title: Diffusion-tensor imaging of cognitive performance.
abstract: MR methods have for some years been used to assess cognitive performance. Recently, studies have shown that diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), which provides noninvasive maps of microscopic structural information of oriented tissue in vivo, is finding utility in studies of cognition in the normal and abnormal aging population. These studies suggest that water proton nonrandom, anisotropic diffusion measured by DTI is highly sensitive to otherwise subtle disease processes not easily seen with conventional MRI tissue contrast mechanisms and raises new issues of the role of MR in assessing cognitive potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, 1201 Welch Road, Lucas MR Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5488, USA. moseley@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moseley
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bammer
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Illes
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans