title: Whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging in correlation to visual-evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis: a tract-based spatial statistics analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Functional correlates of microstructural damage of the brain affected by MS are incompletely understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate correlations of visual-evoked potentials with microstructural brain changes as determined by DTI in patients with demyelinating central nervous disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one patients with clinically isolated syndrome or MS were prospectively recruited. The mean P100 visual-evoked potential latencies of the right and left eyes of each patient were calculated and used for the analysis. For DTI acquisition, a single-shot echo-planar imaging pulse sequence with 80 diffusion directions was performed at 3T. Fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity were calculated and correlated with mean P100 visual-evoked potentials by tract-based spatial statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant negative correlations between mean P100 visual-evoked potentials and fractional anisotropy and significant positive correlations between mean P100 visual-evoked potentials and radial diffusivity were found widespread over the whole brain. The highest significance was found in the optic radiation, frontoparietal white matter, and corpus callosum. Significant positive correlations between mean P100 visual-evoked potentials and axial diffusivity were less widespread, notably sparing the optic radiation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microstructural changes of the whole brain correlated significantly with mean P100 visual-evoked potentials. The distribution of the correlations showed clear differences among axial diffusivity, fractional anisotropy, and radial diffusivity, notably in the optic radiation. This finding suggests a stronger correlation of mean P100 visual-evoked potentials to demyelination than to axonal damage.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neuroradiology (D.L., K.-T.H., K.S.) Donald.Lobsien@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lobsien
authors.affiliation: Neurology (B.E., F.T.B., K.S., J.C.), University and University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ettrich
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neuroradiology (D.L., K.-T.H., K.S.) Neurology (B.E., F.T.B., K.S., J.C.), University and University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sotiriou
authors.affiliation: Neurology (B.E., F.T.B., K.S., J.C.), University and University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Classen
authors.affiliation: Neurology (B.E., F.T.B., K.S., J.C.), University and University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Then Bergh
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neuroradiology (D.L., K.-T.H., K.S.).
authors.forename: K-T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016880:Anisotropy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*