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Published on: December 15, 2014
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.
Purpose:
The word "fixel" refers to the specific fiber population within each voxel, and fixel-based analysis (FBA) is a recently developed technique that facilitates fiber tract-specific statistical analysis. The aim of the paper is to apply FBA to detect impaired fibers for corticobasal syndrome (CBS) especially in regions that contain multiple crossed fibers.
Methods:
FBA was performed in cohorts of participants clinically diagnosed with CBS (n = 10) and Parkinson's disease (n = 15) or in healthy controls (n = 9). The parameters of the diffusion weighted image were echo time, 83 ms; time, 8123.6 ms; flip angle, 90°; section thickness, 2 mm; b = 1000 s/mm2; and 32 axes. Diffusion tensor analysis was conducted using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), and white matter volume was estimated via voxel-based morphometry.
Results:
A comparison of PD or HC to CBS revealed a significant difference in the dentatorubrothalamic tract of the brainstem in FBA in addition to the affected regions in voxel-based morphometry and TBSS (family-wise error-corrected p < 0.05). Reduction of the white matter fibers crossing the brainstem could not be detected via microstructural changes identified using TBSS, but it was detected using FBA.
Conclusion:
FBA has some advantages in determining the distribution of corticobasal syndrome lesions.
