White matter changes in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment detected by diffusion tensor imaging

PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e59440. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059440. Epub 2013 Mar 21.

Abstract

Compared to normal aging adults, individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have significantly increased risk for progressing into Alzheimer's disease (AD). Autopsy studies found that most of the brains of aMCI cases showed anatomical features associated with AD pathology. The recent development of non-invasive neuroimaging technique, such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), makes it possible to investigate the microstructures of the cerebral white matter in vivo. We hypothesized that disrupted white matter (WM) integrity existed in aMCI. So we used DTI technique, by measuring fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), to test the brain structures involved in patients with aMCI. DTI scans were collected from 40 patients with aMCI, and 28 normal controls (NC). Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analyses of whole-brain FA and MD images in each individual and group comparisons were carried out. Compared to NC, aMCI patients showed significant FA reduction bilaterally, in the association and projection fibers of frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes, corpus callosum, bilateral corona radiation, right posterior thalamic radiation and right sagittal stratum. aMCI patients also showed significantly increased MD widespreadly in the association and projection fibers of frontal, parietal and temporal lobes, and corpus callosum. Assessment of the WM integrity of the frontal, parietal, temporal lobes, and corpus callosum by using DTI measures may aid early diagnosis of aMCI.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Amnesia / complications*
  • Brain / pathology*
  • Brain / physiopathology
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / complications*
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / diagnosis
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / pathology*
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / physiopathology
  • Corpus Callosum / pathology
  • Corpus Callosum / physiopathology
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Limbic System / parasitology
  • Limbic System / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Net / pathology
  • Nerve Net / physiopathology

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30970823) and the key project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30830045). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.