Hippocampal diffusion tensor imaging microstructural changes in vascular dementia

Jelena Ostojic; Dusko Kozic; Aleksandra Pavlovic; Marija Semnic; Aleksandar Todorovic; Kosta Petrovic; Nadezda Covickovic-Sternic

doi:10.1007/s13760-014-0419-3

Hippocampal diffusion tensor imaging microstructural changes in vascular dementia

Acta Neurol Belg. 2015 Dec;115(4):557-62. doi: 10.1007/s13760-014-0419-3. Epub 2015 Jan 3.

Authors

Jelena Ostojic¹, Dusko Kozic², Aleksandra Pavlovic³, Marija Semnic⁴, Aleksandar Todorovic⁵, Kosta Petrovic⁶, Nadezda Covickovic-Sternic⁷

Affiliations

¹ Center of Radiology, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, School of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, 1-7 Hajduk Veljkova Street, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia. jelenamarkovicostojic@gmail.com.
² Diagnostic Imaging Center, Institute of Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, 4 Institutski put, 21204, Sremska Kamenica, Serbia. dusko.b.kozic@gmail.com.
³ Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 6 Dr. Subotica Street, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia. aleksandrampavlovic2@gmail.com.
⁴ Clinic for Neurology, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, School of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, 1-7 Hajduk Veljkova Street, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia. semnic@open.telekom.rs.
⁵ Diagnostic Imaging Center, Institute of Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, 4 Institutski put, 21204, Sremska Kamenica, Serbia. todorovicalleksandar@gmail.com.
⁶ Center of Radiology, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, School of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, 1-7 Hajduk Veljkova Street, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia. smakap@gmail.com.
⁷ Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 6 Dr. Subotica Street, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia. nadezda.sternic@gmail.com.

PMID: 25555903
DOI: 10.1007/s13760-014-0419-3

Abstract

To explore microstructural integrity of hippocampus in vascular dementia (VD) using DTI. Twenty-five individuals with VD, without magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of gray matter pathology, and 25 matched healthy control (HC) individuals underwent a 3T MRI protocol including T2, FLAIR, and PD in the axial plane, 3D whole-brain T1-weighted with an isotropic resolution of 1 mm, and DTI acquired using 64 diffusion sensitizing directions, b value of 1,500 s/mm(2), 65 axial slices, isotropic resolution of 1.8 mm. Images were processed to obtain indices of microstructural variations of bilateral hippocampi. Mean diffusivity (MD) in the hippocampus of patients with VD was significantly increased (p < 0.05) bilaterally with respect to that of the group of HC examinees. In VD group left hippocampal MD (10(-6 )× mm(2)/s) was 833.4 ± 92.8; in HC group left MD was 699.8 ± 56. In VD group, right hippocampal MD was 859.1 ± 69.8; in HC group right MD was 730.4 ± 40.2. No group differences were found in hippocampal FA. DTI shows microstructural hippocampal damage in VD in patients with normal appearing gray matter structures on conventional MRI, indicating the need for further research on the link between VD and AD.

Keywords: Diffusion tensor imaging; Hippocampus; Mean diffusivity; Vascular dementia.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Analysis of Variance
Anisotropy
Dementia, Vascular / pathology*
Diffusion Tensor Imaging*
Female
Hippocampus / pathology*
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales