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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Measuring Connectivity in the Primary Visual Pathway in Human Albinism Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Tractography
Published on: August 11, 2016
[Brain apparent diffusion coefficient: differences caused by age, sex, laterality, and distinct b value]
J M García Santos1, C Ordóñez González, S Torres del Río
1Area de Neurorradiología de Cabeza y Cuello, Servicio de Radiodiagnóstico, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain. josem.garcia11@carm.es
Objective:
To analyze the effects of age, sex, and b value on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in brain areas affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
Material And Methods:
We studied the ADC of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum and of the hippocampus in normal patients using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) with b1,000 s/mm2 and b3,000 s/mm2. We calculated the differences between the ADC (diffusion differential [DD]) with b1,000 and with b3,000 for each region. Patients were classified into the following age groups (
Results:
In the right hippocampus, we observed differences in ADC (b1,000, p=0.011; b3,000, p=0.024) and DD (p=0.006) with age. Differences in ADC were observed between the 31-60 year-old age group and the >60 year-old age group (p=0.009) for b1,000, and between the<30 year-old age group and the 31-60 year-old age group (p=0.036) for b3,000. The DD in the >60 year-old age group was different from the rest. In the corpus callosum, there were significant differences between sexes in the DD of the genu (p=0.016). The DD was correlated with age in the right hippocampus (r=0.321, p=0.023).
Conclusions:
Our data indicate greater stability in mean ADC values with b3000 during aging. It might be useful to analyze the ADC with a higher b in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
