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Updated: Dec 25, 2025
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Identification of Superficial White Matter Abnormalities in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment Using
Bahare Bigham1, Seyed Amir Zamanpour1, Fariba Zemorshidi2
1Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Background:
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) estimates the microstructural alterations of the brain, as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based neuroimaging technique. Prior DTI studies reported decreased structural integrity of the superficial white matter (SWM) in the brain diseases.
Objective:
This study aimed to determine the diffusion characteristics of SWM in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using tractography and region of interest (ROI) approaches.
Methods:
The diffusion MRI data were downloaded from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database on 24 patients with AD, 24 with MCI, and 24 normal control (NC) subjects. DTI processing was performed using DSI Studio software. First, for ROI-based analysis, The superficial white matter was divided into right and left frontal, parietal, temporal, insula, limbic and occipital regions by the Talairach Atlas, Then, for tractography-based analysis, the tractography of each of these regions was performed with 100000 seeds. Finally, the average diffusion values were extracted from voxels within the ROIs and tracts.
Results:
Both tractography and ROI analyses showed a significant difference in radial, axial and mean diffusivity values between the three groups (p < 0.05) across most of the SWM. Furthermore, The Mini-Mental State Examination was significantly correlated with radial, axial, and mean diffusivity values in parietal and temporal lobes SWM in the AD group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
DTI provided information indicating microstructural changes in the SWM of patients with AD and MCI. Therefore, assessment of the SWM using DTI may be helpful for the clinical diagnosis of patients with AD and MCI.
Insights
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) reveals microstructural changes in the superficial white matter (SWM) of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). These DTI findings may aid in the clinical diagnosis of AD and MCI.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based technique for assessing brain microstructural alterations.
- Previous DTI studies have indicated reduced structural integrity in the superficial white matter (SWM) in various brain diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the diffusion characteristics of SWM in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
- To utilize tractography and region of interest (ROI) approaches for SWM analysis in AD and MCI.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion MRI data from 24 AD, 24 MCI, and 24 normal control (NC) subjects were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database.
- DTI processing was conducted using DSI Studio software, with SWM segmented into specific regions (frontal, parietal, temporal, insula, limbic, occipital) using the Talairach Atlas for ROI analysis.
- Tractography analysis involved generating 100,000 seeds per region to extract average diffusion values from SWM voxels.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in radial, axial, and mean diffusivity were observed across most SWM regions among the AD, MCI, and NC groups (p < 0.05).
- The Mini-Mental State Examination scores showed a significant correlation with radial, axial, and mean diffusivity values in the parietal and temporal SWM of the AD group (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- DTI analysis successfully identified microstructural changes in the SWM of individuals with AD and MCI.
- The assessment of SWM using DTI shows potential as a valuable tool for the clinical diagnosis of AD and MCI.
