Diffusion tensor tract-specific analysis of the uncinate fasciculus in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

作者：Sato Kanako^*; Aoki Shigeki; Iwata Nobue K; Masutani Yoshitaka; Watadani Takeyuki; Nakata Yasuhiro; Yoshida Mariko; Terao Yasuo; Abe Osamu; Ohtomo Kuni; Tsuji Shoji

来源：Neuroradiology, 2010, 52(8): 729-733.

DOI：10.1007/s00234-010-0653-1

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
• MRI
• ALS
• Uncinate fasciculus
• Dementia

The uncinate fasciculus (UF) consists of core fibers connecting the frontal and temporal lobes and is considered to be related to cognitive/behavioral function. Using diffusion tensor tractography, we quantitatively evaluated changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the UF by tract-specific analysis to evaluate the damage of the UF in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
We obtained diffusion tensor images of 15 patients with ALS and 9 age-matched volunteers.
Patients with ALS showed significantly lower mean FA (P = 0.029) compared with controls. No significant difference was seen in mean ADC.
The results suggest that damage of the UF in patients with ALS can be quantitatively evaluated with FA.

• 出版日期2010-8