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Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Frontal white matter and cingulum diffusion tensor imaging deficits in alcoholism
Gordon J Harris1, Sharon Kim Jaffin, Steven M Hodge
1Department of Neurology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. gjharris@partners.org
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|April 22, 2008
Summary
This study reveals significant white matter deficits in the right hemisphere of abstinent alcoholic men, impacting frontal and limbic connectivity. These brain structure changes may underlie cognitive and emotional impairments in alcoholism.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Alcoholism is associated with cognitive and emotional deficits, suggesting frontal and limbic brain dysfunction, particularly in the right hemisphere.
- Prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices are crucial for cognitive-emotional regulation and managing the limbic reward system.
- Understanding white matter tract integrity is key to explaining frontal-limbic connectivity issues in alcoholism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the integrity of white matter tracts connecting frontal and limbic regions in abstinent chronic alcoholic men.
- To identify specific white matter pathways affected by long-term alcohol abuse.
- To correlate white matter integrity with cognitive function in alcoholism.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) was employed to measure white matter integrity.
- Functional anisotropy (FA) was assessed as a key indicator of white matter microstructure.
- Voxel-based and region-based analyses compared FA in 15 abstinent alcoholic men and 15 controls.
Main Results:
- Abstinent alcoholics showed reduced frontal lobe FA in right-sided superior longitudinal fascicles II and III, orbitofrontal cortex white matter, and cingulum bundle.
- No significant differences were observed in corresponding left hemisphere regions.
- Right frontal and cingulum FA measures achieved 97% accuracy in discriminating between alcoholic and control groups.
- Working Memory scores correlated with superior longitudinal fascicle III FA in controls, but not in alcoholics.
Conclusions:
- Abstinent alcoholic men exhibit white matter microstructure deficits in right hemisphere tracts linking prefrontal and limbic systems.
- These microstructural abnormalities in white matter may contribute to memory, emotion, and reward processing dysfunctions observed in alcoholism.
- The findings highlight the right hemisphere's vulnerability in alcoholism and its impact on crucial brain networks.
