scholarly journals Usefulness of diffusion tensor imaging in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: potential biomarker and association with the cognitive profile

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 272-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Chaves ◽  
Mariela Bettini ◽  
Maria Cecilia Fernandez ◽  
Maria Jose Garcia Basalo ◽  
Juan Ignacio Rojas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Cognitive Profile ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Potential Biomarker ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Als Patients ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

ABSTRACT The objective of this preliminary study was to correlate diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) alterations with the cognitive profile of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods This was a case-control study conducted from December 1, 2012 to December 1, 2014. Clinical and demographic data were recorded. A neuropsychological test battery adapted to ALS patients was used. An MRI with DTI was performed in all patients and fractional anisotropy (FA) was analyzed in the white matter using the tract based spatial statistics program. Results Twenty-four patients with ALS (15 females, mean age 66.9 + -2.3) and 13 healthy controls (four females, average age 66.9 + - 2) were included. The DTI showed white matter damage in ALS patients vs. healthy controls (p < 0.001). Discussion In our preliminary study the alterations of white matter in DTI were significantly associated with cognitive impairment in patients with ALS.

scholarly journals Brainstem Involvement in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Combined Structural and Diffusion Tensor MRI Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haining Li ◽  
Qiuli Zhang ◽  
Qianqian Duan ◽  
Jiaoting Jin ◽  
Fangfang Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Correlation Analysis ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Als Patients ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

IntroductionThe brainstem is an important component in the pathology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although neuroimaging studies have shown multiple structural changes in ALS patients, few studies have investigated structural alterations in the brainstem. Herein, we compared the brainstem structure between patients with ALS and healthy controls.MethodsA total of 33 patients with ALS and 33 healthy controls were recruited in this study. T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were acquired on a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (3T MRI) scanner. Volumetric and vertex-wised approaches were implemented to assess the differences in the brainstem’s morphological features between the two groups. An atlas-based region of interest (ROI) analysis was performed to compare the white matter integrity of the brainstem between the two groups. Additionally, a correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between ALS clinical characteristics and structural features.ResultsVolumetric analyses showed no significant difference in the subregion volume of the brainstem between ALS patients and healthy controls. In the shape analyses, ALS patients had a local abnormal surface contraction in the ventral medulla oblongata and ventral pons. Compared with healthy controls, ALS patients showed significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left corticospinal tract (CST) and bilateral frontopontine tracts (FPT) at the brainstem level, and higher radial diffusivity (RD) in bilateral CST and left FPT at the brainstem level by ROI analysis in DTI. Correlation analysis showed that disease severity was positively associated with FA in left CST and left FPT.ConclusionThese findings suggest that the brainstem in ALS suffers atrophy, and degenerative processes in the brainstem may reflect disease severity in ALS. These findings may be helpful for further understanding of potential neural mechanisms in ALS.

scholarly journals Reply to: Early white matter changes on diffusion tensor imaging in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 1266-1267
Author(s):  
Matt C. Gabel ◽  
Rebecca J. Broad ◽  
Alexandra L. Young ◽  
Sharon Abrahams ◽  
Mark E. Bastin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
White Matter Changes ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

scholarly journals Apathy Is Correlated with Widespread Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) Impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinzia Femiano ◽  
Francesca Trojsi ◽  
Giuseppina Caiazzo ◽  
Mattia Siciliano ◽  
Carla Passaniti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Behavioral Impairment ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Als Patients ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Dti

Apathy is recognized as the most common behavioral change in several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder. Particularly, apathy has been reported to be associated with poor ALS prognosis. However, the brain microstructural correlates of this behavioral symptom, reported as the most common in ALS, have not been completely elucidated. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), here we aimed to quantify the correlation between brain microstructural damage and apathy scores in the early stages of ALS. Twenty-one consecutive ALS patients, in King’s clinical stage 1 or 2, and 19 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological examination. Between-group comparisons did not show any significant difference on cognitive and behavioral variables. When compared to HCs, ALS patients exhibited a decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) [p<.05, threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) corrected] in the corpus callosum and in bilateral anterior cingulate cortices. Self-rated Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) scores and self-rated apathy T-scores of the Frontal Systems Behavior (FrSBe) scale were found inversely correlated to FA measures (p<.05, TFCE corrected) in widespread white matter (WM) areas, including several associative fiber tracts in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. These results point towards an early microstructural degeneration of brain areas biologically involved in cognition and behavior regulation in ALS. Moreover, the significant correlations between apathy and DTI measures in several brain areas may suggest that subtle WM changes may be associated with mild behavioral symptoms in ALS even in the absence of overt cognitive and behavioral impairment.

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