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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging in very early onset pediatric multiple sclerosis
M A Rocca1, M Sonkin2, M Copetti3
1Neuroimaging Research Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 'Vita-Salute' San Raffaele University, Italy.
Insights
Pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) alters white matter tract development, showing abnormal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics. This suggests impaired brain maturation in young MS patients, impacting structural integrity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Neuroimaging
- White matter diseases
Background:
- Childhood myelination influences multiple sclerosis (MS) effects on brain structure.
- Understanding early-life MS impact on white matter integrity is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) integrity in pediatric MS using diffusion tensor (DT) MRI.
- To compare brain tissue integrity in children with MS onset before age 12 years versus healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- DT MRI scans analyzed in 22 pediatric MS patients and 31 healthy controls.
- Probabilistic tractography used to assess interhemispheric, intrahemispheric, and projection tracts.
- Linear models evaluated the impact of disease and age on NAWM fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD).
Main Results:
- Pediatric MS patients exhibited reduced FA and increased MD in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and corpus callosum (CC).
- Corpus callosum NAWM FA correlated with brain T2 lesion volume.
- Healthy controls showed age-related increases in FA and decreases in MD, a pattern lost in MS patients.
Conclusions:
- DT MRI reveals differential white matter tract abnormalities in very young pediatric MS patients.
- Abnormalities are only partially linked to focal white matter lesions.
- Impaired white matter maturation with age may contribute to observed findings in pediatric MS.
Objectives:
Active myelination during childhood may influence the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) on brain structural integrity. We studied normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in children with MS onset before age 12 years using diffusion tensor (DT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods:
DT MRI scans were obtained from 22 MS children with their first attack before age 12 years, and 31 healthy controls from two referral centers. Using probabilistic tractography, brain tissue integrity within interhemispheric, intrahemispheric, and projection tracts was compared between patients and site-matched controls. The impact of disease and age at MRI on tract NAWM fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values was evaluated using linear models.
Results:
Compared to controls, pediatric MS patients had reduced FA and increased MD of the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus and corpus callosum (CC), without center-by-group interaction. CC NAWM average FA was correlated with brain T2 lesion volume. In controls, the majority of the tracts analyzed showed a significant increase of FA and decrease of MD with age. Such a linear correlation was lost in patients.
Conclusions:
In very young pediatric MS patients, DT MRI abnormalities affect brain WM tracts differentially, and are only partially correlated with focal WM lesions. Impaired maturation of WM tracts with age may be an additional factor contributing to these findings.
