Degeneration of nigrostriatal pathway in patients with middle cerebral infarct: A diffusion tensor imaging study

The nigrostriatal tract (NST) is a dopaminergic pathway that runs from the substantia nigra pars compacta in the midbrain to the dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus and putamen) and regulates voluntary movement via the basal ganglia motor loops. However, it is unclear whether the effects of ischemic stroke, such as middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction, are associated with changes in the NST. Thirty MCA infarct patients and 40 healthy subjects with no history of psychiatric or neurological disorders were enrolled in the present study. Diffusion tensor tractography was used to investigate injury to the ipsilesional and contralesional NST in MCA infarct patients compared to the normal human brain. There was a significant difference in the mean fractional anisotropy and tract volume values of the NST between the patient and control groups (P < .05). post hoc analysis revealed that the mean fractional anisotropy and tract volume from the ipsilesional NST showed a significant difference compared with those of the contralesional NST and control groups (P < .05). MCA infarction can lead to damage to the ipsilesional NST, which can impair one’s ability to stop unwanted muscular contractions or voluntary movement.