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Whole-brain Segmentation and Change-point Analysis of Anatomical Brain MRI—Application in Premanifest Huntington's Disease
Published on: June 9, 2018
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Longitudinal mapping of cortical surface changes in Huntington's Disease
Brendan Tan1, Rosita Shishegar1,2,3, Alex Fornito1,3
1School of Psychological Sciences, The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
Brain Imaging and Behavior
|January 14, 2022
Summary
Huntington's disease causes significant decline in cortical folding, particularly in the right lateral occipital cortex. This reduced gyrification and thickness worsen with disease burden.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder impacting motor, cognitive, and emotional functions.
- Cortical folding alterations are increasingly recognized as potential biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases.
- Understanding HD's impact on cortical morphometry is crucial for tracking disease progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate longitudinal changes in cortical morphometry (local gyrification index and cortical thickness) in Huntington's disease.
- To examine how disease progression affects specific gyral regions in the brain.
- To correlate cortical changes with disease burden.
Main Methods:
- Utilized neuroimaging data from the IMAGE-HD study, including pre-symptomatic, symptomatic, and healthy control groups.
- Applied FreeSurfer 6.0's longitudinal pipeline to derive local gyrification index and cortical thickness.
- Analyzed eight regions of interest using a Group by Time repeated measures ANCOVA, referencing the Desikan-Killiany Atlas.
Main Results:
- Found significantly reduced local gyrification index in the right lateral occipital and bilateral precentral regions.
- Observed significantly reduced cortical thickness in the bilateral lateral occipital and precentral regions, and the right superior frontal region.
- Identified a significant Group by Time interaction for local gyrification index in the right lateral occipital region, driven by decline in symptomatic individuals.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated significant longitudinal decline in right hemisphere local gyrification index in the lateral occipital cortex during manifest Huntington's disease.
- Cortical morphometry changes, including reduced gyrification and thickness, are associated with higher disease burden.
- These findings highlight the potential of cortical folding as a marker for disease progression in Huntington's disease.
