TY - JOUR
T1 - Distinctive disruption patterns of white matter tracts in Alzheimer's disease with full diffusion tensor characterization
AU - Huang, Hao
AU - Fan, Xin
AU - Weiner, Myron
AU - Martin-Cook, Kristin
AU - Xiao, Guanghua
AU - Davis, Jeannie
AU - Devous, Michael
AU - Rosenberg, Roger
AU - Diaz-Arrastia, Ramon
N1 - Funding Information:
This study is sponsored by NIH EB009545 , NIH/NIA P30AG12300 , NIH/NIA AG033106 and NIH 5UL1RR024982-02 . The authors thank the Alzheimer's Disease Center for recruiting AD patients and control subjects.
PY - 2012/9
Y1 - 2012/9
N2 - To characterize the white matter structural changes at the tract level and tract group level, comprehensive analysis with 4 metrics derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AxD) and radial diffusivity (RD), was conducted. Tract groups, namely limbic, commissural, association, and projection tracts, include white matter tracts of similar functions. Diffusion tensor imaging data were acquired from 61 subjects (26 Alzheimer's disease [AD], 11 subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment [aMCI], and 24 age-matched controls). An atlas-based approach was used to survey 30 major cerebral white matter tracts with the measurements of FA, MD, AxD, and RD. Regional cortical atrophy and cognitive functions of AD patients were also measured to correlate with the structural changes of white matter. Synchronized structural changes of cingulum bundle and fornix, both of which are part of limbic tract group, were revealed. Widespread yet distinctive structural changes were found in limbic, commissural, association, and projection tract groups between control and AD subjects. Specifically, FA, MD, and RD of limbic tracts, FA, MD, AxD, and RD of commissural tracts, MD, AxD, and RD of association tracts, and MD and AxD of projection tracts are significantly different between AD patients and control subjects. In contrast, the comparison between aMCI and control subjects shows disruption only in the limbic and commissural tract groups of aMCI subjects. MD values of all tract groups of AD patients are significantly correlated to cognitive functions. Difference between AD and control and that between aMCI and control indicates a progression pattern of white matter disruption from limbic and commissural tract group to other tract groups. High correlation between FA, MD, and RD measurements from limbic tracts and cortical atrophy suggests the disruption of the limbic tract group is caused by the neuronal damage.
AB - To characterize the white matter structural changes at the tract level and tract group level, comprehensive analysis with 4 metrics derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AxD) and radial diffusivity (RD), was conducted. Tract groups, namely limbic, commissural, association, and projection tracts, include white matter tracts of similar functions. Diffusion tensor imaging data were acquired from 61 subjects (26 Alzheimer's disease [AD], 11 subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment [aMCI], and 24 age-matched controls). An atlas-based approach was used to survey 30 major cerebral white matter tracts with the measurements of FA, MD, AxD, and RD. Regional cortical atrophy and cognitive functions of AD patients were also measured to correlate with the structural changes of white matter. Synchronized structural changes of cingulum bundle and fornix, both of which are part of limbic tract group, were revealed. Widespread yet distinctive structural changes were found in limbic, commissural, association, and projection tract groups between control and AD subjects. Specifically, FA, MD, and RD of limbic tracts, FA, MD, AxD, and RD of commissural tracts, MD, AxD, and RD of association tracts, and MD and AxD of projection tracts are significantly different between AD patients and control subjects. In contrast, the comparison between aMCI and control subjects shows disruption only in the limbic and commissural tract groups of aMCI subjects. MD values of all tract groups of AD patients are significantly correlated to cognitive functions. Difference between AD and control and that between aMCI and control indicates a progression pattern of white matter disruption from limbic and commissural tract group to other tract groups. High correlation between FA, MD, and RD measurements from limbic tracts and cortical atrophy suggests the disruption of the limbic tract group is caused by the neuronal damage.
KW - Alzheimer's disease
KW - Atlas
KW - Biomarker
KW - DTI
KW - Tract group
KW - White matter tract
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U2 - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.06.027
DO - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.06.027
M3 - Article
C2 - 21872362
AN - SCOPUS:84863437554
SN - 0197-4580
VL - 33
SP - 2029
EP - 2045
JO - Neurobiology of Aging
JF - Neurobiology of Aging
IS - 9
ER -