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. 2009 Mar 1;3(1):77-84.
doi: 10.1007/s11682-008-9051-2.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Preclinical Huntington's Disease

Vincent A Magnotta  1 , Jinsuh Kim, Tim Koscik, Leigh J Beglinger, Daisy Espinso, Doug Langbehn, Peg Nopoulos, Jane S Paulsen
Affiliations

Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Preclinical Huntington's Disease

Vincent A Magnotta et al. Brain Imaging Behav. .

Abstract

Diffusion tensor imaging was used to study brain related changes in white matter that may be associated with Huntington's Disease progression. Thirty-one preclinical gene-mutation carriers were imaged cross-sectionally using diffusion tensor and anatomical brain imaging. Subjects were individuals who had a known gene mutation for HD but did not manifest motor diagnostic criteria for HD. Fractional anisotropy scalar maps showed a positive correlation with five year probability of diagnosis (based upon gene repeat length and current age) in the putamen and a negative correlation in the external capsule. This study shows that scalar maps generated from diffusion tensor imaging may be directly related to the earliest stages of disease progression within HD, even before a diagnosis is given. Findings suggest that DTI measures, therefore, may have the ability to act as a biomarker for disease progression in clinical trials of pre-manifest subjects.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Composite image of 9 subjects from the study showing the FA image same axial slice. The axial FA images are shown after smoothing and nonlinear registration to the MNI152 atlas space.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The top row shows areas where the FA values are positively related to the 5 year probability of onset (p<0.001, uncorrected).This is shown overlaid on the (A) MNI 152 atlas, (B) mean FA with no smoothing, and (C) mean FA with a 2mm gaussian filter. The bottom row contains areas where FA was negatively related to the probability of onset (p<0.001, uncorrected). This was mainly confined to the external capsule. The area of significant changes are shown from left to right overlaid on the (D) MNI152 atlas, (E) the mean FA map with no smoothing, and (F) the mean FA map with a 2mm gaussian filter.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationship between the probability of onset and the average FA values within the caudate and putamen using a region of interest approach. Scatter plots are shown for the left (A) and right (B) putamen.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Shows the regions with increased mean diffusivity (p<0.001 uncorrected). Regions meeting this criteria include the (A) cerebellum, (B) striatum, and (C) cortical regions.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Regions of tissue type changes associated with disease progression (p<0.001, uncorrected). These changes are mainly confined to the border between the caudate/ventricle and between the putamen/external capsule.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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