Scholarlink

Background <p>Diffusion MRI is sensitive to white matter changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The current study aimed to establish disease profiles across core motor pathways, and their relevance to clinical progression in ALS.</p> Methods <p>Sixty-five participants (ALS = 47; Control = 18) were recruited for the study. White matter integrity of motor, somatosensory, and premotor subdivisions within the corticospinal tract and corpus callosum were quantified by fibre density, fibre-bundle cross-section, structural connectivity, and fractional anisotropy. Analyses focused on identifying diffusion metrics and tract profiles sensitive to ALS pathology, and their association with clinical progression.</p> Results <p>Reduced fibre density of the motor subdivision of the corpus callosum (CC) and corticospinal tract (CST) demonstrated best performance in classifying ALS from controls (area-under-curve: CC<sub>motor</sub> = 0.81, CST<sub>motor</sub> = 0.76). Significant reductions in fibre density (CC<sub>motor</sub>:<i> p</i> &lt; 0.001<i>;</i> CST<sub>motor</sub>: <i>p</i> = 0.016), and structural connectivity (CC<sub>motor</sub>: p = 0.008; CST<sub>somatosensory</sub>: p = 0.012) indicated presence of ALS pathology. Reduced fibre density &amp; cross-section significantly correlated with severity of functional impairment (ALSFRS-R; CC<sub>motor</sub>: <i>r</i> = 0.52<i>, p</i> = 0.019<i>;</i> CST<sub>motor</sub>: <i>r</i> = 0.59<i>, p</i> = 0.016). The largest effect sizes were generally found for motor and somatosensory subdivisions across both major white matter bundles.</p> Conclusion <p>Current findings suggest that ALS does not uniformly impact the corticospinal tract and corpus callosum. There is a preferential disease profile of neurodegeneration mainly impacting primary motor fibres. Microstructural white matter abnormality indicated presence of ALS pathology while macrostructural white matter abnormality was associated with severity of functional impairment. Quantification of white matter abnormality in corticospinal tract and callosal subdivisions holds translational potential as an imaging biomarker for neurodegeneration in ALS.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Quantifying neurodegeneration within subdivisions of core motor pathways in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using diffusion MRI

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年2月19日

查看全文
  • Hannes Almgren,
  • Colin J. Mahoney,
  • William Huynh,
  • Arkiev D’Souza,
  • Sienna Berte,
  • Jinglei Lv,
  • Chenyu Wang,
  • Matthew C. Kiernan,
  • Fernando Calamante,
  • Sicong Tu

摘要

Background

Diffusion MRI is sensitive to white matter changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The current study aimed to establish disease profiles across core motor pathways, and their relevance to clinical progression in ALS.

Methods

Sixty-five participants (ALS = 47; Control = 18) were recruited for the study. White matter integrity of motor, somatosensory, and premotor subdivisions within the corticospinal tract and corpus callosum were quantified by fibre density, fibre-bundle cross-section, structural connectivity, and fractional anisotropy. Analyses focused on identifying diffusion metrics and tract profiles sensitive to ALS pathology, and their association with clinical progression.

Results

Reduced fibre density of the motor subdivision of the corpus callosum (CC) and corticospinal tract (CST) demonstrated best performance in classifying ALS from controls (area-under-curve: CCmotor = 0.81, CSTmotor = 0.76). Significant reductions in fibre density (CCmotor: p < 0.001; CSTmotor: p = 0.016), and structural connectivity (CCmotor: p = 0.008; CSTsomatosensory: p = 0.012) indicated presence of ALS pathology. Reduced fibre density & cross-section significantly correlated with severity of functional impairment (ALSFRS-R; CCmotor: r = 0.52, p = 0.019; CSTmotor: r = 0.59, p = 0.016). The largest effect sizes were generally found for motor and somatosensory subdivisions across both major white matter bundles.

Conclusion

Current findings suggest that ALS does not uniformly impact the corticospinal tract and corpus callosum. There is a preferential disease profile of neurodegeneration mainly impacting primary motor fibres. Microstructural white matter abnormality indicated presence of ALS pathology while macrostructural white matter abnormality was associated with severity of functional impairment. Quantification of white matter abnormality in corticospinal tract and callosal subdivisions holds translational potential as an imaging biomarker for neurodegeneration in ALS.