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Interhemispheric connectivity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A near-infrared spectroscopy and diffusion tensor
Klaus Kopitzki1, Andreas Oldag2, Catherine M Sweeney-Reed2
1Clinic for Neurology and Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Strasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestrasse 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany.
Neuroimage. Clinical
|October 21, 2016
Summary
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) impacts non-motor brain areas. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) reveal resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) alterations linked to disease progression and brain degeneration.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease primarily affecting motor neurons.
- Emerging evidence suggests non-motor areas may also be involved in ALS pathology.
- Understanding the functional and structural integrity of non-motor cortical regions is crucial for a comprehensive view of ALS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential impairment of non-motor cortical areas in ALS using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
- To evaluate the correlation between homotopic resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in non-motor areas and clinical parameters in ALS.
- To assess the relationship between rs-FC and disease-specific degeneration of the corpus callosum (CC) in ALS patients.
Main Methods:
- Assessed interhemispheric homotopic rs-FC in 31 ALS patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs) across 8 cortical sites using NIRS.
- Conducted DTI in a subgroup of 21 ALS patients to evaluate white matter integrity.
- Evaluated cognitive function in ALS patients across executive, memory, and visuospatial domains.
Main Results:
- ALS patients exhibited an altered spatial pattern of homotopic rs-FC compared to HCs (p = 0.000013).
- In ALS patients without executive dysfunction, motor decline rate strongly correlated with anterior temporal lobe (ATL) homotopic rs-FC (ρ = -0.85, p = 0.0004).
- Antero-temporal homotopic rs-FC correlated with fractional anisotropy in the central CC, corticospinal tracts (CSTs), and forceps minor (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- The study supports the involvement of non-motor areas in the pathophysiology of ALS.
- Homotopic rs-FC, measured by NIRS, shows potential as a clinical marker for disease progression in ALS patients without executive dysfunction.
- Homotopic rs-FC may serve as an anatomical marker for CC and CST degeneration specific to ALS.
Keywords:
AC, anterior commissureALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosisALS-EX, ALS with executive impairmentALS-NECI, ALS with non-executive cognitive impairmentALSFRS-R, revised ALS functional rating scaleATL, anterior temporal lobeAmyotrophic lateral sclerosisCC, corpus callosumCST, corticospinal tractCorpus callosumDD, disease durationDPR, disease progression rateDTI, diffusion tensor imagingDiffusion tensor imagingFA, fractional anisotropyFTD, frontotemporal dementiaHC, healthy controlHb, hemoglobinInterhemispheric connectivityNIRS, near-infrared spectroscopyNear-infrared spectroscopyTBSS, tract based spatial statisticsWM, white matterfMRI, functional magnetic resonance imagingpALS, pure ALS no cognitive impairmentrs-FC, resting-state functional connectivityrs-fNIRS, resting-state functional NIRS
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