title: Diffusion tensor imaging in Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: A wide range of imaging studies provides growing support for the potential role of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in evaluating microstructural white matter integrity in Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Our review aims to present DTI principles, post-processing and analysis frameworks and to report the results of particular studies.   The distribution of AD-related white matter abnormalities is widely discussed in the light of deteriorated connectivity within certain tracts due to secondary white matter degeneration; primary alterations are also assumed to contribute to the pattern. The question whether it is more effective to assess the whole-brain diffusion or to directly concentrate on specific regions remains an interesting issue. Assessing white matter microstructure alterations, as evaluated by group-level differences of tensor-derived parameters, may be a promising neuroimaging tool for differential diagnosis between AD, MCI and other cognitive disorders, as well as being particularly helpful in the interpretation of underlying pathological processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Charles University, 2nd Medical Faculty and University Hospital Motol Prague, Czech Republic, V Úvalu 84, 150 06, Prague, Czech Republic. buksakowska@wp.pl
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stěpán-Buksakowska
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laczó
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rulseh
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hort
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lisý
authors.forename: František
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Charvát
authors.forename: Miloslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roček
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hořínek
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D006801:Humans; D056784:Leukoencephalopathies / Q000175:diagnosis