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Mu J, Wu L, Wang C, Dun W, Hong Z, Feng X, Zhang M, Liu J. Individual differences of white matter characteristic along the anterior insula-based fiber tract circuit for pain empathy in healthy women and women with primary dysmenorrhea. Neuroimage 2024; 293:120624. [PMID: 38657745 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Pain empathy, defined as the ability of one person to understand another person's pain, shows large individual variations. The anterior insula is the core region of the pain empathy network. However, the relationship between white matter (WM) properties of the fiber tracts connecting the anterior insula with other cortical regions and an individual's ability to modulate pain empathy remains largely unclear. In this study, we outline an automatic seed-based fiber streamline (sFS) analysis method and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to predict the levels of pain empathy in healthy women and women with primary dysmenorrhoea (PDM). Using the sFS method, the anterior insula-based fiber tract network was divided into five fiber cluster groups. In healthy women, interindividual differences in pain empathy were predicted only by the WM properties of the five fiber cluster groups, suggesting that interindividual differences in pain empathy may rely on the connectivity of the anterior insula-based fiber tract network. In women with PDM, pain empathy could be predicted by a single cluster group. The mean WM properties along the anterior insular-rostroventral area of the inferior parietal lobule further mediated the effect of pain on empathy in patients with PDM. Our results suggest that chronic periodic pain may lead to maladaptive plastic changes, which could further impair empathy by making women with PDM feel more pain when they see other people experiencing pain. Our study also addresses an important gap in the analysis of the microstructural characteristics of seed-based fiber tract network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Mu
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Leiming Wu
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Chenxi Wang
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Wanghuan Dun
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Zilong Hong
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Xinyue Feng
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China.
| | - Jixin Liu
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China; Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China.
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2
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Mouton L, Etienne O, Feat-Vetel J, Barrière DA, Pérès EA, Boumezbeur F, Boussin FD, Le Bihan D. Noninvasive Assessment of Neurodevelopmental Disorders after In Utero Irradiation in Mice: An In Vivo Anatomical and Diffusion MRI Study. Radiat Res 2021; 195:568-583. [PMID: 33826744 DOI: 10.1667/rade-20-00136.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In utero exposure to ionizing radiation can lead to cerebral alterations during adulthood. Using anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it is possible to assess radiation-induced structural brain damage noninvasively. However, little is currently known about microstructure alterations in brain tissue. Therefore, the goal of this study was to establish, based on an original and robust pipeline of MRI image analysis, whether the long-term effects of in utero radiation exposure on brain tissue microstructure could be detected noninvasively. Pregnant C57BL/6N mice received a single dose of 1 Gy on gestation day 14.5, which led to behavioral impairments in adults. At 3 months old, in vivo MRI data were acquired from in utero irradiated and nonirradiated male mice. An MRI protocol was designed to assess the effects of radiation on the parameters of brain volume, non-Gaussian diffusion (ADC0, kurtosis and signature index) and anisotropic diffusion (fractional anisotropy and mean, axial, radial diffusivities and anisotropic signature index) in 10 key cerebral structures defined using an in-house atlas of the mouse brain. Based on the relative amplitude of these anatomical and microstructural changes, maps of the radiosensitivity of the brain to in utero irradiation were created. We observed microcephaly in irradiated mice with noticeably larger volume changes in the cortex and the corpus callosum. We also observed significantly lower ADC0, anisotropy fraction (sFA), radial diffusivity (sRD), as well as signature index (S-index and SI3) values, which are original markers sensitive to tissue microstructure alterations. All these changes together are in favor of a decreased cellular "imprint" and in some regions a reduced density in myelinated axons. A reduction in the number and complexity of myelinated axons was further revealed by myelin basic protein immunostaining. Combining anatomical and diffusion MRI is a promising approach to noninvasively investigate the radiosensitivity of local brain areas in adult mice after in utero irradiation in terms of microstructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Mouton
- NeuroSpin, Frederic Joliot Institute, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Université Paris- Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Université de Paris and Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, LRP/iRCM/IBFJ CEA, UMR Stabilité Génétique Cellules Souches et Radiations, F-92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - O Etienne
- Université de Paris and Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, LRP/iRCM/IBFJ CEA, UMR Stabilité Génétique Cellules Souches et Radiations, F-92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - J Feat-Vetel
- Université de Paris and Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, LRP/iRCM/IBFJ CEA, UMR Stabilité Génétique Cellules Souches et Radiations, F-92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - D A Barrière
- NeuroSpin, Frederic Joliot Institute, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Université Paris- Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - E A Pérès
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, CEA, CNRS, UMR6030-ISTCT/CERVOxy group, GIP CYCERON, Caen, France
| | - F Boumezbeur
- NeuroSpin, Frederic Joliot Institute, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Université Paris- Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - F D Boussin
- Université de Paris and Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, LRP/iRCM/IBFJ CEA, UMR Stabilité Génétique Cellules Souches et Radiations, F-92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - D Le Bihan
- NeuroSpin, Frederic Joliot Institute, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Université Paris- Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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3
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Tabelow K, Balteau E, Ashburner J, Callaghan MF, Draganski B, Helms G, Kherif F, Leutritz T, Lutti A, Phillips C, Reimer E, Ruthotto L, Seif M, Weiskopf N, Ziegler G, Mohammadi S. hMRI - A toolbox for quantitative MRI in neuroscience and clinical research. Neuroimage 2019; 194:191-210. [PMID: 30677501 PMCID: PMC6547054 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroscience and clinical researchers are increasingly interested in quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) due to its sensitivity to micro-structural properties of brain tissue such as axon, myelin, iron and water concentration. We introduce the hMRI-toolbox, an open-source, easy-to-use tool available on GitHub, for qMRI data handling and processing, presented together with a tutorial and example dataset. This toolbox allows the estimation of high-quality multi-parameter qMRI maps (longitudinal and effective transverse relaxation rates R1 and R2⋆, proton density PD and magnetisation transfer MT saturation) that can be used for quantitative parameter analysis and accurate delineation of subcortical brain structures. The qMRI maps generated by the toolbox are key input parameters for biophysical models designed to estimate tissue microstructure properties such as the MR g-ratio and to derive standard and novel MRI biomarkers. Thus, the current version of the toolbox is a first step towards in vivo histology using MRI (hMRI) and is being extended further in this direction. Embedded in the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) framework, it benefits from the extensive range of established SPM tools for high-accuracy spatial registration and statistical inferences and can be readily combined with existing SPM toolboxes for estimating diffusion MRI parameter maps. From a user's perspective, the hMRI-toolbox is an efficient, robust and simple framework for investigating qMRI data in neuroscience and clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Bogdan Draganski
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gunther Helms
- Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ferath Kherif
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Leutritz
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Antoine Lutti
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Enrico Reimer
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gabriel Ziegler
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, University of Magdeburg, Germany
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Dossi DE, Chaves H, Heck ES, Rodriguez Murúa S, Ventrice F, Bakshi R, Quintana FJ, Correale J, Farez MF. Effects of Systolic Blood Pressure on Brain Integrity in Multiple Sclerosis. Front Neurol 2018; 9:487. [PMID: 29988562 PMCID: PMC6026666 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: In MS patients, hypertension is associated with a delayed diagnosis and an increased risk of progression. Understanding the mechanisms of this association could potentially lead to improved prevention of disease progression. We aimed to establish whether high blood pressure contributes to white-matter injury and brain atrophy in MS. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 95 patients with RRMS. Estimates of fractional anisotropy, gray-matter volume and lesion load were obtained from 3T MRI. We used fractional anisotropy voxel-based statistics to establish the effect of blood pressure on white matter tracts. Additionally, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to study the effect on gray matter integrity. Results: Only 29.5% had normal blood pressure levels, with 52.6% suffering from prehypertension and 17.9% with hypertension. Increasing systolic blood pressure was associated with damage to posterior white-matter tracts as well as greater levels of gray matter atrophy, in particular in the frontal cortex. Age-adjusted linear regression indicated that neither lesion volume (β = 0.002, 95%CI: 0.02–0.02; p = 0.85) or lesion number (β = −0.004, 95%CI: 0.03–0.02; p = 0.74) were associated with systolic blood pressure. Conclusions: Prehypertension and hypertension are frequent in MS. Increased blood pressure is related to white- and gray-matter integrity, both related to MS disability outcomes. These findings suggest attention to the control of blood pressure in MS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiana E Dossi
- Department of Neurology, Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Hernán Chaves
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Evelyn S Heck
- Center for Research on Neuroimmunological Diseases (CIEN), Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sofía Rodriguez Murúa
- Center for Research on Neuroimmunological Diseases (CIEN), Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fernando Ventrice
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Rohit Bakshi
- Department of Neurology, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Laboratory for Neuroimaging Research, Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jorge Correale
- Department of Neurology, Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Center for Research on Neuroimmunological Diseases (CIEN), Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mauricio F Farez
- Center for Research on Neuroimmunological Diseases (CIEN), Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Association between abnormal serum myelin-specific protein levels and white matter integrity in first-episode and drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord 2018; 232:61-68. [PMID: 29477585 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2017] [Revised: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although the structural abnormalities of white matter (WM) have been described in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), the neuropathological changes remain unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) levels and their correlations with WM integrity in first-episode, drug-naïve MDD patients. METHODS We obtained diffusion tensor images of 102 first-episode, drug-naïve MDD patients and 81 age- and sex-matched controls. Serum MOG and MAG levels of all participants were measured and compared between the two groups. The correlations between WM integrity and MOG and MAG levels were examined. RESULTS MOG and MAG serum levels were significantly higher in MDD patients than in controls. Patients with MDD also showed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial diffusivity in the WM of the bilateral thalamus, right hippocampus, right temporal lobe, and left pulvinar. At the whole-brain level, no regions showed any correlations of diffusivity parameters with MOG or MAG levels in healthy subjects. However, we observed two-way correlations between the MOG and MAG levels and the FA and mean diffusivity values in the WM of the left middle frontal lobe, right inferior parietal lobe, and right supplementary motor area in MDD patients. LIMITATIONS Further investigation with a larger sample size and longitudinal studies are required to better understand the neuropathology of WM integrity in MDD. CONCLUSIONS Our findings represent the first evidence of a relationship between abnormal serum myelin-specific protein levels and impaired WM integrity, which may help to better understand the neurobiological mechanisms of MDD.
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6
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Kugler AV, Deppe M. Non-lesional cerebellar damage in patients with clinically isolated syndrome: DTI measures predict early conversion into clinically definite multiple sclerosis. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 19:633-639. [PMID: 29984171 PMCID: PMC6031094 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Background Today, no specific test for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is available due to the lack of characteristic symptoms at beginning. This circumstance also complicates estimation of disease progression. Recent findings provided evidence for early, non-lesional cerebellar damage in patients with (clinically definite) relapsing-remitting MS. Objective To investigate if microstructural cerebellar alterations can also serve as early structural biomarker for disease progression and conversion from clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to MS. Methods 46 patients diagnosed with CIS and 26 age-matched healthy controls were admitted to high-resolution MRI including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine atrophy and microstructural integrity of the cerebellum. Microstructural integrity of cerebellar white matter was assessed by fractional anisotropy (FA) as derived from DTI. Results Although all 46 patients of our CIS cohort showed no cerebellar lesions in structural MRI (T1w, T2w, FLAIR), their mean cerebellar FA was already reduced compared to healthy controls. Significant FA reduction at follow-up DTI 6 months after baseline examination was observed. In 16 patients that converted to MS, we found a correlation between initial cerebellar FA and conversion latency (R = 0.71, p < 0.002). Initial cerebellar FA under FAcrit = 0.352 predicted conversion into relapsing-remitting MS within 24 months (FAcrit: mean cerebellar FA of patients with early MS, determined in another study). Conclusion DTI seems to reflect early tissue injury in beginning MS, when atrophy and lesions are not yet detectable. Decreased cerebellar FA in patients with CIS might indicate an active and unstable disease stage, resulting in a shorter conversion time into MS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Deppe
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
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7
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Pawlowski M, Lueg G, Gross CC, Johnen A, Krämer J, Weckesser M, Wiendl H, Meuth SG, Duning T. Relevance of raised cerebrospinal fluid monocyte levels in patients with frontotemporal dementia. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 62:45-52. [PMID: 29107846 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder. The contribution of the immune system to its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. In this study, we performed comprehensive immune cell profiling in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood of patients with FTD. Thirty-two patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and 25 patients with primary progressive aphasia were included and compared to 14 healthy elderly controls. All patients underwent neuropsychological examination, magnetic resonance imaging, voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging, and peripheral blood and CSF immune cell profiling by multiparameter flow cytometry. The percentage of CSF monocytes was significantly increased specifically in patients with primary progressive aphasia. The proportion of monocytes in the CSF of the total FTD patient group directly correlated with semantic language impairment and microstructural temporal lesions. Increased intrathecal numbers of monocytes suggest a specific response of the innate immune system in a subset of patients with FTD. The findings are of clinical relevance since monocyte levels in the CSF were correlated with typical neuropsychological deficits and microstructural patterns of temporal degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gero Lueg
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Catharina C Gross
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Andreas Johnen
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Julia Krämer
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Matthias Weckesser
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Heinz Wiendl
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sven G Meuth
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Duning
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
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8
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Mohammadi S, Weiskopf N. [Computational neuroanatomy and microstructure imaging using magnetic resonance imaging]. DER NERVENARZT 2017; 88:839-849. [PMID: 28721539 DOI: 10.1007/s00115-017-0373-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current computational neuroanatomy focuses on morphological measurements of the brain using standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. In comparison quantitative MRI (qMRI) typically provides a better tissue contrast and also greatly improves the sensitivity and specificity with respect to the microstructural characteristics of tissue. OBJECTIVE Current methodological developments in qMRI are presented, which go beyond morphology because this provides standardized measurements of the microstructure of the brain. The concept of in-vivo histology is introduced, based on biophysical modelling of qMRI data (hMRI) for determination of quantitative histology-like markers of the microstructure. RESULTS The qMRI metrics can be used as direct biomarkers of the microstructural mechanisms driving observed morphological findings. The hMRI metrics utilize biophysical models of the MRI signal in order to determine 3‑dimensional maps of histology-like measurements in the white matter. CONCLUSION Non-invasive brain tissue characterization using qMRI or hMRI has significant implications for both scientific and clinical applications. Both approaches improve the comparability across sites and time points, facilitate multicenter and longitudinal studies as well as standardized diagnostics. The hMRI is expected to shed new light on the relationship between brain microstructure, function and behavior both in health and disease. In the future hMRI will play an indispensable role in the field of computational neuroanatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Mohammadi
- Institut für systemische Neurowissenschaften, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Deutschland
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, Großbritannien
| | - N Weiskopf
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Deutschland.
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, Großbritannien.
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David G, Freund P, Mohammadi S. The efficiency of retrospective artifact correction methods in improving the statistical power of between-group differences in spinal cord DTI. Neuroimage 2017; 158:296-307. [PMID: 28669912 PMCID: PMC6168644 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.06.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a promising approach for investigating the white matter microstructure of the spinal cord. However, it suffers from severe susceptibility, physiological, and instrumental artifacts present in the cord. Retrospective correction techniques are popular approaches to reduce these artifacts, because they are widely applicable and do not increase scan time. In this paper, we present a novel outlier rejection approach (reliability masking) which is designed to supplement existing correction approaches by excluding irreversibly corrupted and thus unreliable data points from the DTI index maps. Then, we investigate how chains of retrospective correction techniques including (i) registration, (ii) registration and robust fitting, and (iii) registration, robust fitting, and reliability masking affect the statistical power of a previously reported finding of lower fractional anisotropy values in the posterior column and lateral corticospinal tracts in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients. While established post-processing steps had small effect on the statistical power of the clinical finding (slice-wise registration: −0.5%, robust fitting: +0.6%), adding reliability masking to the post-processing chain increased it by 4.7%. Interestingly, reliability masking and registration affected the t-score metric differently: while the gain in statistical power due to reliability masking was mainly driven by decreased variability in both groups, registration slightly increased variability. In conclusion, reliability masking is particularly attractive for neuroscience and clinical research studies, as it increases statistical power by reducing group variability and thus provides a cost-efficient alternative to increasing the group size. A novel outlier rejection technique (reliability masking) is introduced. Standard artifact correction has little effect on the statistical power of between-group differences. Reliability masking improves the statistical power of between-group differences. This improvement is driven by decreased group-level variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergely David
- Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Patrick Freund
- Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Siawoosh Mohammadi
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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10
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Grabher P, Mohammadi S, David G, Freund P. Neurodegeneration in the Spinal Ventral Horn Prior to Motor Impairment in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy. J Neurotrauma 2017; 34:2329-2334. [PMID: 28462691 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.4980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Remote gray matter pathology has been suggested rostral to the compression site in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). We therefore assessed neurodegeneration in the gray matter ventral and dorsal horns. Twenty patients with CSM and 18 healthy subjects underwent a high-resolution structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging protocol at vertebra C2/C3. Patients received comprehensive clinical assessments. T2*-weighted data provided cross-sectional area measurements of gray matter ventral and dorsal horns to identify atrophy. At the identical location, mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) determined the microstructural integrity. Finally, the relationships between neurodegeneration occurring in the gray and white matter and clinical impairment were investigated. Patients suffered from mild-to-moderate CSM with mainly sensory impairment. In the ventral horns, cross-sectional area was not reduced (p = 0.863) but MD was increased (p = 0.045). The magnitude of MD changes within the ventral horn was associated with white matter diffusivity changes (MD: p = 0.013; FA: p = 0.028) within the lateral corticospinal tract. In contrast, dorsal horn cross-sectional area was reduced by 16.0% (p < 0.001) without alterations in diffusivity indices, compared with controls. No associations between the magnitude of ventral and dorsal horn neurodegeneration and clinical impairment were evident. Focal cord gray matter pathology is evident remote to the compression site in vivo in CSM patients. Microstructural changes in the ventral horns (i.e., motoneurons) related to corticospinal tract integrity in the absence of atrophy and marked motor impairment. Dorsal horn atrophy corresponded to main clinical representation of sensory impairment. Thus, neuroimaging biomarkers of cord gray matter integrity reveal focal neurodegeneration prior to marked clinical impairment and thus could serve as predictors of ensuing impairment in CSM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Grabher
- 1 Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Siawoosh Mohammadi
- 2 Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf , Hamburg, Germany .,3 Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London , London, United Kingdom .,4 Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences , Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gergely David
- 1 Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Freund
- 1 Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland .,3 Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London , London, United Kingdom .,4 Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences , Leipzig, Germany .,5 Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neurology, University College London , London, United Kingdom
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Repple J, Meinert S, Grotegerd D, Kugel H, Redlich R, Dohm K, Zaremba D, Opel N, Buerger C, Förster K, Nick T, Arolt V, Heindel W, Deppe M, Dannlowski U. A voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging study in unipolar and bipolar depression. Bipolar Disord 2017; 19:23-31. [PMID: 28239946 DOI: 10.1111/bdi.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The absence of neurobiological diagnostic markers of bipolar disorder (BD) leads to its frequent misdiagnosis as unipolar depression (UD). We investigated if changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) could help to differentiate BD from UD in the state of depression. METHODS Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) we employed a voxel-based analysis approach to examine fractional anisotropy (FA) in 86 patients experiencing an acute major depressive episode according to DSM-IV (N=39 BD, mean age 39.2 years; N=43 UD, mean age 39.0 years), and 42 healthy controls (HC, mean age 36.1 years). The groups did not differ in sex, age or total education time. FA was investigated in white matter (FA >.2) and hypothesis-driven anatomically defined tracts (region-of-interest [ROI] analysis). Additionally, an exploratory gray matter FA analysis was performed. RESULTS White matter analysis showed decreased FA in the right corticospinal tract in UD vs HC and in the right corticospinal tract/superior longitudinal fascicle in BD vs HC and also in BD vs UD. ROI analysis revealed decreased FA in BD vs UD in the corpus callosum and in the cingulum. Gray matter exploratory analysis revealed decreased FA in the left middle frontal gyrus and in the right inferior frontal gyrus in UD vs HC, and in the left superior medial gyrus in BD vs HC. CONCLUSION This is one of very few studies directly showing differences in FA between BD and UD. Gray matter FA changes in prefrontal areas might be precursors for future prefrontal gray matter abnormalities in these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Repple
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Susanne Meinert
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Harald Kugel
- Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ronny Redlich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina Dohm
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Dario Zaremba
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nils Opel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | | | - Theresa Nick
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Volker Arolt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Walter Heindel
- Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Michael Deppe
- Department of Neurology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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12
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Raffelt DA, Tournier JD, Smith RE, Vaughan DN, Jackson G, Ridgway GR, Connelly A. Investigating white matter fibre density and morphology using fixel-based analysis. Neuroimage 2016; 144:58-73. [PMID: 27639350 PMCID: PMC5182031 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 370] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Voxel-based analysis of diffusion MRI data is increasingly popular. However, most white matter voxels contain contributions from multiple fibre populations (often referred to as crossing fibres), and therefore voxel-averaged quantitative measures (e.g. fractional anisotropy) are not fibre-specific and have poor interpretability. Using higher-order diffusion models, parameters related to fibre density can be extracted for individual fibre populations within each voxel ('fixels'), and recent advances in statistics enable the multi-subject analysis of such data. However, investigating within-voxel microscopic fibre density alone does not account for macroscopic differences in the white matter morphology (e.g. the calibre of a fibre bundle). In this work, we introduce a novel method to investigate the latter, which we call fixel-based morphometry (FBM). To obtain a more complete measure related to the total number of white matter axons, information from both within-voxel microscopic fibre density and macroscopic morphology must be combined. We therefore present the FBM method as an integral piece within a comprehensive fixel-based analysis framework to investigate measures of fibre density, fibre-bundle morphology (cross-section), and a combined measure of fibre density and cross-section. We performed simulations to demonstrate the proposed measures using various transformations of a numerical fibre bundle phantom. Finally, we provide an example of such an analysis by comparing a clinical patient group to a healthy control group, which demonstrates that all three measures provide distinct and complementary information. By capturing information from both sources, the combined fibre density and cross-section measure is likely to be more sensitive to certain pathologies and more directly interpretable.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Raffelt
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - J-Donald Tournier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK; Centre for the Developing Brain, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Robert E Smith
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - David N Vaughan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Neurology, Austin Health and Northern Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Graeme Jackson
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Medicine, Austin Health and Northern Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gerard R Ridgway
- FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Alan Connelly
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Neurology, Austin Health and Northern Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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13
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Voxel-based analysis of grey and white matter degeneration in cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Sci Rep 2016; 6:24636. [PMID: 27095134 PMCID: PMC4837346 DOI: 10.1038/srep24636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this prospective study, we made an unbiased voxel-based analysis to investigate above-stenosis spinal degeneration and its relation to impairment in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Twenty patients and 18 controls were assessed with high-resolution MRI protocols above the level of stenosis. Cross-sectional areas of grey matter (GM), white matter (WM), and posterior columns (PC) were measured to determine atrophy. Diffusion indices assessed tract-specific integrity of PC and lateral corticospinal tracts (CST). Regression analysis was used to reveal relationships between MRI measures and clinical impairment. Patients showed mainly sensory impairment. Atrophy was prominent within the cervical WM (13.9%, p = 0.004), GM (7.2%, p = 0.043), and PC (16.1%, p = 0.005). Fractional anisotropy (FA) was reduced in the PC (−11.98%, p = 0.006) and lateral CST (−12.96%, p = 0.014). In addition, radial (+28.47%, p = 0.014), axial (+14.72%, p = 0.005), and mean (+16.50%, p = 0.001) diffusivities were increased in the PC. Light-touch score was associated with atrophy (R2 = 0.3559, p = 0.020) and FA (z score 3.74, p = 0.003) in the PC, as was functional independence and FA in the lateral CST (z score 3.68, p = 0.020). This study demonstrates voxel-based degeneration far above the stenosis at a level not directly affected by the compression and provides unbiased readouts of tract-specific changes that relate to impairment.
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14
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Current computational neuroanatomy based on MRI focuses on morphological measures of the brain. We present recent methodological developments in quantitative MRI (qMRI) that provide standardized measures of the brain, which go beyond morphology. We show how biophysical modelling of qMRI data can provide quantitative histological measures of brain tissue, leading to the emerging field of in-vivo histology using MRI (hMRI). RECENT FINDINGS qMRI has greatly improved the sensitivity and specificity of computational neuroanatomy studies. qMRI metrics can also be used as direct indicators of the mechanisms driving observed morphological findings. For hMRI, biophysical models of the MRI signal are being developed to directly access histological information such as cortical myelination, axonal diameters or axonal g-ratio in white matter. Emerging results indicate promising prospects for the combined study of brain microstructure and function. SUMMARY Non-invasive brain tissue characterization using qMRI or hMRI has significant implications for both research and clinics. Both approaches improve comparability across sites and time points, facilitating multicentre/longitudinal studies and standardized diagnostics. hMRI is expected to shed new light on the relationship between brain microstructure, function and behaviour, both in health and disease, and become an indispensable addition to computational neuroanatomy.
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15
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Deppe M, Krämer J, Tenberge JG, Marinell J, Schwindt W, Deppe K, Groppa S, Wiendl H, Meuth SG. Early silent microstructural degeneration and atrophy of the thalamocortical network in multiple sclerosis. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:1866-79. [PMID: 26920497 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies on patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) demonstrated thalamic atrophy. Here we addressed the following question: Is early thalamic atrophy in patients with CIS and relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) mainly a direct consequence of white matter (WM) lesions-as frequently claimed-or is the atrophy stronger correlated to "silent" (nonlesional) microstructural thalamic alterations? One-hundred and ten patients with RRMS, 12 with CIS, and 30 healthy controls were admitted to 3 T magnetic resonance imaging. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was computed from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess thalamic and WM microstructure. The relative thalamic volume (RTV) and thalamic FA were significantly reduced in patients with CIS and RRMS relative to healthy controls. Both measures were also correlated. The age, gender, WM lesion load, thalamic FA, and gray matter volume-corrected RTV were reduced even in the absence of thalamic and extensive white matter lesions-also in patients with short disease duration (≤24 months). A voxel-based correlation analysis revealed that the RTV reduction had a significant effect on local WM FA-in areas next to the thalamus and basal ganglia. These WM alterations could not be explained by WM lesions, which had a differing spatial distribution. Early thalamic atrophy is mainly driven by silent microstructural thalamic alterations. Lesions do not disclose the early damage of thalamocortical circuits, which seem to be much more affected in CIS and RRMS than expected. Thalamocortical damage can be detected by DTI in normal appearing brain tissue. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1866-1879, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Deppe
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Julia Krämer
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Jan-Gerd Tenberge
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Jasmin Marinell
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Wolfram Schwindt
- Department of Clinical Radiology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Katja Deppe
- Radiologische Praxis Göb & Hovestadt, Coesfeld, Germany
| | - Sergiu Groppa
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz Wiendl
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Sven G Meuth
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
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16
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Holtbernd F, Deppe M, Bachmann R, Mohammadi S, Ringelstein EB, Reilmann R. Deficits in tongue motor control are linked to microstructural brain damage in multiple sclerosis: a pilot study. BMC Neurol 2015; 15:190. [PMID: 26450403 PMCID: PMC4599335 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-015-0451-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Deterioration of fine motor control of the tongue is common in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and has a major impact on quality of life. However, the underlying neuronal substrate is largely unknown. Here, we aimed to explore the association of tongue motor dysfunction in MS patients with overall clinical disability and structural brain damage. Methods We employed a force transducer based quantitative-motor system (Q-Motor) to objectively assess tongue function in 33 patients with MS. The variability of tongue force output (TFV) and the mean applied tongue force (TF) were measured during an isometric tongue protrusion task. Twenty-three age and gender matched healthy volunteers served as controls. Correlation analyses of motor performance in MS patients with individual disease burden as expressed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and with microstructural brain damage as measured by the fractional anisotropy (FA) on Diffusion Tensor Imaging were performed. Results MS patients showed significantly increased TFV and decreased TF compared to controls (p < 0.02). TFV but not TF was correlated with the EDSS (p < 0.04). TFV was inversely correlated with FA in the bilateral posterior limb of the internal capsule expanding to the brain stem (p < 0.001), a region critical to tongue function. TF showed a weaker, positive and unilateral correlation with FA in the same region (p < 0.001). Conclusions Changes in TFV were more robust and correlated better with disease phenotype and FA changes than TF. TFV might serve as an objective and non-invasive outcome measure to augment the quantitative assessment of motor dysfunction in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Holtbernd
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Michael Deppe
- Department of Neurology, University of Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, Muenster, Germany.
| | - Rainald Bachmann
- Department of Radiology, Marienhospital Aachen, Zeise 4, 52066, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Siawoosh Mohammadi
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK. .,Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Erich B Ringelstein
- Department of Neurology, University of Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, Muenster, Germany.
| | - Ralf Reilmann
- George-Huntington-Institute, Technology Park Muenster, Johann-Krane-Weg 27, 48149, Muenster, Germany.,Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Straße 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.,Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, Muenster, Germany
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17
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Berl MM, Walker L, Modi P, Irfanoglu MO, Sarlls JE, Nayak A, Pierpaoli C. Investigation of vibration-induced artifact in clinical diffusion-weighted imaging of pediatric subjects. Hum Brain Mapp 2015; 36:4745-57. [PMID: 26350492 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Revised: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been reported that mechanical vibrations of the magnetic resonance imaging scanner could produce spurious signal dropouts in diffusion-weighted images resulting in artifactual anisotropy in certain regions of the brain with red appearance in the Directionally Encoded Color maps. We performed a review of the frequency of this artifact across pediatric studies, noting differences by scanner manufacturer, acquisition protocol, as well as weight and position of the subject. We also evaluated the ability of automated and quantitative methods to detect this artifact. We found that the artifact may be present in over 50% of data in certain protocols and is not limited to one scanner manufacturer. While a specific scanner had the highest incidence, low body weight and positioning were also associated with appearance of the artifact for both scanner types evaluated, making children potentially more susceptible than adults. Visual inspection remains the best method for artifact identification. Software for automated detection showed very low sensitivity (10%). The artifact may present inconsistently in longitudinal studies. We discuss a published case report that has been widely cited and used as evidence to set policy about diagnostic criteria for determining vegetative state. That report attributed longitudinal changes in anisotropy to white matter plasticity without considering the possibility that the changes were caused by this artifact. Our study underscores the need to check for the presence of this artifact in clinical studies, analyzes circumstances for when it may be more likely to occur, and suggests simple strategies to identify and potentially avoid its effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison M Berl
- Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology, Washington, District of Columbia, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC
| | - Lindsay Walker
- Program on Pediatric Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD
| | - Pooja Modi
- Program on Pediatric Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD
| | - M Okan Irfanoglu
- Program on Pediatric Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.,Henry Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Joelle E Sarlls
- NMRF, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Amritha Nayak
- Program on Pediatric Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.,Henry Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Carlo Pierpaoli
- Program on Pediatric Imaging and Tissue Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.,Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
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18
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Krämer J, Deppe M, Göbel K, Tabelow K, Wiendl H, Meuth SG. Recovery of thalamic microstructural damage after Shiga toxin 2-associated hemolytic-uremic syndrome. J Neurol Sci 2015; 356:175-83. [PMID: 26189050 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2015.06.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Revised: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The underlying pathophysiology of neurological complications in patients with hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) remains unclear. It was recently attributed to a direct cytotoxic effect of Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2) in the thalamus. Conventional MRI of patients with Stx2-caused HUS revealed - despite severe neurological symptoms - only mild alterations if any, mostly in the thalamus. Against this background, we questioned: Does diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) capture the thalamic damage better than conventional MRI? Are neurological symptoms and disease course better reflected by thalamic alterations as detected by DTI? Are other brain regions also affected? METHODS Three women with serious neurological deficits due to Stx2-associated HUS were admitted to MRI/DTI at disease onset. Two of them were longitudinally examined. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity were computed to assess Stx2-caused microstructural damage. RESULTS Compared to 90 healthy women, all three patients had significantly reduced thalamic FA. Thalamic mean diffusivity was only reduced in two patients. DTI of the longitudinally examined women demonstrated slow normalization of thalamic FA, which was paralleled by clinical improvement. CONCLUSION Whereas conventional MRI only shows slight alterations based on subjective evaluation, DTI permits quantitative, objective, and longitudinal assessment of cytotoxic cerebral damage in individual patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Krämer
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Michael Deppe
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Kerstin Göbel
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | | | - Heinz Wiendl
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Sven G Meuth
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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19
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Deppe M, Tabelow K, Krämer J, Tenberge JG, Schiffler P, Bittner S, Schwindt W, Zipp F, Wiendl H, Meuth SG. Evidence for early, non-lesional cerebellar damage in patients with multiple sclerosis: DTI measures correlate with disability, atrophy, and disease duration. Mult Scler 2015; 22:73-84. [PMID: 25921041 DOI: 10.1177/1352458515579439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) such as gait ataxia, poor coordination of the hands, and intention tremor are usually the result of dysfunctionality in the cerebellum. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has frequently failed to detect cerebellar damage in the form of inflammatory lesions in patients presenting with symptoms of cerebellar dysfunction. OBJECTIVE To detect microstructural cerebellar tissue alterations in early MS patients with a "normal appearing" cerebellum using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS A total of 68 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and without cerebellar lesions and 26 age-matched healthy controls were admitted to high-resolution MRI and DTI to assess microstructure and volume of the cerebellar white matter (CBWM). RESULTS We found cerebellar fractional anisotropy (FA) and CBWM volume reductions in the group of 68 patients. Interestingly, a subgroup of these patients that was derived by including only patients with early and mild MS (N=23, median age 30 years, median Expanded Disability Status Scale =1.5, median duration 28 months) showed already cerebellar FA but no CBWM volume reductions. FA reductions were correlated with disability, atrophy, and disease duration. CONCLUSION "Normal appearing" cerebellar white matter can be damaged in a very early stage of RRMS. DTI seems to be a sensitive tool for detecting this hidden cerebellar damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Deppe
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | | | - Julia Krämer
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Jan-Gerd Tenberge
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Patrick Schiffler
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Stefan Bittner
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Wolfram Schwindt
- Department of Clinical Radiology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Frauke Zipp
- Department of Neurology, Rhine Main Neuroscience Network, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Centre Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz Wiendl
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Sven G Meuth
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Münster, 48149, Germany
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Wagner G, De la Cruz F, Schachtzabel C, Güllmar D, Schultz CC, Schlösser RG, Bär KJ, Koch K. Structural and functional dysconnectivity of the fronto-thalamic system in schizophrenia: a DCM-DTI study. Cortex 2015; 66:35-45. [PMID: 25797657 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that cognitive deficits are a core feature of schizophrenia. The concept of "cognitive dysmetria" has been introduced to characterize disintegration of fronto-thalamic-cerebellar circuitry which constitutes a key network for a variety of neuropsychological symptoms in schizophrenia. The present multimodal study aimed at investigating effective and structural connectivity of the fronto-thalamic circuitry in schizophrenia. fMRI effective connectivity analysis using dynamic causal modeling (DCM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were combined to examine cognitive control processes in 38 patients with schizophrenia and 40 matched healthy controls. Significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) was detected in patients in the right anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC), the right thalamus and the right corpus callosum. During Stroop task performance patients demonstrated significantly lower activation relative to healthy controls in a predominantly right lateralized fronto-thalamo-cerebellar network. An abnormal effective connectivity was observed in the right connections between thalamus, anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. FA in the ALIC was significantly correlated with the thalamic BOLD signal, cognitive performance and fronto-thalamic effective connectivity in patients. Present data provide evidence for the notion of a structural and functional defect in the fronto-thalamo-cerebellar circuitry, which may be the basis of specific cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerd Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Germany.
| | | | | | - Daniel Güllmar
- Medical Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology I, Jena University Hospital, Germany
| | - C Christoph Schultz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Germany
| | - Ralf G Schlösser
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Germany
| | - Karl-Jürgen Bär
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Germany
| | - Kathrin Koch
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Munich, Germany; TUM-Neuroimaging Center of Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Munich, Germany
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21
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Dannlowski U, Grabe HJ, Wittfeld K, Klaus J, Konrad C, Grotegerd D, Redlich R, Suslow T, Opel N, Ohrmann P, Bauer J, Zwanzger P, Laeger I, Hohoff C, Arolt V, Heindel W, Deppe M, Domschke K, Hegenscheid K, Völzke H, Stacey D, Meyer Zu Schwabedissen H, Kugel H, Baune BT. Multimodal imaging of a tescalcin (TESC)-regulating polymorphism (rs7294919)-specific effects on hippocampal gray matter structure. Mol Psychiatry 2015; 20:398-404. [PMID: 24776739 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2014.39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2013] [Revised: 02/09/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In two large genome-wide association studies, an intergenic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs7294919) involved in TESC gene regulation has been associated with hippocampus volume. Further characterization of neurobiological effects of the TESC gene is warranted using multimodal brain-wide structural and functional imaging. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM8) was used in two large, well-characterized samples of healthy individuals of West-European ancestry (Münster sample, N=503; SHIP-TREND, N=721) to analyze associations between rs7294919 and local gray matter volume. In subsamples, white matter fiber structure was investigated using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and limbic responsiveness was measured by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during facial emotion processing (N=220 and N=264, respectively). Furthermore, gene x environment (G × E) interaction and gene x gene interaction with SNPs from genes previously found to be associated with hippocampal size (FKBP5, Reelin, IL-6, TNF-α, BDNF and 5-HTTLPR/rs25531) were explored. We demonstrated highly significant effects of rs7294919 on hippocampal gray matter volumes in both samples. In whole-brain analyses, no other brain areas except the hippocampal formation and adjacent temporal structures were associated with rs7294919. There were no genotype effects on DTI and fMRI results, including functional connectivity measures. No G × E interaction with childhood maltreatment was found in both samples. However, an interaction between rs7294919 and rs2299403 in the Reelin gene was found that withstood correction for multiple comparisons. We conclude that rs7294919 exerts highly robust and regionally specific effects on hippocampal gray matter structures, but not on other neuropsychiatrically relevant imaging markers. The biological interaction between TESC and RELN pointing to a neurodevelopmental origin of the observed findings warrants further mechanistic investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Dannlowski
- 1] Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany [2] Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - H J Grabe
- 1] Department of Psychiatry, University Medicine Greifswald, HELIOS-Hospital Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany [2] German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - K Wittfeld
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - J Klaus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - C Konrad
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - D Grotegerd
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - R Redlich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - T Suslow
- 1] Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany [2] Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - N Opel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - P Ohrmann
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - J Bauer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - P Zwanzger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - I Laeger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - C Hohoff
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - V Arolt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - W Heindel
- Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - M Deppe
- Department of Neurology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - K Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - K Hegenscheid
- Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - H Völzke
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - D Stacey
- Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide: North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | | | - H Kugel
- Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - B T Baune
- Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide: North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Mohammadi S, Tabelow K, Ruthotto L, Feiweier T, Polzehl J, Weiskopf N. High-resolution diffusion kurtosis imaging at 3T enabled by advanced post-processing. Front Neurosci 2015; 8:427. [PMID: 25620906 PMCID: PMC4285740 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI) is more sensitive to microstructural differences and can be related to more specific micro-scale metrics (e.g., intra-axonal volume fraction) than diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), offering exceptional potential for clinical diagnosis and research into the white and gray matter. Currently DKI is acquired only at low spatial resolution (2–3 mm isotropic), because of the lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and higher artifact level associated with the technically more demanding DKI. Higher spatial resolution of about 1 mm is required for the characterization of fine white matter pathways or cortical microstructure. We used restricted-field-of-view (rFoV) imaging in combination with advanced post-processing methods to enable unprecedented high-quality, high-resolution DKI (1.2 mm isotropic) on a clinical 3T scanner. Post-processing was advanced by developing a novel method for Retrospective Eddy current and Motion ArtifacT Correction in High-resolution, multi-shell diffusion data (REMATCH). Furthermore, we applied a powerful edge preserving denoising method, denoted as multi-shell orientation-position-adaptive smoothing (msPOAS). We demonstrated the feasibility of high-quality, high-resolution DKI and its potential for delineating highly myelinated fiber pathways in the motor cortex. REMATCH performs robustly even at the low SNR level of high-resolution DKI, where standard EC and motion correction failed (i.e., produced incorrectly aligned images) and thus biased the diffusion model fit. We showed that the combination of REMATCH and msPOAS increased the contrast between gray and white matter in mean kurtosis (MK) maps by about 35% and at the same time preserves the original distribution of MK values, whereas standard Gaussian smoothing strongly biases the distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siawoosh Mohammadi
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London London, UK ; Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf Hamburg, Germany
| | - Karsten Tabelow
- Stochastic Algorithms and Nonparametric Statistics, Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Ruthotto
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Jörg Polzehl
- Stochastic Algorithms and Nonparametric Statistics, Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics Berlin, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London London, UK
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Lueg G, Gross CC, Lohmann H, Johnen A, Kemmling A, Deppe M, Groger J, Minnerup J, Wiendl H, Meuth SG, Duning T. Clinical relevance of specific T-cell activation in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2015; 36:81-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2014] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Baldoli C, Scola E, Della Rosa PA, Pontesilli S, Longaretti R, Poloniato A, Scotti R, Blasi V, Cirillo S, Iadanza A, Rovelli R, Barera G, Scifo P. Maturation of preterm newborn brains: a fMRI–DTI study of auditory processing of linguistic stimuli and white matter development. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 220:3733-51. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0887-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Early detection of widespread progressive brain injury after cardiac arrest: a single case DTI and post-mortem histology study. PLoS One 2014; 9:e92103. [PMID: 24633135 PMCID: PMC3954875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective We tested the hypothesis in sense of a proof of principle that white matter (WM) degeneration after cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) can be assessed much earlier by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) than by conventional MRI. Methods We performed DTI and T2-weighted FLAIR imaging over four serial acquisitions of a 76-year-old man with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome at day 41, 75, 173 and 284 after CPA. DTI was also performed in ten healthy control subjects. Fractional anisotropy (FA) derived from DTI was assessed in eleven regions of interest within the cerebral white matter (WM) and compared with post-mortem neuropathological findings. Results In contrast to conventional FLAIR images that revealed only circumscribed WM damage, the first DTI demonstrated significant reduction of FA across the whole WM. The following FLAIR images (MRI 2-4) revealed increasing atrophy and leukoaraiosis paralleled by clinical deterioration with reduction of wakefulness and intractable seizures. Neuropathological findings confirmed the widespread and marked brain injury following CPA. Conclusion DTI may help to evaluate microstructural brain damage following CPA and may have predictive value for further evolution of cerebral degeneration in the chronic phase after CPA.
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Deppe M, Marinell J, Krämer J, Duning T, Ruck T, Simon OJ, Zipp F, Wiendl H, Meuth SG. Increased cortical curvature reflects white matter atrophy in individual patients with early multiple sclerosis. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2014; 6:475-87. [PMID: 25610761 PMCID: PMC4299934 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2014] [Revised: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Objective White matter atrophy occurs independently of lesions in multiple sclerosis. In contrast to lesion detection, the quantitative assessment of white matter atrophy in individual patients has been regarded as a major challenge. We therefore tested the hypothesis that white matter atrophy (WMA) is present at the very beginning of multiple sclerosis (MS) and in virtually each individual patient. To find a new sensitive and robust marker for WMA we investigated the relationship between cortical surface area, white matter volume (WMV), and whole-brain-surface-averaged rectified cortical extrinsic curvature. Based on geometrical considerations we hypothesized that cortical curvature increases if WMV decreases and the cortical surface area remains constant. Methods In total, 95 participants were enrolled: 30 patients with early and advanced relapsing–remitting MS; 30 age-matched control subjects; 30 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 5 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Results 29/30 MS and 5/5 CIS patients showed lower WMV than expected from their intracranial volume (average reduction 13.0%, P < 10− 10), while the cortical surface area showed no significant differences compared with controls. The estimated WMV reductions were correlated with an increase in cortical curvature (R = 0.62, P = 0.000001). Discriminant analysis revealed that the curvature increase was highly specific for the MS and CIS groups (96.7% correct assignments between MS and control groups) and was significantly correlated with reduction of white matter fractional anisotropy, as determined by diffusion tensor imaging and the Expanded Disability Status Scale. As expected by the predominant gray and WM degeneration in AD, no systematic curvature increase was observed in AD. Conclusion Whole-brain-averaged cortical extrinsic curvature appears to be a specific and quantitative marker for a WMV–cortex disproportionality and allows us to assess “pure” WMA without being confounded by intracranial volume. WMA seems to be a characteristic symptom in early MS and can already occur in patients with CIS and should thus be considered in future MS research and clinical studies. We suggest cortical curvature as marker for selective white matter atrophy (WMA). This geometric marker is more specific and sensitive than volumetric measures. It is not confounded by intra-cranial volume, age, and gender. WMA seems to be a characteristic symptom in early multiple sclerosis. WMA can be also detected in patients with a clinical isolated symptom.
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Key Words
- 3D, three-dimensional
- CI, confidence interval
- CIS, clinically isolated syndrome
- Cortex
- Cortical curvature
- DTI, diffusion tensor imaging
- EDSS, Expanded Disability Status Scale
- EVAL, Münster Neuroimaging Evaluation System
- FA, fractional anisotropy
- FOV, field of view
- GM, gray matter
- GMV, gray matter volume
- GRAPPA, generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition
- ICV, intracranial volume
- Imaging
- MRI
- Multiple sclerosis
- ROI, region of interest
- SD, standard deviation
- TE, echo time
- TR, repetition time
- TSE, turbo spin-echo
- WM, white matter
- WMV, white matter volume
- eWMV, estimated white matter volume
- ΔWMV, WMV − eWMV
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Deppe
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Jasmin Marinell
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Julia Krämer
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Duning
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Tobias Ruck
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Ole J Simon
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Frauke Zipp
- Department of Neurology, Rhine Main Neuroscience Network, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Centre Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz Wiendl
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Sven G Meuth
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
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Gee AH, Treece GM. Systematic misregistration and the statistical analysis of surface data. Med Image Anal 2014; 18:385-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2013.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2013] [Revised: 12/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Müller HP, Kassubek J. Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging in the analysis of neurodegenerative diseases. J Vis Exp 2013. [PMID: 23928996 DOI: 10.3791/50427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques provide information on the microstructural processes of the cerebral white matter (WM) in vivo. The present applications are designed to investigate differences of WM involvement patterns in different brain diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders, by use of different DTI analyses in comparison with matched controls. DTI data analysis is performed in a variate fashion, i.e. voxelwise comparison of regional diffusion direction-based metrics such as fractional anisotropy (FA), together with fiber tracking (FT) accompanied by tractwise fractional anisotropy statistics (TFAS) at the group level in order to identify differences in FA along WM structures, aiming at the definition of regional patterns of WM alterations at the group level. Transformation into a stereotaxic standard space is a prerequisite for group studies and requires thorough data processing to preserve directional inter-dependencies. The present applications show optimized technical approaches for this preservation of quantitative and directional information during spatial normalization in data analyses at the group level. On this basis, FT techniques can be applied to group averaged data in order to quantify metrics information as defined by FT. Additionally, application of DTI methods, i.e. differences in FA-maps after stereotaxic alignment, in a longitudinal analysis at an individual subject basis reveal information about the progression of neurological disorders. Further quality improvement of DTI based results can be obtained during preprocessing by application of a controlled elimination of gradient directions with high noise levels. In summary, DTI is used to define a distinct WM pathoanatomy of different brain diseases by the combination of whole brain-based and tract-based DTI analysis.
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Müller HP, Kassubek J, Vernikouskaya I, Ludolph AC, Stiller D, Rasche V. Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in APP transgenic mice: a cohort study. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67630. [PMID: 23840754 PMCID: PMC3695895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Fast in-vivo high resolution diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the mouse brain has recently been shown to enable cohort studies by the combination of appropriate pulse sequences and cryogenically cooled resonators (CCR). The objective of this study was to apply this DTI approach at the group level to β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice. METHODS Twelve mice (5 wild type, 7 APP transgenic tg2576) underwent DTI examination at 156(2) × 250 µm(3) spatial resolution with a CCR at ultrahigh field (11.7 T). Diffusion images were acquired along 30 gradient directions plus 5 references without diffusion encoding with a total acquisition time of 35 minutes. Fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were statistically compared by whole brain-based spatial statistics (WBSS) at the group level vs. wild type controls. RESULTS FA-map comparison showed characteristic regional patterns of differences between the groups with localizations associated with Alzheimer's disease in humans, such as the hippocampus, the entorhinal cortex, and the caudoputamen. CONCLUSION In this proof-of-principle study, regions associated with amyloid-β deposition could be identified by WBSS of FA maps in APP transgenic mice vs. wild type mice. Thus, DTI in the mouse brain acquired at 11.7 T by use of a CCR was demonstrated to be feasible for cohort studies.
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Duning T, Deppe M, Brand E, Stypmann J, Becht C, Heidbreder A, Young P. Brainstem involvement as a cause of central sleep apnea: pattern of microstructural cerebral damage in patients with cerebral microangiopathy. PLoS One 2013; 8:e60304. [PMID: 23637744 PMCID: PMC3634049 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2012] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The exact underlying pathomechanism of central sleep apnea with Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSA-CSR) is still unclear. Recent studies have demonstrated an association between cerebral white matter changes and CSA. A dysfunction of central respiratory control centers in the brainstem was suggested by some authors. Novel MR-imaging analysis tools now allow far more subtle assessment of microstructural cerebral changes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether and what severity of subtle structural cerebral changes could lead to CSA-CSR, and whether there is a specific pattern of neurodegenerative changes that cause CSR. Therefore, we examined patients with Fabry disease (FD), an inherited, lysosomal storage disease. White matter lesions are early and frequent findings in FD. Thus, FD can serve as a "model disease" of cerebral microangiopathy to study in more detail the impact of cerebral lesions on central sleep apnea. Patients and Methods Genetically proven FD patients (n = 23) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 44) underwent a cardio-respiratory polysomnography and brain MRI at 3.0 Tesla. We applied different MR-imaging techniques, ranging from semiquantitative measurement of white matter lesion (WML) volumes and automated calculation of brain tissue volumes to VBM of gray matter and voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis. Results In 5 of 23 Fabry patients (22%) CSA-CSR was detected. Voxel-based DTI analysis revealed widespread structural changes in FD patients when compared to the healthy controls. When calculated as a separate group, DTI changes of CSA-CSR patients were most prominent in the brainstem. Voxel-based regression analysis revealed a significant association between CSR severity and microstructural DTI changes within the brainstem. Conclusion Subtle microstructural changes in the brainstem might be a neuroanatomical correlate of CSA-CSR in patients at risk of WML. DTI is more sensitive and specific than conventional structural MRI and other advanced MR analyses tools in demonstrating these abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Duning
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Muenster, Muenster, Germany.
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Mohammadi S, Freund P, Feiweier T, Curt A, Weiskopf N. The impact of post-processing on spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging. Neuroimage 2013; 70:377-85. [PMID: 23298752 PMCID: PMC3605597 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2012] [Revised: 12/20/2012] [Accepted: 12/22/2012] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides information about the microstructure in the brain and spinal cord. While new neuroimaging techniques have significantly advanced the accuracy and sensitivity of DTI of the brain, the quality of spinal cord DTI data has improved less. This is in part due to the small size of the spinal cord (ca. 1cm diameter) and more severe instrumental (e.g. eddy current) and physiological (e.g. cardiac pulsation) artefacts present in spinal cord DTI. So far, the improvements in image quality and resolution have resulted from cardiac gating and new acquisition approaches (e.g. reduced field-of-view techniques). The use of retrospective correction methods is not well established for spinal cord DTI. The aim of this paper is to develop an improved post-processing pipeline tailored for DTI data of the spinal cord with increased quality. For this purpose, we compared two eddy current and motion correction approaches using three-dimensional affine (3D-affine) and slice-wise registrations. We also introduced a new robust-tensor-fitting method that controls for whole-volume outliers. Although in general 3D-affine registration improves data quality, occasionally it can lead to misregistrations and biassed tensor estimates. The proposed robust tensor fitting reduced misregistration-related bias and yielded more reliable tensor estimates. Overall, the combination of slice-wise motion correction, eddy current correction, and robust tensor fitting yielded the best results. It increased the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in FA maps by about 30% and reduced intra-subject variation in fractional anisotropy (FA) maps by 18%. The higher quality of FA maps allows for a better distinction between grey and white matter without increasing scan time and is compatible with any multi-directional DTI acquisition scheme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siawoosh Mohammadi
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK.
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Prediction of individual subject's age across the human lifespan using diffusion tensor imaging: a machine learning approach. Neuroimage 2013; 75:58-67. [PMID: 23501046 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.02.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2012] [Revised: 02/05/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging has the potential to be used as a neuroimaging marker of natural ageing and assist in elucidating trajectories of cerebral maturation and ageing. In this study, we applied a multivariate technique relevance vector regression (RVR) to predict individual subject's age using whole brain fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) from a cohort of 188 subjects aged 4-85 years. High prediction accuracy as derived from Pearson correlation coefficient of actual versus predicted age (FA - r=0.870 p<0.0001; MD - r=0.896 p<0.0001; AD - r=0.895 p<0.0001; RD - r=0.899 p<0.0001) was achieved. Cerebral white-matter regions that contributed to these predictions include; corpus callosum, cingulum bundles, posterior longitudinal fasciculus and the cerebral peduncle. A post-hoc analysis of these regions showed that FA follows a nonlinear rational-quadratic trajectory across the lifespan peaking at approximately 21.8 years. The MD, RD and AD volumes were particularly useful for making predictions using grey matter cerebral regions. These results suggest that diffusion tensor imaging measurements can reliably predict individual subject's age and demonstrate that FA cerebral maturation and ageing patterns follow a non-linear trajectory with a noteworthy peaking age. These data will contribute to the understanding of neurobiology of cerebral maturation and ageing. Most notably, from a neuropsychiatric perspective our results may allow differentiation of cerebral changes that may occur due to natural maturation and ageing, and those due to developmental or neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Deppe M, Müller D, Kugel H, Ruck T, Wiendl H, Meuth SG. DTI detects water diffusion abnormalities in the thalamus that correlate with an extremity pain episode in a patient with multiple sclerosis. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2013; 2:258-62. [PMID: 24179780 PMCID: PMC3778262 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2013.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2012] [Revised: 01/15/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Background Various types of multiple sclerosis (MS) related pain have been discussed. One concept is that deafferentation secondary to lesions in the spino-thalamo-cortical network can cause central pain. However, this hypothesis is somehow limited by a lack of a robust association between pain episodes and sites of lesion location. Objective We tested the hypothesis that temporary tissue alterations in the thalamus that are not detectable by conventional magnetic resonance imaging (T1w, FLAIR) can potentially explain a focal, paroxysmal central pain episode of a patient with MS. For microstructural tissue assessment we employed ten longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) examinations. Results We could demonstrate an abnormal, unilateral temporary increase of the fractional anisotropy (FA) in the thalamus contralateral to the affected body side. Before the pain episode and after pain relief the FA reached completely normal values as seen in identically investigated age and gender matched 100 healthy control subjects. Conclusion These findings suggest that: i.) frequently applied and quantitatively evaluated DTI could be used as a sensitive imaging technique for detection of pathological processes associated with MS not detectable with conventional imaging strategies, ii.) temporary pathological processes in the “normal-appearing” thalamus may explain waxing and waning symptoms like episodes of central pain, and iii.) cross-sectional case examinations on (MS) patients with central pain should be performed to investigate how often thalamic alterations occur together with central pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Deppe
- Department of Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
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Concomitant fractional anisotropy and volumetric abnormalities in temporal lobe epilepsy: cross-sectional evidence for progressive neurologic injury. PLoS One 2012; 7:e46791. [PMID: 23071638 PMCID: PMC3469561 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 09/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and associated hippocampal sclerosis (TLEhs) there are brain abnormalities extending beyond the presumed epileptogenic zone as revealed separately in conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies. However, little is known about the relation between macroscopic atrophy (revealed by volumetric MRI) and microstructural degeneration (inferred by DTI). Methodology/Principal Findings For 62 patients with unilateral TLEhs and 68 healthy controls, we determined volumes and mean fractional anisotropy (FA) of ipsilateral and contralateral brain structures from T1-weighted and DTI data, respectively. We report significant volume atrophy and FA alterations of temporal lobe, subcortical and callosal regions, which were more diffuse and bilateral in patients with left TLEhs relative to right TLEhs. We observed significant relationships between volume loss and mean FA, particularly of the thalamus and putamen bilaterally. When corrected for age, duration of epilepsy was significantly correlated with FA loss of an anatomically plausible route - including ipsilateral parahippocampal gyrus and temporal lobe white matter, the thalamus bilaterally, and posterior regions of the corpus callosum that contain temporal lobe fibres - that may be suggestive of progressive brain degeneration in response to recurrent seizures. Conclusions/Significance Chronic TLEhs is associated with interrelated DTI-derived and volume-derived brain degenerative abnormalities that are influenced by the duration of the disorder and the side of seizure onset. This work confirms previously contradictory findings by employing multi-modal imaging techniques in parallel in a large sample of patients.
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Mohammadi S, Hutton C, Nagy Z, Josephs O, Weiskopf N. Retrospective correction of physiological noise in DTI using an extended tensor model and peripheral measurements. Magn Reson Med 2012; 70:358-69. [PMID: 22936599 PMCID: PMC3792745 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.24467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2012] [Revised: 07/23/2012] [Accepted: 08/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging is widely used in research and clinical applications, but this modality is highly sensitive to artefacts. We developed an easy-to-implement extension of the original diffusion tensor model to account for physiological noise in diffusion tensor imaging using measures of peripheral physiology (pulse and respiration), the so-called extended tensor model. Within the framework of the extended tensor model two types of regressors, which respectively modeled small (linear) and strong (nonlinear) variations in the diffusion signal, were derived from peripheral measures. We tested the performance of four extended tensor models with different physiological noise regressors on nongated and gated diffusion tensor imaging data, and compared it to an established data-driven robust fitting method. In the brainstem and cerebellum the extended tensor models reduced the noise in the tensor-fit by up to 23% in accordance with previous studies on physiological noise. The extended tensor model addresses both large-amplitude outliers and small-amplitude signal-changes. The framework of the extended tensor model also facilitates further investigation into physiological noise in diffusion tensor imaging. The proposed extended tensor model can be readily combined with other artefact correction methods such as robust fitting and eddy current correction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siawoosh Mohammadi
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
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Grasping multiple sclerosis: do quantitative motor assessments provide a link between structure and function? J Neurol 2012; 260:407-14. [PMID: 22872165 PMCID: PMC3566382 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-012-6639-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Revised: 07/23/2012] [Accepted: 07/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Motor disability in MS is commonly assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Categorical rating scales are limited by subjective error and inter-rater variability. Therefore, objective and quantitative measures of motor disability may be useful to supplement the EDSS in the setting of clinical trials. It was previously shown that grip-force-variability (GFV) is increased in MS. We hypothesized that GFV may be an objective measure of motor disability in MS. To investigate whether the increase in GFV in MS is correlated to the clinical disability as assessed by the EDSS and to microstructural changes in the brain as assessed by diffusion tensor imaging, GFV was recorded in a grasping and lifting task in 27 MS patients and 23 controls using a grip-device equipped with a force transducer. The EDSS was assessed by neurologists experienced in MS. Patients underwent diffusion tensor imaging at 3T to assess the fractional anisotropy (FA) of the cerebral white matter as a measure of microstructural brain integrity. GFV was increased in MS and correlated to changes in the FA of white matter in the vicinity of the somatosensory and visual cortex. GFV also correlated with the EDSS. GFV may be a useful objective measure of motor dysfunction in MS linked to disability and structural changes in the brain. Our data suggests that GFV should be further explored as an objective measure of motor dysfunction in MS. It could supplement the EDSS, e.g., in proof of concept studies.
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Progression of microstructural putamen alterations in a case of symptomatic recurrent seizures using diffusion tensor imaging. Seizure 2012; 21:478-81. [PMID: 22546528 PMCID: PMC3778939 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2012.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2011] [Revised: 02/13/2012] [Accepted: 03/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Microstructural alterations of the putamen were recently reported in patients with partial and generalized epilepsy disorders. However, it is unknown whether these alterations pre-exist or are secondary to recurrent seizures. Here we investigated the progression of putamen fractional anisotropy (FA) alterations in a case of recurrent psychomotor seizures using longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) shortly before (DTI-1) and after a psychomotor seizure (DTI-2). We obtained FA values of a hypothesis-guided putamen region-of-interest (ROI) and seven exploratory ROIs. FA values from both DTIs were compared with reference values from 19 controls. Relative to controls, the patient's putamen FA was increased at DTI-1 (13% left putamen, 7% right putamen), an effect that was exacerbated at DTI-2 (24% left putamen (p < 0.05), 20% right putamen). In the exploratory ROIs we found FA reductions in the corticospinal tract, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe (p < 0.05) relative to controls at DTI-1 and DTI-2. In contrast to the putamen, all exploratory ROIs showed no relevant FA change between DTI-1 and DTI-2. These results suggest that recurrent seizures may lead to progressive microstructural putamen alterations.
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