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Advanced Diffusion Imaging in The Hippocampus of Rats with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 14, 2019
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High-resolution diffusion tensor imaging identifies hippocampal volume loss without diffusion changes in individuals
Kevin Grant Solar1, Sarah Treit1, Christian Beaulieu1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|May 14, 2022
Summary
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is linked to smaller hippocampal volumes, particularly in the body and tail, impacting memory and cognitive functions. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) revealed these changes, suggesting disrupted brain development in individuals with PAE.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Toxicology
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with reduced hippocampal volumes in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies.
- Animal models suggest microstructural changes, including cell loss and altered myelination, contribute to these volume reductions.
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) has not been previously utilized to investigate hippocampal microstructural changes in PAE.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate hippocampal microstructural integrity and volume in individuals with PAE using DTI.
- To explore the relationship between DTI metrics, hippocampal subregion volumes, and cognitive function in PAE.
- To compare DTI-derived measures between individuals with PAE and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution DTI and T1-weighted MRI were acquired from 36 healthy controls and 19 participants with PAE.
- Manual segmentation of hippocampal subregions (head, body, tail) was performed on DTI data to extract diffusion metrics (MD, AD, RD, FA) and volumes.
- Automated segmentation of T1-weighted images was used for corroboration, alongside cognitive testing.
Main Results:
- Whole-hippocampus volumes were 18% smaller in the PAE group compared to controls based on DTI manual segmentation.
- Reduced volumes were observed in the hippocampal body and tail, but not the head, in the PAE group.
- No significant differences in diffusion metrics (MD, AD, RD, FA) were found between groups, but altered age-related diffusion patterns and correlations with cognitive functions were observed in PAE.
Conclusions:
- Reduced hippocampal volumes in PAE, particularly in the body and tail, indicate disrupted hippocampal development.
- Altered relationships between hippocampal volume, diffusion metrics, and cognitive functions (memory, executive functioning) in PAE highlight neurodevelopmental impacts.
- DTI is a sensitive tool for detecting microstructural alterations in the hippocampus related to PAE.
