[Diffusion characteristics of subcortical structures in patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease and its correlation to cognitive function].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) characteristics of normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and normal-appearing gray matter (NAGM) on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) and examine the relation of such features with the general cognitive function of the patients.


METHODS
DTI was performed in 46 SIVD patients and 34 age-matched control subjects with normal MRI findings. The apprarent diffusion coeeficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured within the regions of white matter lesions (WMLs), NAWM and NAGM. All the subjects were examined by neurologists with MMSE and clinical neurologic examination.


RESULTS
Compared with normal controls, SIVD subjects showed increased ADC values in the subcortical NAGM and NAWM in anterior periventricular and centrum semiovale, with decreased FA values in the caudate nucleus, thalamus and centrum semiovale. An increased severity of the WMLs was associated with increased ADC and decreased FA in the NAWM of SIVD patients. After controlling for age, the ADC in the NAWM of the posterior periventricular, NAWM and WMLs in the centrum semiovale, caudate nucleus and thalamus showed significant inverse correlations to MMSE; FA values in NAWM of the anterior periventricular and WMLs of the centrum semiovale were positively correlated to MMSE.


CONCLUSIONS
In SIVD patients, the NAWM and NAGM regions shown by MRI contain diffusion abnormalities, and these abnormalities shown by DTI are significantly correlated to the general cognitive function of the patients.
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi'an, China. zhangqjlcx@yahoo.com.cn
Qiu-juan
QJ
Zhang
You-min
YM
Guo
Jun-le
JL
Yang
Ge-juan
GJ
Zhang
Min
M
Xu
Zhi-lan
ZL
Bai
D000368:Aged; D016880:Anisotropy; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged