title: White matter changes in patients with friedreich ataxia after treatment with erythropoietin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Erythropoietin (EPO) has received growing attention because of its neuroregenerative properties. Preclinical and clinical evidence supports its therapeutic potential in brain conditions like stroke, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. Also, in Friedreich ataxia, clinical improvement after EPO therapy was shown. The aim of this study was to assess possible therapy-associated brain white matter changes in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine patients with Friedreich ataxia underwent Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) before and after EPO treatment. Tract-based spatial statistics was used for longitudinal comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We detected widespread longitudinal increase in fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity (D||) in cerebral hemispheres bilaterally (P < .05, corrected), while no changes were observed within the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and pons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To the best of our knowledge, this is the first DTI study to investigate the effects of EPO in a neurodegenerative disease. Anatomically, the diffusivity changes appear disease unspecific, and their biological underpinnings deserve further study.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Egger
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clemm von Hohenberg
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Schocke
authors.forename: Charles R G
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Guttmann
authors.forename: Demian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wassermann
authors.forename: Marlene C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Wigand
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nachbauer
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kremser
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sturm
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Scheiber-Mojdehkar
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubicki
authors.forename: Martha E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Shenton
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boesch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005621:Friedreich Ataxia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D066127:White Matter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D004921:Erythropoietin
keywords: Diffusion-tensor imaging; erythropoietin, Fri-edreich ataxia; neurodegeneration; tract-based spatial statistics; white matter