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Dentatorubrothalamic tract reduction using fixel-based analysis in corticobasal syndrome
Shun Sakamoto1, Takashi Kimura2, Koji Kajiyama1
1Department of Neurology, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan.
Neuroradiology
|September 29, 2020
Summary
Fixel-based analysis (FBA) effectively detects corticobasal syndrome (CBS) lesions, particularly in complex fiber regions. This method identified impaired brainstem tracts missed by other techniques, offering advantages for CBS diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Medical image analysis
Background:
- Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) presents diagnostic challenges, especially in regions with complex white matter architecture.
- Fixel-based analysis (FBA) is an emerging technique for analyzing fiber populations within voxels.
- Understanding white matter integrity is crucial for diagnosing neurodegenerative conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply FBA to identify impaired white matter fibers in individuals with CBS.
- To specifically investigate FBA's utility in detecting lesions in brain regions with crossing fibers.
- To compare FBA findings with traditional methods like TBSS and VBM.
Main Methods:
- Fixel-based analysis (FBA) was performed on diffusion-weighted imaging data.
- Participants included cohorts with CBS (n=10), Parkinson's disease (n=15), and healthy controls (n=9).
- Diffusion tensor analysis utilized tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
Main Results:
- FBA revealed significant differences in the dentatorubrothalamic tract in CBS patients compared to controls and PD patients (p < 0.05).
- Microstructural changes in crossing white matter fibers in the brainstem were detected by FBA, but not by TBSS.
- FBA provided complementary information to VBM and TBSS in identifying affected brain regions.
Conclusions:
- Fixel-based analysis (FBA) demonstrates superior sensitivity in detecting white matter fiber alterations in corticobasal syndrome.
- FBA offers advantages over traditional methods for characterizing lesion distribution in CBS, especially in complex fiber tracts.
- The findings support FBA as a valuable tool for neurodegenerative disease research and clinical diagnosis.
