title: Analysis of hippocampal atrophy in alcoholic patients by a Kohonen feature map.
abstract: We investigated the correlation of hippocampal volume with homocysteine, folate, vitamin B12 and B6 in alcoholic patients and healthy controls applying a Kohonen feature map (KFM) and conventional statistics. Representation of subjects on the KFM suggested an inverse correlation of hippocampal volume with blood levels of homocysteine and correlation with folate and vitamin B6. In conventional statistical analyses (t-test) reduced folate and increased homocysteine was found in alcoholics compared to healthy controls (p < 0.01). In female alcoholics vitamin B6 was reduced significantly (p = 0.03). Multiple linear regression analyses showed a significant correlation between average hippocampal volume and homocysteine (p < 0.001). KFM proved to be a sensitive tool for visualisation of statistical correlations in data sets even if no further statistical information is available.
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Centre Kehl-Kork, 77694 Kehl-Kork, Germany. christoph.kurth@12move.de
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kurth
authors.forename: Viola
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wegerer
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Reulbach
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lewczuk
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kornhuber
authors.forename: Bernhard J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bleich
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020268:Alcohol-Induced Disorders, Nervous System / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001284:Atrophy / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D001361:Avitaminosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood; D025101:Vitamin B 6 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D000431:Ethanol; D025101:Vitamin B 6; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12