Diffusion tensor imaging in Alzheimer's disease and affective disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuroscience
• Brain Diseases

Background:

• Brain function is increasingly understood through segregated neuronal networks.
• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) assesses structural connectivity to study brain diseases.
• Alzheimer's disease (AD) and affective disorders (MDD, BP) show network disruptions and comorbidity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the methodological background of diffusion imaging techniques.
• To discuss key DTI findings in Alzheimer's disease and affective disorders.
• To highlight the need for large-scale, multimodal studies in neuropsychiatric diseases.

Main Methods:

• Review of diffusion imaging methodologies, including DTI and diffusion spectrum imaging.
• Analysis of existing DTI studies in Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder.
• Synthesis of findings on structural and functional brain network alterations.

Main Results:

• DTI in AD indicates impaired intracortical fiber tracts linked to cognitive deficits.
• DTI studies in MDD and BP show subtle abnormalities in cortico-subcortical networks.
• Current DTI studies for affective disorders are limited in scale and clinical utility.

Conclusions:

• Structural and functional brain network disconnections are central to neuropsychiatric diseases.
• Large-scale, multicenter, multimodal, and transnosological networks are essential for future research.
• Further exploration is needed to establish the clinical utility of DTI findings in affective disorders.