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.

scholarly journals White Matter Integrity Predicts Delay Discounting Behavior in 9- to 23-Year-Olds: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1406-1421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Olson ◽  
Paul F. Collins ◽  
Catalina J. Hooper ◽  
Ryan Muetzel ◽  
Kelvin O. Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Temporal Lobes ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Independent Effects ◽  
Age Range

Healthy participants (n = 79), ages 9–23, completed a delay discounting task assessing the extent to which the value of a monetary reward declines as the delay to its receipt increases. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to evaluate how individual differences in delay discounting relate to variation in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) within whole-brain white matter using voxel-based regressions. Given that rapid prefrontal lobe development is occurring during this age range and that functional imaging studies have implicated the prefrontal cortex in discounting behavior, we hypothesized that differences in FA and MD would be associated with alterations in the discounting rate. The analyses revealed a number of clusters where less impulsive performance on the delay discounting task was associated with higher FA and lower MD. The clusters were located primarily in bilateral frontal and temporal lobes and were localized within white matter tracts, including portions of the inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculi, anterior thalamic radiation, uncinate fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, corticospinal tract, and splenium of the corpus callosum. FA increased and MD decreased with age in the majority of these regions. Some, but not all, of the discounting/DTI associations remained significant after controlling for age. Findings are discussed in terms of both developmental and age-independent effects of white matter organization on discounting behavior.

scholarly journals White matter plasticity in the corticospinal tract of musicians: A diffusion tensor imaging study

NeuroImage ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 600-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Imfeld ◽  
Mathias S. Oechslin ◽  
Martin Meyer ◽  
Thomas Loenneker ◽  
Lutz Jancke
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Corticospinal Tract ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Characterization of abnormal diffusion properties of supratentorial brain tumors: a preliminary diffusion tensor imaging study

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihong Yuan ◽  
Scott K. Holland ◽  
Blaise V. Jones ◽  
Kerry Crone ◽  
Francesco T. Mangano
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
High Grade ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Supratentorial Tumors ◽  
Diffusion Properties

Object Diffusion tensor (DT) imaging was used in children with supratentorial tumors to evaluate the anisotropic diffusion properties between different tumor grades and between tumors and adjacent and contralateral white matter. Methods In this retrospective review, the authors review the cases of 16 children (age range 1–18 years) who presented to their institution with supratentorial tumors and were treated between 2004 and 2007. Eleven patients had low-grade and 5 had high-grade tumors. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity, and axial (λ∥) and radial (λ⊥) eigenvalues within selected regions were studied. Mitotic index, necrosis, and vascularity of the tumors were compared with DT imaging parameters. Results The mean diffusivity was significantly higher in low-grade than in high-grade tumors (p = 0.04); the 2 tumor grades also significantly differed for both λ∥ (p < 0.05) and λ⊥ (p < 0.05). Mean diffusivity values in low-grade tumors were significantly higher than in adjacent normal-appearing white matter (NAWM; p = 0.0004) and contralateral NAWM (p = 0.0001). In both low- and high-grade tumors, the FA was significantly lower than in NAWM (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.03, respectively) and contralateral NAWM (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.003, respectively). Tumor cellularity highly correlated with mean diffusivity and λ∥and λ⊥. Conclusions Diffusion tensor imaging is a useful tool in the evaluation of supratentorial tumors in children. The mean diffusivity appears to be a significant marker in differentiating tumors grades. Findings related to λ∥ and λ⊥ within tumor groups and between tumors and NAWM may be an indirect manifestation of the combined effects of axonal injury, demyelination, and tumor mass within the cranial compartment.

scholarly journals A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study on the Phonology-related Pathways in Cantonese-mandarin Bilinguals.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Xu ◽  
Yuying Jin ◽  
Ning Pan ◽  
Muqing Cao ◽  
Jin Jing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Right ◽  
Long Term Experience

Abstract Cantonese and Mandarin are logographic languages, and the phonology is the main difference between the two languages. It is unclear whether long-term experience of Cantonese-Mandarin bilingualism will shape different brain white matter structures of pathways related to phonological processing. 30 Cantonese-Mandarin bilinguals and 30 Mandarin monolinguals completed diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) scans and phonological processing tasks. The tractography and TBSS were used to investigate the structural differences in the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) between Cantonese-Mandarin bilinguals and Mandarin monolinguals. Post-hoc correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between the different structures with phonological processing skills. Compared to the Mandarin monolinguals, the Cantonese-Mandarin bilinguals had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) along the left ILF, higher mean diffusivity (MD) in the clusters along the temporoparietal segment of SLF (tSLF), as well as higher axial diffusivity (AD) in the right tSLF, IFOF, bilateral ILF. The mean AD of the different voxels in the right IFOF and the mean FA of the different voxels in the left ILF were positively correlated with the inverse efficiency score (IES) of the Cantonese auditory and Mandarin visual rhyming judgment tasks respectively within the bilingual group. Long-term experience of Cantonese-Mandarin bilinguals shape different brain white matter structures including right tSLF, IFOF, bilateral ILF. The bilinguals’ white matter showed higher diffusivity, especially in the axonal direction, than the monolinguals. These changes were related to bilinguals’ phonological processing.

scholarly journals White Matter Integrity Involvement in the Preclinical Stage of Familial Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donglai Jing ◽  
Yaojing Chen ◽  
Kexin Xie ◽  
Yue Cui ◽  
Chunlei Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Preclinical Stage ◽  
Asymptomatic Carriers ◽  
Jakob Disease ◽  
Neuropsychological Assessments

ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to explore patterns of white matter (WM) alteration in preclinical stage familial Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (fCJD) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).MethodsSeven asymptomatic carriers of the PRNP G114V mutation and six non-carriers were recruited from the same fCJD kindred and follow-up obtained from all asymptomatic carriers and two non-carriers 2 years later. Overlapping WM patterns were also explored in asymptomatic carriers and symptomatic CJD patients. All participants underwent clinical and neuropsychological assessments and DTI at baseline and follow-up. DTI data were subjected to whole-brain voxel-wise analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) in WM using tract-based spatial statistics. Three comparisons were conducted: baseline carriers against non-carriers (baseline analysis), changes after 2 years in carriers (follow-up analysis), and differences between patients with symptomatic CJD and healthy controls (CJD patient analysis).ResultsNeither carriers nor non-carriers developed any neurological symptoms during 2 years of follow-up. Baseline analysis showed no differences between the carrier and non-carrier groups in MD and FA. Follow-up analysis showed significantly increased MD in multiple WM tracts, among which increased MD in the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus, bilateral anterior thalamic radiation, bilateral cingulate gyrus, and left uncinate fasciculus overlapped the patterns observed in patients with symptomatic CJD.ConclusionChanges in integrity within multiple WM tracts can be detected during the preclinical stage of fCJD.

scholarly journals Sensory processing sensitivity and axonal microarchitecture: Identifying brain structural characteristics for behavior

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szabolcs David ◽  
Lucy L Brown ◽  
Anneriet M Heemskerk ◽  
Elaine Aron ◽  
Alexander Leemans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
Sensory Processing Sensitivity ◽  
The Right

Previously, researchers used functional MRI to identify regional brain activations associated with sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), a proposed normal phenotype trait. To further validate SPS as a behavioral entity, to characterize it anatomically, and to test the usefulness in psychology of methodologies that assess axonal properties, the present study correlated SPS proxy questionnaire scores (adjusted for neuroticism) with diffusion tensor imaging measures. Participants (n=408) from the Young Adult Human Connectome Project that are free of neurologic and psychiatric disorders were investigated. We computed mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), axial diffusivity (AD) and fractional anisotropy (FA). A voxelwise, exploratory analysis showed that MD and RD correlated positively with SPS proxy scores in the right and left subcallosal and anterior ventral cingulum bundle, and the right forceps minor of the corpus callosum (peak Cohens D effect size = 0.269). Further analyses showed correlations throughout the entire right and left ventromedial prefrontal cortex, including the superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate and arcuate fasciculus. These prefrontal regions are generally involved in emotion, reward and social processing. FA was negatively correlated with SPS proxy scores in white matter of the right premotor/motor/somatosensory/supramarginal gyrus regions, which are associated with empathy, theory of mind, primary and secondary somatosensory processing. Region of interest (ROI) analysis, based-on previous fMRI results and Freesurfer atlas-defined areas, showed small effect sizes, (+0.151 to -0.165) in white matter of the precuneus and inferior frontal gyrus. Other ROI effects were found in regions of the dorsal and ventral visual pathways and primary auditory cortex. The results reveal that in a large, diverse group of participants axonal microarchitectural differences can be identified with SPS traits that are subtle and in the range of typical behavior. The results suggest that the heightened sensory processing in people who show SPS may be influenced by the microstructure of white matter in specific neocortical regions. Although previous fMRI studies had identified most of these general neocortical regions, the DTI results put a new focus on brain areas related to attention and cognitive flexibility, empathy, emotion and low-level sensory processing, as in the primary sensory cortex. Psychological trait characterization may benefit from diffusion tensor imaging methodology by identifying influential brain systems for traits.

scholarly journals Corticospinal Tract Change during Motor Recovery in Patients with Medulla Infarct: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongdong Rong ◽  
Miao Zhang ◽  
Qingfeng Ma ◽  
Jie Lu ◽  
Kuncheng Li
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
Corticospinal Tract ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Internal Capsule ◽  
Motor Recovery ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Cerebral Peduncle ◽  
The Right

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography (DTT) provide a powerful vehicle for investigating motor recovery mechanisms. However, little is known about these mechanisms in patients with medullary lesions. We used DTI and DTT to evaluate three patients presenting with motor deficits following unilateral medulla infarct. Patients were scanned three times during 1 month (within 7, 14, and 30 days after stroke onset). Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were measured in the medulla, cerebral peduncle, and internal capsule. The three-dimensional corticospinal tract (CST) was reconstructed using DTT. Patients 1 and 2 showed good motor recovery after 14 days, and the FA values of their affected CST were slightly decreased. DTTs demonstrated that the affected CST passed along periinfarct areas and that tract integrity was preserved in the medulla. Patient 3 had the most obvious decrease in FA values along the affected CST, with motor deficits of the right upper extremity after 30 days. The affected CST passed through the infarct and was disrupted in the medulla. In conclusion, DTI can detect the involvement and changes of the CST in patients with medulla infarct during motor recovery. The degree of degeneration and spared periinfarct CST compensation may be an important motor recovery mechanism.

Deficits in Docosahexaenoic Acid Accrual during Adolescence Reduce Rat Forebrain White Matter Microstructural Integrity: An in vivo Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert K. McNamara ◽  
Jennifer D. Schurdak ◽  
Ruth H. Asch ◽  
Bart D. Peters ◽  
Diana M. Lindquist
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Docosahexaenoic Acid ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
External Capsule ◽  
The Right

Neuropsychiatric disorders that frequently initially emerge during adolescence are associated with deficits in the omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), elevated proinflammatory signaling, and regional reductions in white matter integrity (WMI). This study determined the effects of altering brain DHA accrual during adolescence on WMI in the rat brain by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and investigated the potential mediating role of proinflammatory signaling. During periadolescent development, male rats were fed a diet deficient in n-3 fatty acids (DEF, n = 20), a fish oil-fortified diet containing preformed DHA (FO, n = 20), or a control diet (CON, n = 20). In adulthood, DTI scans were performed and brain WMI was determined using voxelwise tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Postmortem fatty acid composition, peripheral (plasma IL-1β, IL-6, and C-reactive protein [CRP]) and central (IL-1β and CD11b mRNA) proinflammatory markers, and myelin basic protein (MBP) mRNA expression were determined. Compared with CON rats, forebrain DHA levels were lower in DEF rats and higher in FO rats. Compared with CON rats, DEF rats exhibited greater radial diffusivity (RD) and mean diffusivity in the right external capsule, and greater axial diffusivity in the corpus callosum genu and left external capsule. DEF rats also exhibited greater RD than FO rats in the right external capsule. Forebrain MBP expression did not differ between groups. Compared with CON rats, central (IL-1β and CD11b) and peripheral (IL-1β and IL-6) proinflammatory markers were not different in DEF rats, and DEF rats exhibited lower CRP levels. These findings demonstrate that deficits in adolescent DHA accrual negatively impact forebrain WMI, independently of elevated proinflammatory signaling.

scholarly journals Dose-dependent degeneration of non-cancerous brain tissue in post-radiotherapy patients: A diffusion tensor imaging study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szabolcs David ◽  
Hamed Y. Mesri ◽  
Victor A. Bodiut ◽  
Steven H. J. Nagtegaal ◽  
Hesham Elhalawani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Brain Tissue ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Relative Sensitivity ◽  
Frontal Pole ◽  
Regional Variability

AbstractBackground and purposeRadiation-induced changes in brain tissue may relate to post-radiotherapy (RT) cognitive decline. Our aim is to investigate changes of the brain microstructural properties after exposure to radiation during clinical protocols of RT using diffusion MRI (dMRI).Methods and MaterialsThe susceptibility of tissue changes to radiation was investigated in a clinically heterogenic cohort (age, pathology, tumor location, type of surgery) consisting of 121 scans of 18 patients (10 females). The imaging dataset included 18 planning CTs and 103 dMRI scans (range 2-14, median = 6 per patient) assessing pre-operative, post-operative pre-RT and post-RT states. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics were estimated from all scans for a region-of-interest based linear relation analysis between mean dose and change in DTI metrics, while partial volume effects were regressed out.ResultsThe largest regional dose dependency with mean diffusivity appear in the white matter of the frontal pole in the left hemisphere by an increase of 2.61 %/(Gy x year). Full brain-wise, pooled results for white matter show fractional anisotropy to decrease by 0.85 %/(30Gy x year); mean diffusivity increase by 9.17 %/(30Gy x year); axial diffusivity increase by 7.30%/(30Gy x year) and radial diffusivity increases by 10.63%/(30Gy x year).ConclusionsWhite matter is susceptible to radiation with some regional variability where diffusivity metrics demonstrate the largest relative sensitivity. This suggests that dMRI is a promising tool in assessing microstructural changes after RT, which can help in understanding treatment-induced cognitive decline.

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