title: White matter damage is associated with memory decline in chronic alcoholics: a quantitative diffusion tensor tractography study.
abstract: Neuroimaging studies have reported an association between white matter integrity and cognitive performance in normal aging and various neuropathological conditions. We compared alcoholics with controls and hypothesized that the degree of disconnection of white matter fibers would be negatively correlated with memory dysfunction scores. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based tractography and PGI-memory scale (PGIMS) test was performed in 10 abstinent chronic alcoholic and 10 demographically equivalent control men. DTI measures [fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD)] from all of the major cerebral tracts were calculated and a comparison was done between patient group and controls. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was computed between memory dysfunction score and DTI measures. Compared to controls alcoholic participants had significantly reduced FA in corpus callosum (CC), fornix (FX), and right hemispheric arcuate fasciculus (AF), anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). A significant inverse correlation with memory dysfunction score was observed with right cingulum, right uncinate fasciculus, right ILF and left ILF. The inverse correlation of memory dysfunction score with FA of white matter tracts suggest that white matter deficit in these white matter fibers may contribute to underlying dysfunction in memory in alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Richa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Trivedi
authors.forename: Deepika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bagga
authors.forename: Debajyoti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Prabhjot
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: Pawan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Subash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khushu
authors.forename: Rajendra Prashad
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.forename: Namita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D016880:Anisotropy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D056784:Leukoencephalopathies / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D055815:Young Adult