A tract-based spatial statistics study of white matter integrity in epilepsy

Abstract

Objective: To explore the changes of cerebral white matter diffusion tensor in epilepsy.

Methods: This study was a retrospective study based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Twenty-six epileptic patients and 42 normal controls matched for sex, age and handedness were enrolled in our research. Based on the method of tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), we analyzed the changes of each relevant parameter index of DTI in white matter of the brain in all subjects, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD).

Results: In comparison with the control group, epileptic patients had decreased FA and elevated MD, AD, and RD in the anterior thalamic radiation, corticospinal tract, forceps major, forceps minor, cingulum, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus and uncinate fasciculus (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Widespread white matter integrity was observed in epileptic patients, which may be the structural basis for the development of affective disorders, impaired cognition, and motor abnormalities.

Keywords: Epilepsy; diffusion tensor imaging; tract-based spatial statistic; whiter matter.

Figure 1

Tract-based spatial statistic results of fractional anisotropy (FA) images between epilepsy patients and healthy controls. Green represents mean skeleton of all participants; red and yellow represents regions with decreased FA in epilepsy patients (P < 0.05, TFCE corrected for multiple comparisons).

Figure 2

Tract-based spatial statistic results of mean diffusivity (MD) images between epilepsy patients and healthy controls. Green represents mean skeleton of all participants; red and yellow represents regions with increased MD in epilepsy patients (P < 0.05, TFCE corrected for multiple comparisons).

Figure 3

Tract-based spatial statistic results of axial diffusivity (AD) images between epilepsy patients and healthy controls. Green represents mean skeleton of all participants; red and yellow represents regions with increased AD in epilepsy patients (P < 0.05, TFCE corrected for multiple comparisons).

Figure 4

Tract-based spatial statistic results of radial diffusivity (RD) images between epilepsy patients and healthy controls. Green represents mean skeleton of all participants; red and yellow represents regions with increased RD in epilepsy patients (P < 0.05, TFCE corrected for multiple comparisons).