Diffusion tensor imaging in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: volumetric analysis of the corticospinal tract

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows direct visualization and volumetric analysis of the corticospinal tract (CST). The purpose of this study was to determine whether color maps and fiber tracking derived from DTI data are valuable in detecting and quantifying CST degeneration in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Sixteen patients with ALS with clinical signs of upper motor neuron (UMN) involvement and 17 healthy subjects were studied with the use of DTI. Disease severity was determined by means of the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) and an UMN involvement score. DTI was acquired with a 12-direction, single-shot, spin-echo echo-planar sequence. The CST from the lower pons to the corona radiata at the level of the corpus callosum on 4 contiguous coronal sections was manually segmented by using color maps generated from the DTI data. The left and right CST volumes were measured separately and normalized to the total intracranial volume. Normalized CST volumes were compared between patients with ALS and healthy subjects.

The CST volumes of patients with ALS were significantly reduced (P < .01, unpaired t test) compared with healthy subjects, in both affected and nonaffected hemispheres. No significant correlation was found between CST volumes and any of the clinical parameters, including disease duration, ALSFRS-R, or UMN involvement score.

This study shows that volumetric analysis by using DTI-based color maps is valuable in detecting and monitoring structural degeneration of the CST. This will lead to objective and quantitative assessment of axonal degeneration in ALS.