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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Freezing of gait and white matter changes: a tract-based spatial statistics study
Kazumi Iseki1, Hidenao Fukuyama2, Naoya Oishi2
1Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507 Japan ; Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA ; Department of Behavioral Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi Japan ; Department of Neurology, Sakakibara-Hakuho Hospital, Tsu, Mie Japan.
White matter integrity is linked to freezing of gait severity in older adults. Diffusion tensor imaging revealed specific white matter tract abnormalities correlating with freezing of gait symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Age-related white matter changes are common.
- Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating symptom in neurological disorders.
- The relationship between white matter integrity and FOG severity is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between white matter integrity and FOG severity.
- To identify specific white matter tracts affected in individuals with FOG.
Main Methods:
- Twenty subjects with significant white matter hyperintensities were recruited.
- Participants completed the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire and underwent computerized gait analysis.
- Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) was used to assess white matter integrity via fractional anisotropy and diffusivity measures.
Main Results:
- Whole-brain white matter integrity indices (fractional anisotropy, mean, axial, and radial diffusivity) significantly correlated with FOG Questionnaire scores.
- Specific regions, including the superior longitudinal fasciculus, corpus callosum, and cerebral peduncle, showed significant correlations between fractional anisotropy and FOG scores.
- Positive correlations were observed between FOG scores and mean, axial, and radial diffusivity in the corona radiata and corpus callosum, indicating impaired white matter integrity.
Conclusions:
- White matter integrity, particularly in specific tracts, is significantly associated with FOG severity.
- These findings suggest that microstructural abnormalities in white matter contribute to FOG.
- FOG appears to be multifactorial, involving complex neural circuits.
