Diffusion tensor imaging of white matter in patients with prediabetes by trace-based spatial statistics

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Radiology
• Metabolic Disorders

Background:

• Prediabetes represents an intermediate stage of hyperglycemia preceding type 2 diabetes.
• Brain white matter microstructural integrity in prediabetes remains largely unexplored.
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is sensitive to subtle white matter alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain white matter microstructural changes in prediabetes using DTI.
• To apply trace-based spatial statistics (TBSS) for detailed analysis of white matter integrity.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 60 participants (30 prediabetes, 30 controls).
• Acquisition of DTI data using a 3.0T MRI scanner with a single-shot echo-planar imaging sequence.
• Analysis of DTI data via TBSS, with statistical comparisons using two-sample t-tests and correlation analyses with neuropsychological scales.

Main Results:

• Prediabetes patients exhibited reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) values in key white matter tracts.
• Significant FA reductions were observed in the corpus callosum body (bCC) and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculi (SLF.L and SLF.R).
• Correlation analyses explored relationships between DTI metrics and cognitive/mood assessments.

Conclusions:

• DTI is a valuable noninvasive tool for detecting early white matter microstructural abnormalities in prediabetes.
• These findings suggest potential neurological impacts of prediabetes on brain white matter.
• Further research is warranted to understand the clinical implications of these DTI-derived changes.