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No support for structural brain differences in adults with developmental coordination disorder: a fixel-based
Mireille J C M Augustijn1,2, Arthur De Raeve3, Helena Verhelst4,5
1Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. Mireille.Augustijn@UGent.be.
Insights
Adults with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) show no significant differences in brain structure compared to typically developing peers. Advanced neuroimaging found no evidence of altered grey or white matter organization in this adult DCD population.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Radiology
Background:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is characterized by motor deficits, but underlying neurological alterations are unclear.
- Previous studies on pediatric DCD populations using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) yielded inconsistent results regarding grey matter (GM) volume and white matter (WM) organization.
- DTI's limitations in handling crossing fibers may compromise the reliability of findings in prior research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential differences in GM volume and WM organization between adults with DCD and typically developing (TD) individuals.
- To explore the relationship between WM organization and motor performance in adults with DCD.
- To utilize the advanced fixel-based analysis (FBA) technique for more precise WM analysis, accounting for crossing fibers.
Main Methods:
- Sixteen adults with DCD and thirteen TD adults (18-35 years) underwent motor assessments (MABC-2) and MRI scans (T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging).
- Fixel-based analysis (FBA) was employed to analyze WM organization in key motor tracts (CST, cerebellar peduncles, SLF).
- GM volume was assessed in motor-related regions (motor cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, DLPFC).
Main Results:
- No significant differences in GM volume were detected between adults with DCD and TD controls.
- No significant differences in WM organization were found in major motor tracts between the groups.
- No significant correlation was observed between WM organization and motor performance scores in adults with DCD.
- Bayesian analyses provided anecdotal support for the absence of group differences, with moderate evidence for the null hypothesis in the left middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP).
Conclusions:
- This study found no significant structural brain differences (GM volume or WM organization) in adults with DCD compared to TD peers using FBA.
- The findings suggest that gross structural alterations may not be the primary driver of DCD in adulthood, or that effects are too small to detect with this sample size.
- Larger sample sizes are required to definitively confirm these findings and investigate potential subtle neurological alterations in adult DCD.
Abstract:
Although motor deficits in developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are well documented, the underlying neurological alterations remain poorly understood. While some studies report reduced grey matter (GM) volume and altered white matter (WM) organisation, others show contradictory results or found no differences at all. These studies focus exclusively on paediatric populations and commonly employ diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This technique is limited in distinguishing crossing fibres, which compromises the reliability of its findings. Therefore, we used the state-of-the-art fixel-based analysis (FBA) technique, providing a more precise measurement that accounts for crossing fibres. Sixteen adults with DCD and thirteen typically developing (TD) peers (18-35y) underwent comprehensive motor assessment (MABC-2) and T1- and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) MRI scans. GM volume was examined in motor-related regions, including the motor cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. WM organization was analysed in key motor tracts such as the corticospinal tract (CST), cerebellar peduncles, and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). No significant differences in GM volume or WM organization were found between adults with DCD and TD controls. Additionally, there was no significant relationship between WM organization and motor performance scores. However, with this relatively small sample, small or moderate effects remain undetected. Furthermore, according to Bayesian analyses the findings only provide anecdotal support for the absence of group differences, except for the left middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), where moderate evidence supported the null hypothesis. Future studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these conclusions.
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