Cargando…

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Revealed Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter Regions in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND: Axons and myelin sheaths are the physical foundation for white matter (WM) to perform normal functions. Our previous study found the metabolite abnormalities in frontal, parietal, and occipital normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) regions in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Bao, Jianfeng, Tu, Hui, Li, Yijia, Sun, Jubao, Hu, Zhigang, Zhang, Fengshou, Li, Jinghua
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8924457/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35310094
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.837452
_version_ 1784669859789930496
author Bao, Jianfeng
Tu, Hui
Li, Yijia
Sun, Jubao
Hu, Zhigang
Zhang, Fengshou
Li, Jinghua
author_facet Bao, Jianfeng
Tu, Hui
Li, Yijia
Sun, Jubao
Hu, Zhigang
Zhang, Fengshou
Li, Jinghua
author_sort Bao, Jianfeng
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Axons and myelin sheaths are the physical foundation for white matter (WM) to perform normal functions. Our previous study found the metabolite abnormalities in frontal, parietal, and occipital normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) regions in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients by applying a 2D (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging method. Since the metabolite changes may associate with the microstructure changes, we used the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) method to assess the integrity of NAWM in this study. METHOD: Diffusion tensor imaging scan was performed on 17 clinically definite RRMS patients and 21 age-matched healthy controls on a 3.0-T scanner. DTI metrics including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were extracted from 19 predefined regions of interest (ROIs), which were generated by removing a mask of manually drawn probabilistic lesion map from the Johns Hopkins University white-matter atlas. The mean values of FA, MD, AD, and RD were compared between different groups in the same ROIs. RESULTS: A probabilistic lesion map was successfully generated, and the lesion regions were eliminated from the WM atlas. We found that the RRMS patients had significantly lower FA in the entire corpus callosum (CC), bilateral of anterior corona radiata, and right posterior thalamic radiation (PTR). At the same time, RRMS patients showed significantly higher MD in the bilateral anterior corona radiata and superior corona radiata. Moreover, all AD values increased, and the bilateral external capsule, PTR, and left tapetum NAWM show statistical significance. What is more, all NAWM tracts showed increasing RD values in RRMS patients, and the bilateral superior corona radiata, the anterior corona radiata, right PTR, and the genu CC reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed widespread microstructure changes in NAWM in RRMS patients through a ready-made WM atlas and probabilistic lesion map. These findings support the hypothesis of demyelination, accumulation of inflammatory cells, and axonal injury in NAWM for RRMS. The DTI-based metrics could be considered as potential non-invasive biomarkers of disease severity.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-8924457
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2022
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-89244572022-03-17 Diffusion Tensor Imaging Revealed Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter Regions in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Bao, Jianfeng Tu, Hui Li, Yijia Sun, Jubao Hu, Zhigang Zhang, Fengshou Li, Jinghua Front Neurosci Neuroscience BACKGROUND: Axons and myelin sheaths are the physical foundation for white matter (WM) to perform normal functions. Our previous study found the metabolite abnormalities in frontal, parietal, and occipital normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) regions in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients by applying a 2D (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging method. Since the metabolite changes may associate with the microstructure changes, we used the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) method to assess the integrity of NAWM in this study. METHOD: Diffusion tensor imaging scan was performed on 17 clinically definite RRMS patients and 21 age-matched healthy controls on a 3.0-T scanner. DTI metrics including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were extracted from 19 predefined regions of interest (ROIs), which were generated by removing a mask of manually drawn probabilistic lesion map from the Johns Hopkins University white-matter atlas. The mean values of FA, MD, AD, and RD were compared between different groups in the same ROIs. RESULTS: A probabilistic lesion map was successfully generated, and the lesion regions were eliminated from the WM atlas. We found that the RRMS patients had significantly lower FA in the entire corpus callosum (CC), bilateral of anterior corona radiata, and right posterior thalamic radiation (PTR). At the same time, RRMS patients showed significantly higher MD in the bilateral anterior corona radiata and superior corona radiata. Moreover, all AD values increased, and the bilateral external capsule, PTR, and left tapetum NAWM show statistical significance. What is more, all NAWM tracts showed increasing RD values in RRMS patients, and the bilateral superior corona radiata, the anterior corona radiata, right PTR, and the genu CC reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed widespread microstructure changes in NAWM in RRMS patients through a ready-made WM atlas and probabilistic lesion map. These findings support the hypothesis of demyelination, accumulation of inflammatory cells, and axonal injury in NAWM for RRMS. The DTI-based metrics could be considered as potential non-invasive biomarkers of disease severity. Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-03-02 /pmc/articles/PMC8924457/ /pubmed/35310094 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.837452 Text en Copyright © 2022 Bao, Tu, Li, Sun, Hu, Zhang and Li. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Neuroscience
Bao, Jianfeng
Tu, Hui
Li, Yijia
Sun, Jubao
Hu, Zhigang
Zhang, Fengshou
Li, Jinghua
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Revealed Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter Regions in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
title Diffusion Tensor Imaging Revealed Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter Regions in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
title_full Diffusion Tensor Imaging Revealed Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter Regions in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
title_fullStr Diffusion Tensor Imaging Revealed Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter Regions in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
title_full_unstemmed Diffusion Tensor Imaging Revealed Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter Regions in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
title_short Diffusion Tensor Imaging Revealed Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter Regions in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
title_sort diffusion tensor imaging revealed microstructural changes in normal-appearing white matter regions in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis
topic Neuroscience
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8924457/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35310094
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.837452
work_keys_str_mv AT baojianfeng diffusiontensorimagingrevealedmicrostructuralchangesinnormalappearingwhitematterregionsinrelapsingremittingmultiplesclerosis
AT tuhui diffusiontensorimagingrevealedmicrostructuralchangesinnormalappearingwhitematterregionsinrelapsingremittingmultiplesclerosis
AT liyijia diffusiontensorimagingrevealedmicrostructuralchangesinnormalappearingwhitematterregionsinrelapsingremittingmultiplesclerosis
AT sunjubao diffusiontensorimagingrevealedmicrostructuralchangesinnormalappearingwhitematterregionsinrelapsingremittingmultiplesclerosis
AT huzhigang diffusiontensorimagingrevealedmicrostructuralchangesinnormalappearingwhitematterregionsinrelapsingremittingmultiplesclerosis
AT zhangfengshou diffusiontensorimagingrevealedmicrostructuralchangesinnormalappearingwhitematterregionsinrelapsingremittingmultiplesclerosis
AT lijinghua diffusiontensorimagingrevealedmicrostructuralchangesinnormalappearingwhitematterregionsinrelapsingremittingmultiplesclerosis