The location of white matter lesions and gait--a voxel-based study.
Little is known about the influence of cerebral white matter lesion (WML) location on gait. We applied partial least squares regression in brain magnetic resonance imaging scans (n = 385) to evaluate which WML voxel systems were independently associated with a composite gait score and identified affected tracts using a diffusion tensor imaging template. Bilateral frontal and periventricular WML-affected voxels corresponding to major anterior projection fibers (thalamic radiations, corticofugal motor tracts) and adjacent association fibers (corpus callosum, superior fronto-occipital fasciculus, short association fibers) showed the greatest covariance with poorer gait. WMLs probably contribute to age-related gait decline by disconnecting motor networks served by these tracts.
Srikanth
Velandai
V
Stroke and Ageing Research Group, Neurosciences, Department of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash Medical Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. velandai.srikanth@med.monash.edu.au
Phan
Thanh G
TG
Chen
Jian
J
Beare
Richard
R
Stapleton
Jennifer M
JM
Reutens
David C
DC
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D012044:Regression Analysis