scholarly journals Neurite orientation and dispersion density imaging (NODDI) detects cortical and corticospinal tract degeneration in ALS

2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca J Broad ◽  
Matt C Gabel ◽  
Nicholas G Dowell ◽  
David J Schwartzman ◽  
Anil K Seth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
Corticospinal Tract ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Sporadic Als ◽  
The Right

BackgroundCorticospinal tract (CST) degeneration and cortical atrophy are consistent features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We hypothesised that neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), a multicompartment model of diffusion MRI, would reveal microstructural changes associated with ALS within the CST and precentral gyrus (PCG) ‘in vivo’.Methods23 participants with sporadic ALS and 23 healthy controls underwent diffusion MRI. Neurite density index (NDI), orientation dispersion index (ODI) and free water fraction (isotropic compartment (ISO)) were derived. Whole brain voxel-wise analysis was performed to assess for group differences. Standard diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters were computed for comparison. Subgroup analysis was performed to investigate for NODDI parameter differences relating to bulbar involvement. Correlation of NODDI parameters with clinical variables were also explored. The results were accepted as significant where p<0.05 after family-wise error correction at the cluster level, clusters formed with p<0.001.ResultsIn the ALS group NDI was reduced in the extensive regions of the CST, the corpus callosum and the right PCG. ODI was reduced in the right anterior internal capsule and the right PCG. Significant differences in NDI were detected between subgroups stratified according to the presence or absence of bulbar involvement. ODI and ISO correlated with disease duration.ConclusionsNODDI demonstrates that axonal loss within the CST is a core feature of degeneration in ALS. This is the main factor contributing to the altered diffusivity profile detected using DTI. NODDI also identified dendritic alterations within the PCG, suggesting microstructural cortical dendritic changes occur together with CST axonal damage.

scholarly journals Increased extracellular fluid is associated with white matter fiber degeneration in CADASIL: in vivo evidence from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinfeng Yu ◽  
Xinzhen Yin ◽  
Hui Hong ◽  
Shuyue Wang ◽  
Yeerfan Jiaerken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Extracellular Fluid ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Fiber Density ◽  
Four Levels

Abstract Background White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are one of the hallmarks of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), but the pathological mechanisms underlying WMHs remain unclear. Recent studies suggest that extracellular fluid (ECF) is increased in brain regions with WMHs. It has been hypothesized that ECF accumulation may have detrimental effects on white matter microstructure. To test this hypothesis, we used cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) as a unique CSVD model to investigate the relationships between ECF and fiber microstructural changes in WMHs. Methods Thirty-eight CADASIL patients underwent 3.0 T MRI with multi-model sequences. Parameters of free water (FW) and apparent fiber density (AFD) obtained from diffusion-weighted imaging (b = 0 and 1000 s/mm2) were respectively used to quantify the ECF and fiber density. WMHs were split into four subregions with four levels of FW using quartiles (FWq1 to FWq4) for each participant. We analyzed the relationships between FW and AFD in each subregion of WMHs. Additionally, we tested whether FW of WMHs were associated with other accompanied CSVD imaging markers including lacunes and microbleeds. Results We found an inverse correlation between FW and AFD in WMHs. Subregions of WMHs with high-level of FW (FWq3 and FWq4) were accompanied with decreased AFD and with changes in FW-corrected diffusion tensor imaging parameters. Furthermore, FW was also independently associated with lacunes and microbleeds. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that increased ECF was associated with WM degeneration and the occurrence of lacunes and microbleeds, providing important new insights into the role of ECF in CADASIL pathology. Improving ECF drainage might become a therapeutic strategy in future.

scholarly journals Quantifying nerve decussation abnormalities in the optic chiasm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Puzniak ◽  
Khazar Ahmadi ◽  
Jörn Kaufmann ◽  
Andre Gouws ◽  
Antony B. Morland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Optic Chiasm ◽  
List Type ◽  
Test Model ◽  
Discriminative Power ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Structural Abnormalities

AbstractObjectiveThe human optic chiasm comprises partially crossing optic nerve fibres. Here we used diffusion MRI (dMRI) for the in-vivo identification of the abnormally high proportion of crossing fibres found in the optic chiasm of people with albinism.MethodsIn 9 individuals with albinism and 8 controls high-resolution 3T dMRI data was acquired and analyzed with a set of methods for signal modeling [Diffusion Tensor (DT) and Constrained Spherical Deconvolution (CSD)], tractography, and streamline filtering (LiFE, COMMIT, and SIFT2). The number of crossing and non-crossing streamlines and their weights after filtering entered ROC-analyses to compare the discriminative power of the methods based on the area under the curve (AUC). The dMRI results were cross-validated with fMRI estimates of misrouting in a subset of 6 albinotic individuals.ResultsWe detected significant group differences in chiasmal crossing for both unfiltered DT (p=0.014) and CSD tractograms (p=0.0009) also reflected by AUC measures (for DT and CSD: 0.61 and 0.75, respectively), underlining the discriminative power of the approach. Estimates of crossing strengths obtained with dMRI and fMRI were significantly correlated for CSD (R2=0.83, p=0.012). The results show that streamline filtering methods in combination with probabilistic tracking, both optimized for the data at hand, can improve the detection of crossing in the human optic chiasm.ConclusionsEspecially CSD-based tractography provides an efficient approach to detect structural abnormalities in the optic chiasm. The most realistic results were obtained with filtering methods with parameters optimized for the data at hand.SignificanceOur findings demonstrate a novel anatomy-driven approach for the individualized diagnostics of optic chiasm abnormalities.HighlightsDiffusion MRI is capable of detecting structural abnormalities of the optic chiasm.Quantification of crossing strength in optic chiasm is of promise for albinism diagnostics.Optic chiasm is a powerful test model for neuroimaging methods resolving crossing fibers.

Migraine affects white-matter tract integrity: A diffusion-tensor imaging study

Cephalalgia ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (13) ◽  
pp. 1162-1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine D Chong ◽  
Todd J Schwedt
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Corticospinal Tract ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
White Matter Tract ◽  
Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
The Right

Background Specific white-matter tract alterations in migraine remain to be elucidated. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), this study investigated whether the integrity of white-matter tracts that underlie regions of the “pain matrix” is altered in migraine and interrogated whether the number of years lived with migraine modifies fibertract structure. Methods Global probabilistic tractography was used to assess the anterior thalamic radiations, the corticospinal tracts and the inferior longitudinal fasciculi in 23 adults with migraine and 18 healthy controls. Results Migraine patients show greater mean diffusivity (MD) in the left and right anterior thalamic radiations, the left corticospinal tract, and the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus tract. Migraine patients also show greater radial diffusivity (RD) in the left anterior thalamic radiations, the left corticospinal tract as well as the left and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus tracts. No group fractional anisotropy (FA) differences were identified for any tracts. Migraineurs showed a positive correlation between years lived with migraine and MD in the right anterior thalamic radiations ( r = 0.517; p = 0.012) and the left corticospinal tract ( r = 0.468; p = 0.024). Conclusion Results indicate that white-matter integrity is altered in migraine and that longer migraine history is positively correlated with greater alterations in tract integrity.

Diffusion tensor characteristics of gyrencephaly using high resolution diffusion MRI in vivo at 7T

NeuroImage ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
pp. 378-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiel Kleinnijenhuis ◽  
Tim van Mourik ◽  
David G. Norris ◽  
Dirk J. Ruiter ◽  
Anne-Marie van Cappellen van Walsum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
Diffusion Tensor

scholarly journals Quantitative Assessment of Water Pools by T1p and T2p MRI in Acute Cerebral Ischemia of the Rat

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 206-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimmo T Jokivarsi ◽  
Juha-Pekka Niskanen ◽  
Shalom Michaeli ◽  
Heidi I Gröhn ◽  
Michael Garwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Correlation Time ◽  
Continuous Wave ◽  
Vasogenic Edema ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Rotating Frame ◽  
Mri Contrast ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Acute Cerebral Ischemia ◽  
Rotating Frame Relaxation

The rotating frame longitudinal relaxation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast, T1ρ, obtained with on-resonance continuous wave (CW) spin-lock field is a sensitive indicator of tissue changes associated with hyperacute stroke. Here, the rotating frame relaxation concept was extended by acquiring both T1ρ and transverse rotating frame ( T2ρ) MRI data using both CW and adiabatic hyperbolic secant (HSn; n = 1, 4, or 8) pulses in a rat stroke model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. The results show differences in the sensitivity of spinlock T1ρ and T2ρ MRI to detect hyperacute ischemia. The most sensitive techniques were CW- T1ρ and T1ρ using HS4 or HS8 pulses. Fitting a two-pool exchange model to the T1ρ and T2ρ MRI data acquired from the infarcting brain indicated time-dependent increase in free water fraction, decrease in the correlation time of water fraction associated with macromolecules, and increase in the exchange correlation time. These findings are consistent with known pathology in acute stroke, including vasogenic edema, destructive processes, and tissue acidification. Our results show that the sensitivity of the spinlock MRI contrast in vivo can be modified using different spinlock preparation blocks, and that physicochemical models of the rotating frame relaxation may provide insight into progression of ischemia in vivo.

scholarly journals Nonfluent/Agrammatic PPA with In-Vivo Cortical Amyloidosis and Pick’s Disease Pathology

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 95-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Caso ◽  
Benno Gesierich ◽  
Maya Henry ◽  
Manu Sidhu ◽  
Amanda LaMarre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Primary Progressive Aphasia ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Pick's Disease ◽  
Braak Stage ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Pick’S Disease ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

The role of biomarkers in predicting pathological findings in the frontotemporal dementia (FTD) clinical spectrum disorders is still being explored. We present comprehensive, prospective longitudinal data for a 66 year old, right-handed female who met current criteria for the nonfluent/agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA). She first presented with a 3-year history of progressive speech and language impairment mainly characterized by severe apraxia of speech. Neuropsychological and general motor functions remained relatively spared throughout the clinical course. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) showed selective cortical atrophy of the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and underlying insula that worsened over time, extending along the left premotor strip. Five years after her first evaluation, she developed mild memory impairment and underwent PET-FDG and PiB scans that showed left frontal hypometabolism and cortical amyloidosis. Three years later (11 years from first symptom), post-mortem histopathological evaluation revealed Pick's disease, with severe degeneration of left IFG, mid-insula, and precentral gyrus. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (CERAD frequent/Braak Stage V) was also detected. This patient demonstrates that biomarkers indicating brain amyloidosis should not be considered conclusive evidence that AD pathology accounts for a typical FTD clinical/anatomical syndrome.

P1-198: White matter damage in posterior cortical atrophy assessed in vivo using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (4S_Part_5) ◽  
pp. P176-P177
Author(s):  
Shiva Keihaninejad ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Tim Shakespeare ◽  
Natalie Ryan ◽  
Ian Malone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Posterior Cortical Atrophy ◽  
White Matter Damage

scholarly journals In vivo microstructural heterogeneity of white matter lesions in Alzheimer’s disease using tissue compositional analysis of diffusion MRI data

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remika Mito ◽  
Thijs Dhollander ◽  
Ying Xia ◽  
David Raffelt ◽  
Olivier Salvado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
Classification Scheme ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Imaging Biomarkers ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
Periventricular Lesions

AbstractWhite matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly observed in elderly individuals, and are typically more prevalent in Alzheimer’s disease subjects than in healthy subjects. These lesions can be identified on fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI, on which they are hyperintense compared to their surroundings. These MRI-visible lesions appear homogeneously hyperintense despite known heterogeneity in their pathological underpinnings, and are commonly regarded as surrogate markers of small vessel disease in in vivo studies. Consequently, the extent to which these lesions contribute to Alzheimer’s disease remains unclear, likely due to the somewhat limited way in which these lesions are assessed in vivo. Diffusion MRI is sensitive to white matter microstructure, and might thus be used to investigate microstructural changes within WMH. In this study, we applied a method called single-shell 3-tissue constrained spherical deconvolution, which models white matter microstructure while also accounting for other tissue compartments, to investigate WMH in vivo. Diffusion MRI data and FLAIR images were obtained from Alzheimer’s disease (n = 48) and healthy elderly control (n = 94) subjects from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle study of ageing. WMH were automatically segmented and classified as periventricular or deep lesions from FLAIR images based on their continuity with the lateral ventricles, and the 3-tissue profile of different classes of WMH was characterised by three metrics, which together characterised the relative tissue profile in terms of the white matter-, grey matter-, and fluid-like characteristics of the diffusion signal. Our findings revealed that periventricular and deep lesion classes could be distinguished from one another, and from normal-appearing white matter based on their 3-tissue profile, with substantially higher free water content in periventricular lesions than deep. Given the higher lesion load of periventricular lesions in Alzheimer’s disease patients, the 3-tissue profile of these WMH could be interpreted as reflecting the more deleterious pathological underpinnings that are associated with disease. However, when alternatively classifying lesion sub-regions in terms of distance contours from the ventricles to account for potential heterogeneity within confluent lesions, we found that the highest fluid content was present in lesion areas most proximal to the ventricles, which were common to both Alzheimer’s disease subjects and healthy controls. We argue that whatever classification scheme is used when investigating WMH, failure to account for heterogeneity within lesions may result in classification-scheme dependent conclusions. Future studies of WMH in Alzheimer’s Disease would benefit from inclusion of microstructural information when characterising lesions.

scholarly journals Myelination of major white matter tracts continues beyond childhood—combining tractography and myelin water imaging

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias W. Meissner ◽  
Erhan Genç ◽  
Burkhard Mädler ◽  
Sarah Weigelt
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Late Childhood ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
White Matter Maturation ◽  
Myelin Water Fraction ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Dti

AbstractAxonal myelination is a key white matter maturation process as it increases conduction velocity, synchrony, and reliability. While diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to myelination, it is also sensitive to unrelated microstructural properties, thus hindering straightforward interpretations. Myelin water imaging (MWI) provides a more reliable and direct in vivo measure of myelination. Although early histological studies show protracted myelination from childhood to adulthood, reliable tract-specific in vivo evidence from MWI is still lacking. Here, we combine MWI and DTI tractography to investigate myelination in middle childhood, late childhood, and adulthood in 18 major white matter tracts. In the vast majority of major white matter tracts, myelin water fraction continued to increase beyond late childhood. Our study provides first in vivo evidence for protracted myelination beyond late childhood.

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