title: DTI correlates of cognition in conventional MRI of normal-appearing brain in patients with clinical features of subacute combined degeneration and biochemically proven vitamin B(12) deficiency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vitamin B12 deficiency may cause neural injury that results in cognitive deficits. The main purpose of our study was to evaluate morphometric and microstructural changes in the brain and relate them to cognition in subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord and patients with biochemically deficient vitamin B12.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one patients were recruited and underwent nerve-conduction velocity tests and routine hematologic examinations. Serum vitamin B12 and homocystine levels were also measured. All patients and 46 age- and sex-matched controls underwent cervical spine and brain MR imaging along with cognition tests. MR imaging included conventional scans and DTI. Voxel-based morphometry was performed for determining the WM and GM volumes, based on T1-weighted images. DTI measures that included fractional anisotropy, ADC, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity were determined by using tract-based statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the patients showed any abnormality on conventional MR imaging. No significant changes in GM and WM volumes were observed in patients compared with controls. Significant reductions in the fractional anisotropy and an increase in ADC and radial diffusivity values were observed in multiple brain regions in patients compared with controls. These changes were confirmed on the region-of-interest analysis. Neuropsychological scores were significantly different in patients compared with controls and showed significant correlation with fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity in a few brain regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microstructural changes are seen in WM regions on DTI in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency and correlate with cognition scores. DTI can be used for objective assessment of microstructural changes in the brain in vitamin B12 deficiency.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (P.K.G., R.K.Garg, H.S.M.), King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging (R.K.Gupta, B.R.), Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, Haryana, India rakeshree1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (P.K.G., R.K.Garg, H.S.M.), King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiodiagnosis (Y.R.).
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging (R.K.Gupta, B.R.), Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics (C.M.P.), Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (P.K.G., R.K.Garg, H.S.M.), King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging (P.A.N.), University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Narayana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult