年龄、BMI、受教育程度相匹配的女性健康对照者57名(对照组)进行核磁共振扫描,完成临床相关量表的评定。比较两组磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)数据,分别对两组的DTI图像与BMI进行相关性分析,并对各向异性值(FA值)进行提值计算。结果:患者组与对照组DTI比较存在两簇差异脑区,分别位于胼胝体压部及体部、右下额枕束,且患者组的FA值低于对照组。患者组BMI与右侧外囊的FA值呈正相关(r=0.531,P0.01);对照组BMI与胼胝体体部、膝部及压部的FA值呈负相关(r=-0.497,P0.01)。结论:女性重性抑郁障碍患者胼胝体压部、体部及右下额枕束白质完整性降低,肥胖所致的胼胝体完整性降低可能是重性抑郁障碍患者患病的相关因素。     

弥散张量纤维束成像对多发性硬化看似正常脑白质损伤定量分析

目的分析复发缓解型多发性硬化(MS)患者看似正常白质(NAWM)纤维束微结构变化。方法 17例MS患者与年龄、性别匹配健康志愿者参与研究。使用TrackVIS软件持续纤维跟踪成像方法重建白质纤维束,记录白质纤维束的部分各向异性(FA)、表观弥散系数(ADC)和纤维束容积值,进行数据分析。结果 MS及健康对照组各男8例,女9例。与健康对照组相比,MS患者通过胼胝体压部和整个胼胝体神经纤维束的容积下降,两者相比差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。MS患者通过胼胝体膝部、压部及整个胼胝体纤维束的FA值下降(P0.05)。与病灶对侧NAWM相比,通过MS患者病灶的纤维束容积更小,FA值降低,ADC值升高(P0.05)。较之健康对照组,通过患者病灶对侧NAWM的纤维束FA值降低(P0.05)。结论弥散张量纤维成像技术可用于早期NAWM微小损伤的评估,FA值可作为NAWM纤维束损伤的敏感指标。     

扣带束和钩束的微观结构变化与白质疏松相关性抑郁

目的通过弥散张量成像(diffusion tensor imaging,DTI)技术研究白质疏松(leukoaraiosis,LA)患者扣带束和钩束的白质微观结构改变,并探讨其与抑郁障碍的关系。方法前瞻性纳入60例Fazekas评分为2~3级的LA患者及30例对照组。LA组分为伴有抑郁(n=33)和不伴有抑郁(n=27)2个亚组。所有被研究对象均进行抑郁评估、3.0T头部MRI常规检查及DTI检查。使用PANDA软件处理DTI数据,提取双侧扣带束和钩束的部分各向异性(fractional anisotropy,FA)数值。结果 LA组双侧钩束及扣带束的FA值均显著低于对照组(P0.05);LA伴抑郁亚组双侧扣带束和右侧钩束的FA值显著低于不伴抑郁亚组(P0.05);LA不伴抑郁亚组和对照组双侧扣带束、钩束之间的FA值无显著性差异(P0.05)。双变量相关分析发现抑郁程度与右侧钩束(r=-0.27,P=0.037)、扣带束(左侧r=-0.329,P=0.01;右侧r=-0.259,P=0.046)FA值呈负相关,与左侧钩束FA变化无明显相关性。结论钩束和扣带束白质微观结构变化与LA相关性抑郁存在关联性,但相关程度较弱(r0.4),提示LA相关性抑郁的发生存在多元化的病理生理基础。     

首发精神分裂症阳性症状为主型患者脑弥散张量成像研究

目的 探讨首发精神分裂症阳性症状为主型患者主要脑区白质纤维束有无异常.方法 对未系统使用过精神药物治疗的20例首发精神分裂症阳性症状为主型患者和20名正常对照进行磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)扫描,测量胼胝体膝部、压部、双侧额叶白质、双侧扣带束前部和双侧海马头部分各向异性(FA)值.结果 ①患者组及对照组组内比较,左右侧FA值差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05).②患者组左侧海马头和胼胝体压部FA值[(0.17±0.03),(0.73±0.09)]显著低于对照组[(0.20±0.02),(0.79±0.05)],差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);③患者组左右侧扣带束前部FA值[(0.28±0.06),(0.29±0.05)]低于对照组[(0.43±0.07),(0.38±0.08)],差异均有统计学意义(P<0.01).结论 首发精神分裂症阳性症状为主型患者双侧扣带束前部、胼胝体压部及左侧海马头的白质纤维束完整性受损,提示其可能存在脑神经发育连接异常.     

阿尔茨海默病颞干纤维束扩散张量成像研究

目的应用扩散张量成像(DTI)研究阿尔茨海默病和遗忘型轻度认知损害患者白质和颞干纤维束部分各向异性(FA)值变化特点,探讨颞干纤维束损伤机制及其对阿尔茨海默病和遗忘型轻度认知损害的诊断与鉴别诊断价值。方法应用常规MRI和DTI测量阿尔茨海默病(10例)、遗忘型轻度认知损害(10例)和正常对照者(10例)颞干纤维束(包括前连合、钩束、额枕下束)及前额叶、颞叶、顶叶、枕叶白质FA值,比较各组受试者左右侧对称部位白质和颞干纤维束FA值变化。结果各组受试者左右侧对称部位白质和颞干纤维束FA值差异无统计学意义(均P0.05),但其前连合、钩束、额枕下束及前额叶白质FA值差异具有统计学意义(均P0.05)。其中,阿尔茨海默病组前连合、钩束、额枕下束FA值低于遗忘型轻度认知损害组(均P0.05),前连合、钩束、额枕下束及前额叶、顶叶白质FA值低于正常对照组(均P0.05);而遗忘型轻度认知损害组与正常对照组前连合、钩束、额枕下束及前额叶白质FA值差异无统计学意义(均P0.05)。结论阿尔茨海默病和遗忘型轻度认知损害患者与正常老年人颞干纤维束FA值存在显著差异,提示颞干纤维束在阿尔茨海默病患者白质损伤中具有重要意义,DTI检查有助于阿尔茨海默病与遗忘型轻度认知损害和正常老龄化的鉴别诊断。阿尔茨海默病前连合、钩束、额枕下束及前额叶、顶叶白质FA值异常具有良好的临床诊断价值。     

多发性硬化患者MRI扩散张量成像脑白质束示踪的三维仿真定量研究

目的 研究多发性硬化(MS)患者脑白质束示踪的三维仿真影像表现,评价其定量结果与残疾状态扩展评分(EDSS)的相关性. 方法 对28例MS患者(MS组)和28名健康自愿者(对照组)通过MRI扩散张量成像扫描进行脑白质束示踪,测量示踪纤维数和示踪纤维密度,并应用配对t检验比较两组间差异;对MS组脱髓鞘斑块、正常表现脑白质和对照组感兴趣区的ADC值和FA值进行方差分析,使用线性回归模型计算MS组脑白质束示踪的定量结果与EDSS评分的相关性. 结果 在MS组脑白质束示踪三维仿真图像中可直接观察到脑白质束的受损和减少.MS组的示踪纤维数(2220±100)和示踪纤维密度(0.75±0.04)明显低予对照组(2750±70、0.93±0.02),差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).MS组脱髓鞘斑块、正常表现脑白质和对照组感兴趣区的ADC值依次下降,分别为(1.23 ±0.13)× 10-3 mm2/s、(0.76±0.09)× 10-3 mm2/s、(0.63 ±0.10)×10-3 mm2/s; FA值依次升高,分别为0.24±0.04、0.42±0.07、0.48±0.06,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05).MS组示踪纤维数和示踪纤维密度都与EDSS评分呈负相关关系(r=-0.782,P=0.000;r=-0.771,P=0.000). 结论 通过MRI扩散张量成像扫描进行脑白质束示踪可以发现MS患者脑白质束的受损情况,其较常规MRI能提供更多的空间信息.     

路易体痴呆和帕金森病白质纤维束改变的比较

目的研究路易体痴呆(DLB)和帕金森病(PD)患者的脑白质纤维束的改变情况。方法对10例DLB患者(DLB组)、16例PD患者(PD组)及16例正常对照者(正常对照组)进行DTI扫描,采用基于纤维骨架的空间统计方法(TBSS)对三组全脑DTI的各向异性分数(FA)和平均弥散率(MD)两两比较,并分析FA值、MD值与临床数据的相关性。结果与正常对照组比较,DLB组左下纵束、左下额枕束、双侧上纵束FA值、MD值明显改变(P=0.002,P=0.012;P=0.013,P=0.015),而PD组仅胼胝体白质纤维束MD值明显改变(P=0.036)。与PD组比较,DLB组左下纵束、左下额枕束FA值、MD值明显改变(P=0.04;P=0.005)。DLB组左下纵束、左下额枕束FA值与病程呈负相关(r=-0.708,P0.05),与MMSE评分呈正相关(r=0.023,P0.05),左上纵束MD值与统一PD评定量表Ⅲ呈正相关(r=0.682,P0.05)。结论 DLB患者会出现明显的白质纤维束改变,尤其是左下纵束、左下额枕束的改变对DLB的早期诊断有着重要的参考价值。     

轻度认知功能障碍与脑白质弥散张量成像的相关性研究

目的通过磁共振弥散张量成像研究不同区域脑白质损害与轻度认知功能(MCI)的关系。方法纳入2015年7月至2016年2月我院的住院患者56例为研究对象,其中MCI组34例,认知功能正常组22例。所有研究对象进行一般情况检查,完成神经心理学量表检测。通过头颅磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)检查对不同脑区白质纤维进行部分各向异性(FA)值测量。结果 MCI组患者与认知功能正常组相比,右侧额叶FA值(0.335±0.068)、左侧颞叶白质FA值(0.391±0.032)及胼胝体膝部FA值(0.658±0.053)降低,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。将上述FA值和MMSE、Mo CA量表中各认知域进行典型相关分析,结果显示右侧额叶白质FA值与注意与计算力呈正相关,左侧颞叶白质和胼胝体膝部FA值与记忆力呈正相关(P0.05)。结论 MCI患者注意与计算力的障碍可能与右侧额叶白质损害有关,而左侧颞叶白质及胼胝体膝部白质的损害可能导致早期的记忆障碍。DTI可能成为超早期识别与诊断MCI的新方法。     

精神分裂症首次发病患者的脑扩散张量成像研究

目的 利用磁共振扩散张量成像(DTI)技术研究未经药物治疗的精神分裂症首次发病(以下简称首发)患者主要脑区白质纤维束的异常.方法 选取26例首发精神分裂症患者(患者组)和20名健康志愿者(对照组)行脑DTI扫描(两组均为右利手),测量胼胝体膝部、压部、双侧额叶白质、扣带束前部及海马头的部分各向异性(FA)值.结果 (1)对照组左侧扣带束FA值(0.428±0.067)大于右侧(0.375±0.079;P＜0.05).(2)患者组两侧相对应感兴趣区FA值差异均无统计学意义(P＞0.05).(3)患者组左右侧胼胝体压部FA值(均为0.734±0.085)、左右侧扣带束前部FA值(0.300±0.068和0.306 4±0.062)均低于对照组(0.785±0.045,0.428±0.067,0.375±0.079;均P＜0.05).结论 首发精神分裂症患者存在双侧扣带束、胼胝体压部白质纤维束的受损,支持脑内连接异常假说.     

DTI tractography and white matter fiber tract characteristics in euthymic bipolar I patients and healthy control subjects

With the introduction of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), structural differences in white matter (WM) architecture between psychiatric populations and healthy controls can be systematically observed and measured. In particular, DTI-tractography can be used to assess WM characteristics over the entire extent of WM tracts and aggregated fiber bundles. Using 64-direction DTI scanning in 27 participants with bipolar disorder (BD) and 26 age-and-gender-matched healthy control subjects, we compared relative length, density, and fractional anisotrophy (FA) of WM tracts involved in emotion regulation or theorized to be important neural components in BD neuropathology. We interactively isolated 22 known white matter tracts using region-of-interest placement (TrackVis software program) and then computed relative tract length, density, and integrity. BD subjects demonstrated significantly shorter WM tracts in the genu, body and splenium of the corpus callosum compared to healthy controls. Additionally, bipolar subjects exhibited reduced fiber density in the genu and body of the corpus callosum, and in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus bilaterally. In the left uncinate fasciculus, however, BD subjects exhibited significantly greater fiber density than healthy controls. There were no significant differences between groups in WM tract FA for those tracts that began and ended in the brain. The significance of differences in tract length and fiber density in BD is discussed.     

White matter abnormalities in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia detected using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging

Objectives:  Strong qualitative and quantitative evidence exists of white matter abnormalities in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BD). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies suggest altered connectivity in both disorders. We aim to address the diagnostic specificity of white matter abnormalities in these disorders.
Methods:  DTI was used to assess white matter integrity in clinically stable patients with familial BD (n = 42) and familial schizophrenia (n = 28), and in controls (n = 38). Differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured using voxel-based morphometry and automated region of interest analysis.
Results:  Reduced FA was found in the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC), anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), and in the region of the uncinate fasciculus in patients with BD and those with schizophrenia compared with controls. A direct comparison between patient groups found no significant differences in these regions. None of the findings were associated with psychotropic medication.
Conclusions:  Reduced integrity of the ALIC, uncinate fasciculus, and ATR regions is common to both schizophrenia and BD. These results imply an overlap in white matter pathology, possibly relating to risk factors common to both disorders.     

Tract-based Analysis of Magnetization Transfer Ratio and Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Frontal and Frontotemporal Connections in Schizophrenia

Background: In the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, aberrant connectivity between brain regions may be a central feature. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown altered fractional anisotropy (FA) in white brain matter in schizophrenia. Focal reductions in myelin have been suggested in patients using magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) imaging but to what extent schizophrenia may be related to changes in MTR measured along entire fiber bundles is still unknown. Methods: DTI and MTR images were acquired with a 1.5-T scanner in 40 schizophrenia patients and compared with those of 40 healthy participants. The mean FA and mean MTR were measured along the genu of the corpus callosum and the left and right uncinate fasciculus. Results: A higher mean MTR of 1% was found in the right uncinate fasciculus in patients compared with healthy participants. A significant negative correlation between age and mean FA in the left uncinate fasciculus was found in schizophrenia patients but not in healthy participants. Conclusions: Decreased FA in the left uncinate fasciculus may be more prominent in patients with longer illness duration. The increased mean MTR in the right uncinate fasciculus could reflect a compensatory role for myelin in these fibers or possibly represent aberrant frontotemporal connectivity.     

弥漫性轴索损伤后早期磁共振弥散张量成像与工作记忆障碍的相关性研究

目的探讨磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)对弥漫性轴索损伤(DAI)导致工作记忆障碍早期诊断及预后评估的价值。方法分别对10例DAI患者(DAI组)和10例健康志愿者(正常对照组)行DTI检查,并对两组DTI图像的钩束、皮质脊髓束、胼胝体和扣带回感兴趣区的部分各向异性(FA)值进行比较分析。DAI后6个月对患者与健康志愿者行认知量表评估,并行对比分析;另外将DAI组FA值与其认知量表评分行直线相关分析。结果与对照组相比,DAI患者4个感兴趣区的FA值显著降低(P<0.05),恢复期总体认知能力略降低,但无统计学意义(P>0.05),而工作记忆功能却显著降低(P<0.05)。DAI患者中的钩束和皮质脊髓束的FA值与工作记忆功能呈正相关(r分别为0.898和0.797,P<0.05);胼胝体和扣带回FA值与工作记忆功能无明显相关性(r分别为0.432和0.387,P>0.05)。结论 DTI技术可为DAI导致的工作记忆障碍早期诊断和预后评估提供依据。     

Mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy as indicators of disease and genetic liability to schizophrenia

The goals of this study were to first determine whether the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of major white matter pathways associate with schizophrenia, and secondly to characterize the extent to which differences in these metrics might reflect a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia. Differences in FA and MD were identified using a comprehensive atlas-based tract mapping approach using diffusion tensor imaging and high-resolution structural data from 35 patients, 28 unaffected first-degree relatives of patients, 29 community controls, and 14 first-degree relatives of controls. Schizophrenia patients had significantly higher MD in the following tracts compared to controls: the right anterior thalamic radiations, the forceps minor, the bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO), the temporal component of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (tSLF), and the bilateral uncinate. FA showed schizophrenia effects and a linear relationship to genetic liability (represented by schizophrenia patients, first-degree relatives, and controls) for the bilateral IFO, the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), and the left tSLF. Diffusion tensor imaging studies have previously identified white matter abnormalities in all three of these tracts in schizophrenia; however, this study is the first to identify a significant genetic liability. Thus, FA of these three tracts may serve as biomarkers for studies seeking to identify how genes influence brain structure predisposing to schizophrenia. However, differences in FA and MD in frontal and temporal white matter pathways may be additionally driven by state variables that involve processes associated with the disease.     

Increased white matter connectivity in euthymic bipolar patients: diffusion tensor tractography between the subgenual cingulate and the amygdalo-hippocampal complex

Bipolar disorder has been associated with anatomical as well as functional abnormalities in a brain network that mediates normal and impaired emotion regulation. Previous brain imaging studies have highlighted the subgenual cingulate (SC) and the amygdalo-hippocampal (AH) complex as core regions of this network. Thus we investigated white matter (WM) fiber tracts between the SC and the AH region, the uncinate fasciculus, as well as between two control regions (pons and cerebellum), using diffusion tensor imaging tractography in 16 euthymic bipolar patients (BP) and 16 sex-, age- and handedness-matched controls. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the reconstructed fiber bundle and the number of virtual reconstructed fibers were compared between groups. The tractography results revealed a significantly increased number of reconstructed fibers between the left SC and left AH in BP as compared to healthy controls. FA and ADC of the reconstructed fiber tract did not differ significantly between the groups. Furthermore, no significant group differences were observed neither for reconstructed fiber tracts between the right SC and right AH nor between the control regions. The present results suggest an altered WM pathway between the left SC and AH region and thus extend previous findings of anatomical and functional modifications in these structures in BP.     

Tract-specific analysis of white matter integrity disruption in schizophrenia

Several studies have suggested that white matter integrity is disrupted in some brain regions in patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to assess the white matter integrity of the cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, fornix, and corpus callosum using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Participants comprised 39 patients with schizophrenia (19 males and 20 females) and 40 age-matched normal controls (20 males and 20 females). We quantitatively assessed the fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the anterior cingulum, body of the cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, fornix, and corpus callosum on a tract-specific basis using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). Group differences in FA and ADC between the patients and normal controls were sought. Additional exploratory analyses of the relationship between the FA or ADC and four clinical parameters (i.e., illness duration, positive symptom scores, negative symptom scores, and medication dosage) were performed. Results were analyzed in gender-combined and gender-separated group comparisons. FA was significantly lower on both sides of the anterior cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, and fornix in the schizophrenia patients irrespective of gender group separation. In the gender-combined analyses, significantly higher ADC values were demonstrated in the schizophrenia patients in both sides of the anterior cingulum, body of the cingulum and uncinate fasciculus, the left fornix, and the corpus callosum, compared with those of the normal controls. In the gender-separated analyses, the male patients showed higher ADC in the left anterior cingulum, the bilateral cingulum bodies, and the bilateral uncinate fasciculi. The female patients showed higher ADC in the right anterior cingulum, the left fornix, and the bilateral uncinate fasciculus. In correlation analyses, a significant negative correlation was found between illness duration and ADC in the right anterior cingulum in the gender-combined analyses. The gender-separated analyses found that the male patients had a significant negative correlation between negative symptom scores and FA in the right fornix, a positive correlation between illness duration and FA in the right anterior cingulum, and a negative correlation between illness duration and FA in the left uncinate fasciculus. Our DTI study showed that the integrity of white matter is disrupted in patients with schizophrenia. The results of our sub-analyses suggest that changes in FA and ADC may be related to negative symptom scores or illness duration.     

Variability of white matter anatomy in the subcallosal cingulate area

The subcallosal cingulate (SCC) area is a putative hub in the brain network underlying depression. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting a particular subregion of SCC, identified as the intersection of forceps minor (FM), uncinate fasciculus (UCF), cingulum and fronto‐striatal fiber bundles, may be critical to a therapeutic response in patients with severe, treatment‐resistant forms of major depressive disorder (MDD). The pattern and variability of the white matter anatomy and organization within SCC has not been extensively characterized across individuals. The goal of this study is to investigate the variability of white matter bundles within the SCC that structurally connect this region with critical nodes in the depression network. Structural and diffusion data from 100 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project database were analyzed. Anatomically defined SCC regions were used as seeds to perform probabilistic tractography and to estimate the connectivity from the SCC to subject‐specific target areas believed to be involved in the pathology of MDD including ventral striatum (VS), UCF, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Four distinct areas of connectivity were identified within SCC across subjects: (a) postero‐lateral SCC connectivity to medial temporal regions via UCF, (b) postero‐medial connectivity to VS, (c) superior‐medial connectivity to ACC via cingulum bundle, and (d) antero‐lateral connectivity to mPFC regions via forceps minor. Assuming white matter connectivity is critical to therapeutic response, the improved anatomic understanding of SCC as well as an appreciation of the intersubject variability are critical to developing optimized therapeutic targeting for SCC DBS.     

Reduced white matter integrity and verbal fluency impairment in young adults with bipolar disorder: A diffusion tensor imaging study

BackgroundClinical evidence shows that bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by white matter (WM) microstructural abnormalities. However, little is known about the biological mechanisms associated with these abnormalities and their relationship with cognitive functioning.Methods49 adult BD patients ((M ± SD): 29.27 ± 7.92 years; 17 males, 32 females; 34 BD-I, 10 BD-II, and 5 BD-NOS) and 28 age-matched normal subjects ((M ± SD): 29.19 ± 7.35 years; 10 males and 18 females) underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) imaging. DTI metrics were computed using whole-brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) as part of the FMRIB Software Library. Measures of WM coherence (fractional anisotropy - FA) and axonal structure (mean, axial and radial diffusivity – MD, AD and RD) were employed to characterize the microstructural alterations in the limbic, commissural, association and projection fiber tracts. All participants performed the Brief Assessment of Cognition for Affective disorders (BAC-A).ResultsBD patients performed poorly on verbal fluency tasks and exhibited large clusters of altered FA, RD and MD values within the retrolenticular part of the internal capsule, the superior and anterior corona radiata, and the corpus callosum. Increased FA values in the left IFOF and the forceps minor correlated positively with verbal fluency scores. Altered RD parameters in the corticospinal tract and the forceps minor were associated with reduced visuomotor abilities.ConclusionsThe reported verbal fluency deficits and FA, RD and MD alterations in WM structures are potential cognitive and neural markers of BD. Abnormal RD values may be associated with progressive demyelination.