A diffusion tensor MRI study of white matter integrity in subjects at high genetic risk of schizophrenia

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has previously shown compromised white matter integrity in frontotemporal white matter fibers in patients with schizophrenia, as indicated by reduced fractional anisotropy (FA). In the present study we investigated whether reduced white matter FA is also present in relatives of individuals with schizophrenia who are at high risk (HR) for genetic reasons. Twenty-two HR subjects, 31 patients with schizophrenia and 51 control subjects underwent DTI. We compared FA between the three groups in the cingulum cingulate gyri, the uncinate and the arcuate fasciculi and the anterior limb of the internal capsules (ALIC). A voxel-based analysis showed lower FA in patients with schizophrenia compared to controls in left and right uncinate (p<0.03), the left arcuate (p<0.03) and left and right ALIC (p<0.01). Using an automatic region-of-interest analysis, less sensitive to potential misregistration errors, produced essentially the same results, as well as reduced FA of the ALIC in the HR group compared to controls (p<0.05). This study replicates previous findings showing lower FA in frontotemporal white matter fibers of schizophrenia patients. We also found reduced FA in the ALIC of both patients and subjects at high risk of schizophrenia when compared to controls. This may be a possible indicator of the higher vulnerability of relatives to develop the disorder.     

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.     

White matter abnormalities in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: Preliminary associations with the Nogo-66 receptor gene and symptoms of psychosis

BackgroundThis study utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to analyze white matter tractography in the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC), fornix, and uncinate fasciculus (UF) of individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and controls. Aberrations in these tracts have been previously associated with schizophrenia. With up to 25% of individuals with 22q11.2DS developing schizophrenia in adulthood, we hypothesized reduction in structural integrity of these tracts, including an association with prodromal symptoms of psychosis. We further predicted an association between allelic variation in a functional polymorphism of the Nogo-66 receptor gene and 22q11.2DS white matter integrity.MethodsTractography was conducted using fiber assignment by streamline tracking algorithm in DTI Studio. Subjects were genotyped for the rs701428 SNP of the Nogo-66 receptor gene, and assessed for presence of prodromal symptoms.ResultsWe found significant group differences between 22q11.2DS and controls in DTI metrics for all three tracts. DTI metrics of ALIC and UF were associated with prodromal symptoms in 22q11.2DS. Further, ALIC DTI metrics were associated with allelic variation of the rs701428 SNP of the Nogo-66 receptor gene in 22q11.2DS.ConclusionsAlterations in DTI metrics suggest white matter microstructural anomalies of the ALIC, fornix, and UF in 22q11.2DS. Structural differences in ALIC appear to be associated with the Nogo-66 receptor gene, which has been linked to myelin-mediated axonal growth inhibition. Moreover, the association between psychosis symptoms and ALIC and UF metrics suggests that the Nogo-66 receptor gene may represent a susceptibility gene for psychosis through its disruption of white matter microstructure and myelin-associated axonal growth.     

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.     

Genetic variants in the ErbB4 gene are associated with white matter integrity

Variations in the signalling NRG1-ErbB4 pathway have been associated with genetic susceptibility for both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, although the underlying neural mechanisms are still uncertain. Reduced integrity of the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) has been found in association with risk-associated genetic variation in the 5′ region of the NRG1 gene. We hypothesised that variation in the gene encoding the NRG1 receptor, ErbB4, would also be associated with reduced ALIC integrity and with cognitive impairments characteristic of individuals with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we examined the white matter integrity associations of the ErbB4 polymorphism rs4673628, which resides within intron 12 of the gene encoding ErbB4, in 36 healthy individuals. We also sought to clarify the cognitive effects of any findings. We found that genetic variation at the rs4673628 locus in the ErbB4 gene was significantly associated with ALIC white matter integrity which was also significantly and positively associated with mnemonic function. These findings provide further evidence to support a key role of NRG1-ErbB4 signalling in the pathophysiology of major mental disorders.     

基于弥散张量成像技术的双相障碍患者脑白质纤维束异常分析

目的探讨抑郁期双相障碍患者脑白质纤维束的变化。方法选取42例未用药双相障碍抑郁期患者(患者组)和年龄、性别及右利手与之相匹配的59名对照者(对照组)进行DTI检查,根据约翰霍普金斯大学人类白质纤维束图谱,将大脑白质组织分割为20条公认存在的粗大纤维束,应用PANDA软件计算每个被试者每条白质纤维束的4项平均弥散属性,采用非参数置换检验比较2组在20条白质纤维束上弥散指标的差异,将差异有统计学意义的脑白质纤维束弥散指标与临床指标进行Pearson相关分析。结果患者组左侧钩束各向异性分数(fractional anisotropy,FA)值低于对照组(0.40±0.01与0.41±0.01,P=0.001);胼胝体辐射线额部FA值低于对照组(0.36±0.02与0.38±0.02,P<0.001);左侧钩束径向弥散率(radial diffusivity,RD)值高于对照组(6.57×10^-4±2.41×10^-5与6.40×10^-4±2.42×10^-5,P=0.0017)。Pearson相关分析显示,2组弥散指标差异有统计学意义的白质纤维束与临床指标之间均无相关性。结论抑郁期双相障碍患者钩束及胼胝体辐射线额部存在脑白质完整性破坏。     

Reduced white matter fractional anisotropy and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia: a voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging study

Although not consistently replicated, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies in schizophrenia have revealed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in various white matter regions, a finding consistent with the disruption of white matter integrity. In this study, we used voxel-based DTI to investigate possible whole-brain differences in the white matter FA values between 58 schizophrenia patients and 58 healthy controls. We also explored the association between FA values and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia. Compared with the controls, the schizophrenia patients showed significant FA reductions in bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus, bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and genu of right internal capsule. Furthermore, in the patient group, the FA value of the anterior part of the corpus callosum was negatively correlated with the avolition score on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. These findings suggest widespread disruption of white matter integrity in schizophrenia, which could partly explain the severity of negative symptomatology.     

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.     

Altered white matter connectivity in never‐medicated patients with schizophrenia

Numerous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have implicated white matter brain tissue abnormalities in schizophrenia. However, the vast majority of these studies included patient populations that use antipsychotic medication. Previous research showed that medication intake can affect brain morphology and the question therefore arises to what extent the reported white matter aberrations can be attributed to the disease rather than to the use of medication. In this study we included 16 medication‐naïve patients with schizophrenia and compared them to 23 healthy controls to exclude antipsychotic medication use as a confounding factor. For each subject DTI scans and magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) scans were acquired. A new tract‐based analysis was used that combines fractional anisoptropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) to examine group differences in 12 major white matter fiber bundles. Significant group differences in combined FA, MD, MTR values were found for the right uncinate fasciculus and the left arcuate fasciculus. Additional analysis revealed that the largest part of both tracts showed an increase in MTR in combination with an increase in MD for patients with schizophrenia. We interpret these group‐related differences as disease‐related axonal or glial aberrations that cannot be attributed to antipsychotic medication use. Hum Brain Mapp 34:2353–2365, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Microstructural abnormalities of white matter differentiate pediatric and adult-onset bipolar disorder

Lu LH, Zhou XJ, Fitzgerald J, Keedy SK, Reilly JL, Passarotti AM, Sweeney JA, Pavuluri M. Microstructural abnormalities of white matter differentiate pediatric and adult onset bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 597–606. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives: White‐matter microstructure, known to undergo significant developmental transformation, is abnormal in bipolar disorder (BD). Available evidence suggests that white‐matter deviation may be more pronounced in pediatric than adult‐onset BD. The present study aimed to examine how white‐matter microstructure deviates from a typical maturational trajectory in BD. Methods: Fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured in 35 individuals presenting with first episode BD (type I) and 46 healthy controls (HC) (aged 9–42) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Patients were medication free and close to illness onset at the time of the DTI scans. Tract‐based spatial statistics were used to examine the center of white‐matter tracts, and FA was extracted from nine tracts of interest. Axial, radial, and mean diffusivity were examined in post‐hoc analyses. Results: The left anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) showed significantly lower FA in pediatric than adult‐onset BD. The lower FA in BD was due primarily to greater radial, rather than decreased axial, diffusivity. Conclusions: The ALIC connects the frontal lobes with archistriatum, thalamus, and medial temporal regions, and alteration in these pathways may contribute to mood dysregulation in BD. Abnormalities in this pathway appear to be associated with an earlier onset of illness and thus may reflect a greater susceptibility to illness.     

Fronto-temporal disconnectivity and clinical short-term outcome in first episode psychosis: A DTI-tractography study

Determining reliable markers of clinical outcome for psychosis is essential to adjust intervention efforts. White matter alterations exist prior to psychosis onset but its association with clinical outcome in the very early phase of psychosis is currently unknown. In the present study, white matter was assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with first episode psychosis (FEP) and healthy controls. Forty-four FEP patients and 30 matched healthy controls completed a DTI scan. The patient group was split in poor (n = 24) and good (n = 20) outcome subgroups based on 6-month clinical data. DTI tractography was used to estimate fractional anisotropy (FA) in the three main tracts connecting frontal and temporal regions (i.e. the cingulum, the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the uncinate fasciculus). The analyses showed selective FA reductions in both the uncinate and the superior longitudinal fasciculi, but not in the cingulum, when comparing FEP patients to healthy controls. FEP subgroup analyses revealed greater white matter changes in these tracts in patients with poor outcome as compared to patients with good outcome. These findings confirm that abnormal fronto-temporal connectivity contributes to the physiopathology of FEP and constitutes an early marker of clinical short-term outcome.     

Structural connectivity associated with familial risk for mental illness: A meta‐analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies in relatives of patients with severe mental disorders

Schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) are heritable conditions with overlapping genetic liability. Transdiagnostic and disorder‐specific brain changes associated with familial risk for developing these disorders remain poorly understood. We carried out a meta‐analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies to investigate white matter microstructure abnormalities in relatives that might correspond to shared and discrete biomarkers of familial risk for psychotic or mood disorders. A systematic search of PubMed and Embase was performed to identify DTI studies in relatives of SCZ, BD, and MDD patients. Seed‐based d Mapping software was used to investigate global differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) between overall and disorder‐specific relatives and healthy controls (HC). Our search identified 25 studies that met full inclusion criteria. A total of 1,144 relatives and 1,238 HC were included in the meta‐analysis. The overall relatives exhibited decreased FA in the genu and splenium of corpus callosum (CC) compared with HC. This finding was found highly replicable in jack‐knife analysis and subgroup analyses. In disorder‐specific analysis, compared to HC, relatives of SCZ patients exhibited the same changes while those of BD showed reduced FA in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). The present study showed decreased FA in the genu and splenium of CC in relatives of SCZ, BD, and MDD patients, which might represent a shared familial vulnerability marker of severe mental illness. The white matter abnormalities in the left ILF might represent a specific familial risk for bipolar disorder.     

Diffusion tensor imaging tractography and reliability analysis for limbic and paralimbic white matter tracts

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides the opportunity to study white matter tracts in vivo. The goal was to estimate the reliability of DTI tractography for the analysis of limbic and paralimbic white matter. Normative data from 24 healthy subjects and reliability data from four healthy and four depressed subjects were acquired at 1.5 Tesla, using twice-refocused spin-echo, echoplanar DTI and Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) DTI sequences. Fiber tracking was performed using the Fiber Assignment by Continuous Tracking algorithm. Fractional Anisotropy (FA), trace Apparent Diffusion Coefficient and tract volumes were calculated. The inter-rater (and intra-rater) intraclass correlation coefficients for FA values were as follows: rostral cingulum 0.89 (0.87), dorsal cingulum 0.85 (0.90), parahippocampal cingulum 0.85 (0.95), uncinate fasciculus 0.85 (0.87), medial prefrontal white matter 0.97 (0.99), ventromedial prefrontal white matter 0.92 (0.93), crus of fornix 0.80 (0.81). The reported DTI protocol provides a reliable method to analyze limbic and paralimbic white matter tracts relevant to psychiatric disorders.     

Diffusion tensor imaging of white matter and correlates to eye movement control and psychometric testing in children with prenatal alcohol exposure

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can cause central nervous system dysfunction and widespread structural anomalies as detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study focused on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of white matter in a large sample of PAE participants that allowed us to examine correlations with behavioral outcomes. Participants were confirmed PAE (n = 69, mean age = 12.5 ± 3.2 years) or typically developing control children (n = 67, mean age = 12.1 ± 3.2 years) who underwent brain MRI, eye movement tasks, and psychometric tests. A semi‐automated tractography method extracted fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values from 15 white matter tracts. The PAE group displayed decreased FA compared with controls in multiple tracts including 3 corpus callosum regions, right corticospinal tract, and 3 left hemisphere tracts connecting to the frontal lobe (cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, and superior longitudinal fasciculus). Significant group by sex interactions were found for the genu, left superior longitudinal fasciculus, and the left uncinate, with females in the PAE group exhibiting lower FA compared with control females. Correlations were found between DTI and eye movement measures in the control group, but these same relationships were absent in the PAE group. In contrast, no correlations were found between DTI and any of the psychometric tests used in this study. These findings support the hypothesis that measures of eye movement control may be valuable functional biomarkers of the brain injury induced by PAE as these tasks reveal group differences that appear to be linked to deficits in white matter integrity in the brain. Hum Brain Mapp 38:444–456, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A comparative diffusion tensor imaging study of corpus callosum subregion integrity in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have provided evidence for corpus callosum (CC) white matter abnormalities in bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ). These findings include alterations in shape, volume, white matter intensity and structural integrity compared to healthy control populations. Although CC alterations are implicated in both SZ and BD, no study of which we are aware has investigated callosal subregion differences between these two patient populations. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess CC integrity in patients with BD (n=16), SZ (n=19) and healthy controls (HC) (n=24). Fractional anisotropy (FA) of CC subregions was measured using region of interest (ROI) analysis and compared in the three groups. Significant group differences of FA values were revealed in five CC subregions, including the anterior genu, middle genu, posterior genu, posterior body and anterior splenium. FA values of the same subregions were significantly reduced in patients with SZ compared with HC. FA values were also significantly reduced in patients with BD compared to the HC group in the same subregions, excepting the middle genu. No significant difference was found between patient groups in any region. Most of the alterations in CC subregions were present in both the BD and SZ groups. These results imply an overlap in potential pathology, possibly relating to risk factors common to both disorders. The one region that differed between patient groups, the middle genu area, may serve as an illness marker and is perhaps involved in the different cognitive impairments observed in BD and SZ.     

Diffusion tensor imaging and tract-based spatial statistics in obsessive-compulsive disorder

There is increasing evidence of white matter abnormalities in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The results of previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies, however, are inconsistent. Reasons for this inconsistency may include methodological issues such as misregistration, the differences in smoothing voxel-based morphometry style analysis or both. To date there are no DTI studies with tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) which overcome these issues. In addition, previous studies had few drug-free patients, thus potentially reducing their power and obscuring their findings. Therefore, the aim of present study was to investigate white matter abnormalities using DTI and TBSS analysis in a large sample of drug-free patients with OCD. Thirty drug-free patients with OCD and 30 healthy controls underwent DTI. Fourteen of 30 patients were drug naïve. Voxel-wise group comparison of white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) was performed using TBSS. Compared to healthy volunteers, OCD patients had statistically less FA in the anterior body of corpus callosum (CC) (p < .05, corrected). They also had a trend for a lower FA in the large portion of CC, the right cingulum, and the left anterior limb of internal capsule (ALIC). There were no areas of the brain with significantly higher FA. This is the first study that has investigated white matter abnormalities in non-medicated patients with OCD using DTI and TBSS analyses. Microstructural white matter abnormalities in the CC, the cingulum, and the ALIC might be involved in the pathophysiology of OCD.     

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。     

Diffusion tensor imaging reveals thalamus and posterior cingulate cortex abnormalities in internet gaming addicts

Internet gaming addiction (IGA) is increasingly recognized as a widespread disorder with serious psychological and health consequences. Diminished white matter integrity has been demonstrated in a wide range of other addictive disorders which share clinical characteristics with IGA. Abnormal white matter integrity in addictive populations has been associated with addiction severity, treatment response and cognitive impairments. This study assessed white matter integrity in individuals with internet gaming addiction (IGA) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). IGA subjects (N = 16) showed higher fractional anisotropy (FA), indicating greater white matter integrity, in the thalamus and left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) relative to healthy controls (N = 15). Higher FA in the thalamus was associated with greater severity of internet addiction. Increased regional FA in individuals with internet gaming addiction may be a pre-existing vulnerability factor for IGA, or may arise secondary to IGA, perhaps as a direct result of excessive internet game playing.     

Age-related deficits in fronto-temporal connections in schizophrenia: a diffusion tensor imaging study

OBJECTIVE: Impairment of white matter connecting frontal and temporal cortices has been reported in schizophrenia. Yet, not much is known about the effects of age on fibers connecting these brain regions. Using diffusion tensor imaging tractography, we investigated the relationship between age and fiber integrity in patients with schizophrenia vs. healthy adults. METHODS: DTI tractography was used to create 3D reconstructions of the cingulum, uncinate and inferior occipito-frontal fasciculi in 27 patients with schizophrenia and 34 healthy volunteers (23-56 years of age, group-matched on age). Fractional anisotropy (FA), describing fiber integrity, was then calculated along the entire length of these tracts, and correlated with subjects' age. RESULTS: Patients revealed a significant decline in FA with age in both the cingulum and uncinate, but not in the inferior occipito-frontal fasciculi. No statistically significant correlations were found in these fiber bundles in controls. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest an age-associated reduction of frontal-temporal connectivity in schizophrenia, but not in healthy controls.     

皮质下缺血性血管病患者联络纤维的扩散张量成像分析和认知功能相关研究

【摘要】 目的 运用磁共振成像（magnetic resonance imaging,MRI）基于白质地图的扩散张量成像（diffusion tensor imaging,DTI）技术研究皮质下缺血性血管病（subcortical ischemic vascular disease,SIVD）患者联络纤维的超微结构改变,并分析DTI参数与认知功能的关系。 方法 连续入选40例SIVD患者,分为血管性认知障碍组18例,无认知障碍组22例,另设立20例正常老年人为对照组。对三组进行MRI检查并对其白质改变进行评分,对联络纤维进行基于白质地图分析（atlase based analysis,ABA）DTI成像,比较组间部分各向异性指数（fractional anisotrophy,FA）、平均扩散率（mean diffusivity,MD）差异,并对SIVD患者DTI参数与蒙特利尔认知评估量表（Montreal Cognitive Assessment,MoCA）得分进行相关性分析。 结果 无认知障碍组较正常组在右侧矢状层（下纵束/下额枕束）、右侧扣带（海马部）及左侧上额枕束的FA值减低;认知障碍组较正常组存在广泛的联络纤维FA值降低,差异均具有显著性。无认知障碍组与正常组比较,仅左侧扣带海马部及左侧上纵束MD值无显著差异,余联络纤维的MD值均显著增高;认知障碍组较正常组存在广泛的联络纤维MD值增高,差异均具有显著性。与无认知功能障碍组比较,认知功能障碍组在双侧矢状层（下纵束/下额枕束）、双侧扣带扣带回部、海马部、双侧上纵束、双侧上额枕束及双侧钩束的FA值减低,MD值增高,差异具有显著性。SIVD患者双侧矢状层（下纵束/下额枕束）、扣带扣带回部、上纵束、上额枕束及钩束和左侧扣带海马部的FA值与MoCA评分呈正相关,MD值与MoCA评分呈负相关。 结论 SIVD患者联络纤维的FA值减低,MD值增高,且DTI参数与其认知功能密切相关。