scholarly journals Differences in Diffusion Tensor Imaging White Matter Integrity Related to Verbal Fluency Between Young and Old Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Yeske ◽  
Jiancheng Hou ◽  
Nagesh Adluru ◽  
Veena A. Nair ◽  
Vivek Prabhakaran
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Old Adults

Throughout adulthood, the brain undergoes an array of structural and functional changes during the typical aging process. These changes involve decreased brain volume, reduced synaptic density, and alterations in white matter (WM). Although there have been some previous neuroimaging studies that have measured the ability of adult language production and its correlations to brain function, structural gray matter volume, and functional differences between young and old adults, the structural role of WM in adult language production in individuals across the life span remains to be thoroughly elucidated. This study selected 38 young adults and 35 old adults for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and performed the Controlled Oral Word Association Test to assess verbal fluency (VF). Tract-Based Spatial Statistics were employed to evaluate the voxel-based group differences of diffusion metrics for the values of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), and local diffusion homogeneity (LDH) in 12 WM regions of interest associated with language production. To investigate group differences on each DTI metric, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for sex and education level was performed, and the statistical threshold was considered at p < 0.00083 (0.05/60 labels) after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Significant differences in DTI metrics identified in the ANCOVA were used to perform correlation analyses with VF scores. Compared to the old adults, the young adults had significantly (1) increased FA values on the bilateral anterior corona radiata (ACR); (2) decreased MD values on the right ACR, but increased MD on the left uncinate fasciculus (UF); and (3) decreased RD on the bilateral ACR. There were no significant differences between the groups for AD or LDH. Moreover, the old adults had only a significant correlation between the VF score and the MD on the left UF. There were no significant correlations between VF score and DTI metrics in the young adults. This study adds to the growing body of research that WM areas involved in language production are sensitive to aging.

scholarly journals Associations between Age-Related Changes in the Core Vestibular Projection Pathway and Balance Ability: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sang Seok Yeo ◽  
Jung Won Kwon ◽  
In Hee Cho
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Timed Up And Go ◽  
Vestibular Cortex ◽  
Old Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Tandem Gait

Objective. We investigated the changes of the vestibulospinal tract (VST) and parietoinsular vestibular cortex (PIVC) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and relation to balance between old and young healthy adults. Methods. This study recruited eleven old adults (6 males, 5 females; mean age 63.36±4.25 years) and 12 young adults (7 males, 5 females; mean age 28.42±4.40 years). The lateral and medial VST and PIVC were reconstructed using DTI. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and tract volume were measured. The six-minute walk test (6-MWT), the timed up and go test (TUG), and the Berg balance scale (BBS) were conducted. Spatiotemporal parameters during tandem gait and values of sway during one-leg standing using the wearable sensors were measured. All parameters between two groups were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test and independent t-test. Results. Statistically significant decrease in old adults was detected in the tract volume of lateral (p=0.005) and medial VST (p≤0.001) and PIVC (p=0.020). A significant decrease in FA of lateral VST (p=0.044) and MD of medial VST (p=0.001) was seen in old adults. Stride length (p=0.003) and velocity (p=0.001) during tandem gait in old adults were significantly decreased. 6MWT (p≤0.001) showed significant decrease, while TUG (p≤0.001) showed significant increase in old adults. However, mean BSS (p=0.296) was nonsignificantly different. In eyes-open condition during one-leg standing, all parameters except for reciprocal compensatory index (RCI) values were significantly decreased in old adults. The RCI in the anteroposterior (AP) direction (p≤0.001) was increased in old adults; however, the mediolateral direction (p=0.301) was nonsignificantly different between the two groups. In eye-closed condition, the changes of ankle (p=0.031) and hip (p=0.004) sway and the center of mass in the AP direction (p=0.014) showed to be significantly higher in old adults than in young adults. Conclusion. The results suggested that there was a relationship between DTI parameters in the vestibular neural pathway and balance according to aging.

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.

Diffusion tensor imaging of cerebral white matter in patients with myotonic dystrophy

2005 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Fukuda ◽  
J. Horiguchi ◽  
C. Ono ◽  
T. Ohshita ◽  
J. Takaba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Myotonic Dystrophy ◽  
Normal Control ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Microstructural Changes ◽  
Control Subjects

Purpose: To determine whether myotonic dystrophy (MyD) patients have diffusion tensor abnormalities suggestive of microstructural changes in normal‐appearing white matter (NAWM). Material and Methods: Conventional and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance images of the brain were obtained in 19 MyD patients and 19 age‐matched normal control subjects. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values were calculated in white matter lesions (WMLs) and NAWM in MyD patients and in the white matter of normal control subjects. Differences between WML and NAWM values and between MyD patient and control subject values were analyzed statistically. Results: Significantly lower FA and higher MD values were found in all regions of interest in the NAWM of MyD patients than in the white matter of control subjects ( P<0.01), as well as significantly lower FA and higher MD values in WMLs than in NAWM of MyD patients ( P<0.05). There was no significant correlation of mean FA or MD values in NAWM with patient age, age at onset, or duration of illness ( P>0.1). Conclusion: Diffusion tensor imaging analysis suggests the presence of diffuse microstructural changes in NAWM of MyD patients that may play an important role in the development of disability.

scholarly journals Correlation Between White Matter Injury Identified by Neonatal Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Following Term Neonatal Asphyxia and Therapeutic Hypothermia: An Exploratory Pilot Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 556-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolyn J. Gerner ◽  
Eric I. Newman ◽  
V. Joanna Burton ◽  
Brenton Roman ◽  
Elizabeth A. Cristofalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Therapeutic Hypothermia ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
White Matter Injury ◽  
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Ischemic Encephalopathy

Aim: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is associated with damage to deep gray matter; however, white matter involvement has become recognized. This study explored differences between patients and clinical controls on diffusion tensor imaging, and relationships between diffusion tensor imaging and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Method: Diffusion tensor imaging was obtained for 31 neonates after hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy treated with therapeutic hypothermia and 10 clinical controls. A subgroup of patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (n = 14) had neurodevelopmental outcomes correlated with diffusion tensor imaging scalars. Results: Group differences in diffusion tensor imaging scalars were observed in the putamen, anterior and posterior centrum semiovale, and the splenium of the corpus callosum. Differences in these regions of interest were correlated with neurodevelopmental outcomes between ages 20 and 32 months. Conclusion: Therapeutic hypothermia may not be a complete intervention for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, as neonatal white matter changes may continue to be evident, but further research is warranted. Patterns of white matter change on neonatal diffusion tensor imaging correlated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in this exploratory pilot study.

scholarly journals Changes in language white matter tract microarchitecture associated with cognitive deficits in patients with presumed low-grade glioma

2019 ◽  
Vol 130 (5) ◽  
pp. 1538-1546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatih Incekara ◽  
Djaina Satoer ◽  
Evy Visch-Brink ◽  
Arnaud Vincent ◽  
Marion Smits
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Low Grade Glioma ◽  
Cognitive Domain ◽  
Awake Surgery ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Linear Regression Models

OBJECTIVEThe authors conducted a study to determine whether cognitive functioning of patients with presumed low-grade glioma is associated with white matter (WM) tract changes.METHODSThe authors included 77 patients with presumed low-grade glioma who underwent awake surgery between 2005 and 2013. Diffusion tensor imaging with deterministic tractography was performed preoperatively to identify the arcuate, inferior frontooccipital, and uncinate fasciculi and to obtain the mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity per tract. All patients were evaluated preoperatively using an extensive neuropsychological protocol that included assessments of the language, memory, and attention/executive function domains. Linear regression models were used to analyze each cognitive domain and each diffusion tensor imaging metric of the 3 WM tracts.RESULTSSignificant correlations (corrected for multiple testing) were found between FA of the arcuate fasciculus and results of the repetition test for the language domain (β = 0.59, p < 0.0001) and between FA of the inferior frontooccipital fasciculus and results of the imprinting test for the memory domain (β = −0.55, p = 0.002) and the attention test for the attention and executive function domain (β = −0.62, p = 0.006).CONCLUSIONSIn patients with glioma, language deficits in repetition of speech, imprinting, and attention deficits are associated with changes in the microarchitecture of the arcuate and inferior frontooccipital fasciculi.

scholarly journals Evidence of Neural Microstructure Abnormalities in Type I Chiari Malformation: Associations Among Fiber Tract Integrity, Pain, and Cognitive Dysfunction

Pain Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 2323-2335
Author(s):  
James R Houston ◽  
Michelle L Hughes ◽  
Ilana J Bennett ◽  
Philip A Allen ◽  
Jeffrey M Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Chiari Malformation ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Type I ◽  
Digit Symbol ◽  
Span Tasks

Abstract Background Previous case–control investigations of type I Chiari malformation (CMI) have reported cognitive deficits and microstructural white matter abnormalities, as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). CMI is also typically associated with pain, including occipital headache, but the relationship between pain symptoms and microstructure is not known. Methods Eighteen female CMI patients and 18 adult age- and education-matched control participants underwent DTI, were tested using digit symbol coding and digit span tasks, and completed a self-report measure of chronic pain. Tissue microstructure indices were used to examine microstructural abnormalities in CMI as compared with healthy controls. Group differences in DTI parameters were then reassessed after controlling for self-reported pain. Finally, DTI parameters were correlated with performance on the digit symbol coding and digit span tasks within each group. Results CMI patients exhibited greater fractional anisotropy (FA), lower radial diffusivity, and lower mean diffusivity in multiple brain regions compared with controls in diffuse white matter regions. Group differences no longer existed after controlling for self-reported pain. A significant correlation between FA and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status coding performance was observed for controls but not for the CMI group. Conclusions Diffuse microstructural abnormalities appear to be a feature of CMI, manifesting predominantly as greater FA and less diffusivity on DTI sequences. These white matter changes are associated with the subjective pain experience of CMI patients and may reflect reactivity to neuroinflammatory responses. However, this hypothesis will require further deliberate testing in future studies.

scholarly journals Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Evolving Response to Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 117906951985862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter S Hoogenboom ◽  
Todd G Rubin ◽  
Kenny Ye ◽  
Min-Hui Cui ◽  
Kelsey C Branch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Axonal Injury ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Post Injury

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as concussion, is a serious public health challenge. Although most patients recover, a substantial minority suffers chronic disability. The mechanisms underlying mTBI-related detrimental effects remain poorly understood. Although animal models contribute valuable preclinical information and improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms following mTBI, only few studies have used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to study the evolution of axonal injury following mTBI in rodents. It is known that DTI shows changes after human concussion and the role of delineating imaging findings in animals is therefore to facilitate understanding of related mechanisms. In this work, we used a rodent model of mTBI to investigate longitudinal indices of axonal injury. We present the results of 45 animals that received magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at multiple time points over a 2-week period following concussive or sham injury yielding 109 serial observations. Overall, the evolution of DTI metrics following concussive or sham injury differed by group. Diffusion tensor imaging changes within the white matter were most noticeable 1 week following injury and returned to baseline values after 2 weeks. More specifically, we observed increased fractional anisotropy in combination with decreased radial diffusivity and mean diffusivity, in the absence of changes in axial diffusivity, within the white matter of the genu corpus callosum at 1 week post-injury. Our study shows that DTI can detect microstructural white matter changes in the absence of gross abnormalities as indicated by visual screening of anatomical MRI and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections in a clinically relevant animal model of mTBI. Whereas additional histopathologic characterization is required to better understand the neurobiological correlates of DTI measures, our findings highlight the evolving nature of the brain’s response to injury following concussion.

scholarly journals Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging in psychiatry: a narrative review of its potential role in diagnosis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Podwalski ◽  
Krzysztof Szczygieł ◽  
Ernest Tyburski ◽  
Leszek Sagan ◽  
Błażej Misiak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Water Molecules ◽  
Mental Diseases ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Dti

Abstract Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an imaging technique that uses magnetic resonance. It measures the diffusion of water molecules in tissues, which can occur either without restriction (i.e., in an isotropic manner) or limited by some obstacles, such as cell membranes (i.e., in an anisotropic manner). Diffusion is most often measured in terms of, inter alia, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD). DTI allows us to reconstruct, visualize, and evaluate certain qualities of white matter. To date, many studies have sought to associate various changes in the distribution of diffusion within the brain with mental diseases and disorders. A better understanding of white matter integrity disorders can help us recognize the causes of diseases, as well as help create objective methods of psychiatric diagnosis, identify biomarkers of mental illness, and improve pharmacotherapy. The aim of this work is to present the characteristics of DTI as well as current research on its use in schizophrenia, affective disorders, and other mental disorders.

scholarly journals Alternative Microstructural Measures to Complement Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Migraine Studies with Standard MRI Acquisition

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 711
Author(s):  
Álvaro Planchuelo-Gómez ◽  
David García-Azorín ◽  
Ángel L. Guerrero ◽  
Rodrigo de Luis-García ◽  
Margarita Rodríguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Chronic Migraine ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Episodic Migraine ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Axial Diffusivity ◽  
Average Diffusion ◽  
Cerebellar Peduncle

The white matter state in migraine has been investigated using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures, but results using this technique are conflicting. To overcome DTI measures, we employed ensemble average diffusion propagator measures obtained with apparent measures using reduced acquisitions (AMURA). The AMURA measures were return-to-axis (RTAP), return-to-origin (RTOP) and return-to-plane probabilities (RTPP). Tract-based spatial statistics was used to compare fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity from DTI, and RTAP, RTOP and RTPP, between healthy controls, episodic migraine and chronic migraine patients. Fifty healthy controls, 54 patients with episodic migraine and 56 with chronic migraine were assessed. Significant differences were found between both types of migraine, with lower axial diffusivity values in 38 white matter regions and higher RTOP values in the middle cerebellar peduncle in patients with a chronic migraine (p < 0.05 family-wise error corrected). Significantly lower RTPP values were found in episodic migraine patients compared to healthy controls in 24 white matter regions (p < 0.05 family-wise error corrected), finding no significant differences using DTI measures. The white matter microstructure is altered in a migraine, and in chronic compared to episodic migraine. AMURA can provide additional results with respect to DTI to uncover white matter alterations in migraine.

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