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Updated: Mar 30, 2026
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study Using a Voxel-Based Analysis, Region-of-Interest Method to Analyze White Matter
Shruti Srivastava1, Manjeet S Bhatia1, S K Bhargava1
1From the Depts. of Psychiatry (SS, MSB) and Radiology (SKB), University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi, India; the Dept. of Neuroradiology, Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences, Dilshad Garden, Delhi, India (RK); and the BioMedical Dept., Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, Defence Research and Development Organisation, New Delhi, India (SC).
Abstract:
This study used fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of diffusion tensor imaging, to analyze white matter abnormalities in 15 first-episode treatment-naïve patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 15 controls matched for age. An automated voxel-based analysis and a region-of-interest (ROI) method with 3T magnetic resonance imaging were used. Compared with controls, FA values were lower in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus, the left prefrontal cortex, and the left parietal region in patients with MDD. In addition, the ROI method revealed significantly lower FA values in the right hippocampus. Voxel-based analysis, a faster technique, complements the ROI method, which highlights FA values as potential biomarkers in early MDD.
