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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Diffusion tensor tract-specific analysis of the uncinate fasciculus in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Kanako Sato1, Shigeki Aoki, Nobue K Iwata
1Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. ksatou-ham@umin.ac.jp
Introduction:
The uncinate fasciculus (UF) consists of core fibers connecting the frontal and temporal lobes and is considered to be related to cognitive/behavioral function. Using diffusion tensor tractography, we quantitatively evaluated changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the UF by tract-specific analysis to evaluate the damage of the UF in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Methods:
We obtained diffusion tensor images of 15 patients with ALS and 9 age-matched volunteers.
Results:
Patients with ALS showed significantly lower mean FA (P = 0.029) compared with controls. No significant difference was seen in mean ADC.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that damage of the UF in patients with ALS can be quantitatively evaluated with FA.
