Study of the effect of CSF suppression on white matter diffusion anisotropy mapping of healthy human brain.

Healthy human brain diffusion anisotropy maps derived from standard spin echo diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were compared with those using fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) preparation prior to DTI to null the signal from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Consistent comparisons entailed development of DTI postprocessing methods, image masking based on fitting quality, and an objective region-of-interest-based method for assessment of white matter extent. FLAIR DTI achieved an extended delineation of major white-matter tracts (genu, splenium, and body of the corpus callosum) close to large CSF-filled spaces (lateral ventricles), but did not affect representation of tracts remote from CSF (internal and external capsules and coronal radiation). This result, which was detectable qualitatively (visual inspection), was verified quantitatively by analyses of the relative anisotropy (RA) distribution over white matter structures for 11 subjects. FLAIR DTI thus suppresses the CSF signal that otherwise masks underlying anisotropic parenchymal tissue through partial volume averaging.     

Water diffusion anisotropy in white and gray matter of the human spinal cord

PURPOSE: To develop a reliable technique for diffusion imaging of the human spinal cord at 1.5 Tesla and to assess potential differences in diffusion anisotropy in cross-sectional images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-shot echo-planar imaging sequence with double spin-echo diffusion preparation was optimized regarding cerebrospinal fluid artifacts, effective resolution, and contrast-to-noise ratios. Eleven healthy volunteers participated in the study for quantitative characterization of diffusion anisotropy in white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) by means of two diffusion encoding schemes: octahedral-six-directions for fractional anisotropy (FA) evaluation and orthogonal-three-directions for anisotropy index (AI) calculation. RESULTS: Pulse-trigger gated sequences with optimal matrix size (read x phase = 64 x 32) and b-value (700 s/mm(2)) allowed the acquisition of high-resolved images (voxel size = 0.9 x 0.9 x 5.0 mm(3)). The GM butterfly shape was recognizable in both AI and FA maps. Both encoding schemes yielded high diffusion anisotropy in dorsal WM (FA = 0.79 +/- 0.07; AI = 0.39 +/- 0.04). Lateral WM showed slightly lower anisotropy (FA = 0.69 +/- 0.08; AI = 0.35 +/- 0.03) than dorsal WM. Clearly smaller anisotropy was found in regions containing GM (FA = 0.45 +/- 0.06; AI = 0.21 +/- 0.05). CONCLUSION: Diffusion anisotropy data of the spinal cord can be obtained in a clinical setting. Its application seems promising for the assessment of neurological disorders.     

Increased brain white matter diffusivity in normal adult aging: relationship to anisotropy and partial voluming.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to examine 1) age-related changes in genu, splenium, and centrum semiovale white matter diffusivity in 64 healthy men and women (age 23-85 years); 2) the relationship between diffusivity (trace) and fractional anisotropy (FA) across and within individuals; and 3) the role of macrostructural and microstructural partial voluming effects on the DTI metrics. Regional differences were greater in FA (approximately 43%) than in trace (approximately 16%). Depending on the region of interest, trace increased with age (r = 0.24 to 0.58) and FA decreased with age (r = -0.29 to -0.79). FA was inversely correlated with trace, even when controlling for age. Histogram analysis of trace and FA following systematic expansion and dilation of the white matter regions demonstrated greater susceptibility of FA than trace to error arising from macrostructural partial voluming, i.e., erroneous inclusion of primarily nonwhite-matter voxels. Three-phase ellipsoid shape analysis revealed that after morphometric erosion the spherical component remained greater in older than younger subjects in the splenium and centrum, suggesting that age-related reduction in FA arises from intravoxel increased interstitial fluid. Reducing the size of the white matter samples to control for macrostructural partial voluming attenuated but did not negate effects, indicating that observed changes in white matter with aging can reflect real microstructural alterations rather than sampling artifact. Morphological dilation of white matter regions of interest resulting in purposeful inclusion of non-white matter pixels significantly reduced mean FA, suggesting that reports of FA values below 0.25 in healthy adults may reflect partial voluming rather than actual changes in white matter coherence.     

Selecting an appropriate anisotropy index for displaying diffusion tensor imaging data with improved contrast and sensitivity.

A review of the behavior of different diffusion anisotropy indices (DAIs) to changes in diffusion anisotropy was undertaken and the limitations of several previously proposed DAIs are discussed. A mathematical representation of anisotropy sensitivity was used to enable image contrast and sensitivity to noise to be predicted. This technique was utilized to devise a new DAI, the gamma-variate anisotropy, which has a low sensitivity to noise and an improved contrast range for human brain imaging. This index can be easily modified for other applications, in that the range of anisotropy values to which it is highly sensitive can be altered. Magn Reson Med 44:117-121, 2000.     

Diffusion tensor imaging of the auditory pathway in sensorineural hearing loss: changes in radial diffusivity and diffusion anisotropy

PURPOSE: To prospectively compare diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures of axial diffusivity (lambda parallel), radial diffusivity (lambda perpendicular), mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA) along the auditory pathway of patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and normal controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 37 individuals with SNHL and 10 healthy controls, two regions of interest (ROIs) positioned along the auditory pathway-the lateral lemniscus (LL) and the inferior colliculus (IC)-were investigated bilaterally using diffusion tensor imaging at 3 T. SNHL patients were divided into three groups: patients with bilateral hearing loss, patients with unilateral hearing loss, and patients with partial hearing loss. DTI measures (lambda parallel, lambda perpendicular, MD, FA) of both ROIs were determined in all subjects. RESULTS: The FA value was reduced and the lambda perpendicular was increased both at the lateral lemniscus and the inferior colliculus of patients with SNHL compared with controls. Similar changes were seen between the ipsilateral and contralateral LL and IC for patients of unilateral profound hearing loss. No changes were observed in any other parameters. CONCLUSION: In SNHL patients DTI showed a high radial diffusivity that consequently led to a decreased fractional anisotropy in the LL and the IC.     

Diffusion tensor imaging of the anal canal at 3 tesla: feasibility and reproducibility of anisotropy measures

Purpose:

To assess the feasibility and reproducibility of 3‐tesla diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the anal canal.

Materials and Methods:

DTI was performed in 25 men with no clinical history of anal canal disease undergoing MRI for prostate cancer. Analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA), relative anisotropy (RA), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were determined for the epithelial/subepithelial layer, internal sphincter, external sphincter, and puborectalis. The directionality of diffusion was recorded from color‐coded tractography maps. Obturator internus and gluteus maximus served as reference muscles. Mean (SD) of values for FA, RA, and ADC were compared using analysis of variance. Intra and inter‐rater agreement and test reproducibility (n = 5) was assessed by Bland‐Altman statistics.

Results:

Mean (SD) for the epithelial/subepithelial layer, internal, external sphincter, and puborectalis were as follows: FA: 0.283 (0.099); 0.337 (0.049); 0.415 (0.072); and 0.407 (0.062), respectively. RA: 0.241 (0.094); 0.292 (0.050); 0.371 (0.083); 0.361 (0.067), respectively; and ADC: 1.49 (0.23); 1.59 (0.19); 1.51 (0.28); and 1.54 (0.29) × 10^?3mm²/s, respectively. Good overall intra and inter‐rater agreement and test–retest reproducibility was noted (coefficient of variation of 4.8–19.4% and 5.9–12.9%, respectively).

Conclusion:

Anisotropy is evident in the anal canal with good inter‐rater agreement and test reproducibility. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:820–826. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

     

Evidence of subcortical and cortical aging of the acoustic pathway: a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: During aging, there is evidence of microstructural changes in certain cortical and subcortical brain regions. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is used to study age related microstructural changes in the acoustic pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty healthy volunteers (mean age 28.5 years) and 15 healthy volunteers (mean age 61.3 years) were examined using a 1.5-T MR system with a high-resolution T1-weighted sequence and an integrated parallel imaging technique DTI Echo-planar-imaging (EPI) sequence. For reliability, 10 subjects underwent a second examination 2 days later. The fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured in six brain regions of the auditory pathway. RESULTS: We found no left/right asymmetry in the selected brain structures. There were no significant differences (P < .05) in the ADC and FA in the lateral lemniscus and medial geniculate body of young and elderly subjects. However, FA was significantly increased (P < .05) in the inferior colliculus and decreased in the auditory radiation, the superficial temporal gyrus, and the transverse temporal gyrus in the elder subjects than in the younger ones. There were no significant differences in anisotropy in subsequent examinations in the younger individuals. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest evidence of age-related changes in the acoustic pathway. These changes are associated with a decrease in anisotropy mainly in the cortical grey and white matter rather than in the subcortical regions. Our DTI measurements were reproducible.     

Toward a quantitative assessment of diffusion anisotropy

Indices of diffusion anisotropy calculated from diffusion coefficients acquired in two or three perpendicular directions are rotationally variant. In living monkey brain, these indices severely underestimate the degree of diffusion anisotropy. New indices calculated from the entire diffusion tensor are rotationally invariant (RI). They show that anisotropy is highly variable in different white matter regions depending on the degree of coherence of fiber tract directions. In structures with a regular, parallel fiber arrangement, water diffusivity in the direction parallel to the fibers (D_| ≈ 1400–1800 × 10⁻⁶ mm²/s) is almost 10 times higher than the average diffusivity in directions perpendicular to them ((D + D⊥′)/2 ≈ 150–300 × 10⁻⁶ mm²/s), and is almost three times higher than previously reported. In structures where the fiber pattern is less coherent (e.g., where fiber bundles merge), diffusion anisotropy is significantly reduced. However, RI anisotropy indices are still susceptible to noise contamination. Monte Carlo simulations show that these indices are statistically biased, particularly those requiring sorting of the eigenvalues of the diffusion tensor based on their magnitude. A new intervoxel anisotropy index is proposed that locally averages inner products between diffusion tensors in neighboring voxels. This “lattice” RI index has an acceptably low error variance and is less susceptible to bias than any other RI anisotropy index proposed to date.     

Gray and white matter changes in Alzheimer's disease: a diffusion tensor imaging study

PURPOSE: To investigate microstructural changes in cortical and white matter pathways in patients with Alzheimer's disease using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Measures of mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were compared in the brains of 13 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and a group of 13 aged-matched control participants employing an optimized DTI technique involving a fully automated, voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis. RESULTS: After rigorous control for anatomical variation and confounding partial volume effects, we found significantly elevated MD measures within the hippocampus, amygdala, and medial temporal, parietal, and frontal lobe gray matter regions in the AD participants. The largest number of pixels with increased MD was localized bilaterally, within the posterior cingulate gyrus. The FA was significantly reduced within the thalamus, parietal white matter, and posterior limbs of the internal capsule, indicating significant involvement of corticothalamic and thalamocortical radiations. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that rigorous VBM analysis of DTI data can be used to investigate microstructural changes in cortical, subcortical, and white matter regions in AD.     

Altered white matter diffusion anisotropy in normal and preterm infants at term‐equivalent age

To investigate white matter (WM) development, voxelwise analyses of diffusion tensor MRI (DTMRI) data, acquired from 12 very preterm and 11 preterm infants with gestational ages (GA) ranging from 25 to 29 and 29 to 32 weeks, respectively, and 10 newborn normal term infants were performed. T₂ relaxation measures were also generated to assess brain water content. Compared with newborn term infants, very preterm infants were found to possess reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) within the frontal lobe, and a number of anterior and posterior commissural pathways. Preterm infants possessed reduced FA mainly within the posterior regions of the corpus callosum. Unexpectedly, we observed significantly reduced FA and increased T₂ within a number of corticospinal projections in the newborn term infants compared to the preterm groups. This finding may reflect increased water concentration and/or a lowering of FA due to the presence of crossing interhemispheric WM projections. These findings indicate that care should be taken when interpreting FA indices without knowledge of the possible effects of water concentration in the newborn infant brain. Magn Reson Med 60:761–767, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Enhancing measured diffusion anisotropy in gray matter by eliminating CSF contamination with FLAIR.

In this work, the effect of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) on measured diffusion anisotropy was investigated in gray matter. DTI data were obtained with and without FLAIR in six normal volunteers. The application of FLAIR was experimentally demonstrated to lead to a consistent increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) in gray-matter regions, which was attributed to suppressed partial volume effects from CSF. In addition to these experimental results, Monte Carlo simulations were performed to ascertain the effect of noise on the measured FA under the experimental conditions of this study. The experimentally observed effect of noise was corroborated by the simulation, indicating that the increase in the measured FA was not due to a noise-related bias but to an actual increase in diffusion anisotropy. This enhanced measurement of diffusion anisotropy can be potentially used to differentiate directionally dependent structure and tracking fibers in gray matter.     

遗忘型轻度认知障碍的脑白质纤维束成像研究

目的：应用纤维束成像术研究遗忘型轻度认知功能障碍(aMCI)患者脑白质细微结构的改变。方法对30例经临床诊断的 aMCI 患者和31例正常对照(NC)组行扩散张量成像,用 dTV II 软件重建出扣带束、胼胝体、钩状束及下枕额束,并沿着白质束测量部分各向异性(FA)值。对比分析 aMCI 组与 NC 组各白质束的 FA 值,并将 aMCI 组的 FA 值与简易智能精神状态检查量表(MMSE)评分进行相关性分析。结果①aMCI 组的两侧扣带束、两侧钩状束及胼胝体 FA 值明显低于 NC 组,差异有统计学意义;左侧下枕额束 FA 值低于 NC 组,但差异无统计学意义。②右侧扣带束的 FA 值与 MMSE 评分呈正相关。结论aMCI 患者扣带束、钩状束及胼胝体 FA 值的异常改变,提示在阿尔茨海默病(AD)的前驱阶段存在与记忆相关的脑白质束的微损害,纤维束成像(tractography)技术对脑白质的早期损害具有很高的敏感性。     

正常成人不同年龄段大脑白质纤维各向异性差异研究

目的:探讨正常成人不同年龄大脑白质纤维磁共振弥散张量各向异性的差异。方法:62名正常志愿者大脑白质纤维不同部位,包括外囊、内囊前肢、内囊后肢、胼胝体膝部和胼胝体压部的FA值和ADC值。结果:胼胝体膝部(F=3.113,P=0.024)和豆状核(F=3.229,P=0.020),在各年龄组之间FA值差异有显著性意义;内囊前肢(F=3.093,P=0.024)和豆状核(F=3.824,P=0.009),ADC值差异有显著性意义。FA值呈正相关的部位有内囊前肢(r=0.293,P=0.0349)、胼胝体膝部(r=0.322,P=0.0202),ADC值呈现正相关的部位只有外囊(r=0.365,P=0.00925)。结论:不同年龄段大脑白质纤维的FA值和ADC值是不同的,随着年龄增大,FA值呈现下降趋势,ADC值则有增高的趋势。     

轻型创伤性脑损伤脑白质纤维束扩散张量成像研究

目的：使用3.0T 磁共振扩散张量成像(DTI)技术观察轻型创伤性脑损伤(mTBI)患者脑白质纤维束的改变,探讨 DTI对 mTBI 的临床诊断价值。方法选取30例 mTBI 患者及30例健康对照者分别进行常规 CT、MRI 及 DTI 检查,分别测量 mTBI患者(急性期、亚急性期、伤后5周~3个月)和对照者的胼胝体膝部、压部、双侧内囊前后肢、扣带束、上纵束、下纵束的各向异性(FA)值、表观扩散系数(ADC)值,观察各测量值的变化规律。结果mTBI 患者部分脑白质纤维束区的 FA 值在急性期、亚急性期减低(P 均<0.05),伤后5周~3个月时仍低于对照者(P 均<0.05),但胼胝体膝部及压部的 FA 值在急性期不减低反而升高(P 均>0.05),此后呈逐渐减低趋势,并在外伤5周~3个月时略低于正常对照组,但差异无统计学意义(P 均>0.05)。急性期、亚急性期 mTBI 患者的 ADC 值低于正常对照组,并在外伤5周~3个月时接近或略高于对照组,但差异无统计学意义(P 均>0.05)。结论DTI 对 mTBI 敏感性较高,能够准确显示白质纤维束的损伤情况并使其可视化,DTI 对 mTBI 的诊断具有重要的临床价值。     

DTI在PVL合并脑瘫患儿术后脑白质恢复中的应用价值

目的 探讨扩散张量成像(DTI)技术在脑室周围白质软化症(PVL)合并脑瘫患儿术后脑白质恢复中的应用价值.方法 收集经临床诊断为PVL合并脑瘫患儿15例作为病例组,另选相匹配的正常儿童志愿者15例作为对照组,均进行常规MRI平扫及DTI检查,并获得各向异性分数(FA)图,测量病例组治疗前后与对照组皮质脊髓束(内囊膝、内囊后肢、大脑脚及脑桥水平)、基底节区核团(尾状核、豆状核)感兴趣区的FA值差异.结果 双侧内囊膝、内囊后肢、脑桥、胼胝体压部、膝部及双侧大脑脚的FA值在病例组治疗前、后(术后1个月)与对照组间有统计学差异(P＜0.05),3组豆状核、尾状核的FA值无统计学意义.进一步两两比较,双侧内囊后肢、胼胝体压部、膝部任意2组间比较均有统计学差异,双侧内囊膝、脑桥、双侧大脑脚治疗前、后无统计学意义,双侧内囊膝、脑桥、双侧大脑脚治疗前与对照组间比较均有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论 DTI技术可显示脑白质细微结构变化,其FA值在PVL合并脑瘫患儿术后脑白质恢复中有一定参考价值,有助于指导临床医生进一步合理治疗.     

Visualization and analysis of white matter structural asymmetry in diffusion tensor MRI data.

This work presents a method that permits the characterization, quantification, and 3D visualization of white matter structural information contained within diffusion tensor MR imaging (DT-MRI) data. In this method, regions within the brain are defined as possessing linear, planar, or spherical diffusion. Visualization of this diffusion metric data is realized by generating streamtube and streamsurface models to represent regions of linear and planar diffusion. Quantification of differences in diffusion anisotropy between different regions of interest (ROIs) is then achieved by analyzing 2D barycentric histograms created from the complete distribution of diffusion metric values measured in each region. In four healthy volunteers, there was only a small degree of asymmetry (epsilon) in the number of linear, planar, or spherical diffusion voxels between the right and left hemispheres (epsilon approximately equal to +/- 2%). However, in a patient with a metastatic brain lesion there was marked asymmetry in both linear (epsilon approximately -10%) and planar (epsilon approximately equal to 5%) diffusion between comparable ipsilateral and contralateral regions, with a significant reduction in the number of linear diffusion voxels and an increase in the number of planar diffusion voxels in the tumor-bearing hemisphere. These results demonstrate the potential of this approach to characterize brain structure in both healthy and diseased subjects.