Abnormal integrity of corticocortical tracts in mild cognitive impairment: a diffusion tensor imaging study.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been defined as a transitional state between normal aging and Alzheimer disease. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can estimate the microstructural integrity of white matter tracts in MCI. We evaluated the microstructural changes in the white matter of MCI patients with DTI. We recruited 11 patients with MCI who met the working criteria of MCI and 11 elderly normal controls. The mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured in 26 regions of the brain with the regions of interest (ROIs) method. In the MCI patients, FA values were significantly decreased in the hippocampus, the posterior limb of the internal capsule, the splenium of corpus callosum, and in the superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus compared to the control group. MD values were significantly increased in the hippocampus, the anterior and posterior limbs of the internal capsules, the splenium of the corpus callosum, the right frontal lobe, and in the superior and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Microstructural changes of several corticocortical tracts associated with cognition were identified in patients with MCI. FA and MD values of DTI may be used as novel biomarkers for the evaluation of neurodegenerative disorders.
Cho
Hyun
H
Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Yang
Dong Won
DW
Shon
Young Min
YM
Kim
Beum Saeng
BS
Kim
Yeong In
YI
Choi
Young Bin
YB
Lee
Kwang Soo
KS
Shim
Yong Soo
YS
Yoon
Bora
B
Kim
Woojin
W
Ahn
Kook Jin
KJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D016880:Anisotropy; D015415:Biomarkers; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D015415:Biomarkers