title: Susceptibility-weighted imaging provides insight into white matter damage in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterised by widespread white matter damage. There is growing evidence that disturbances in iron metabolism contribute to white matter alterations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed the data of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) of white matter in a cohort of 27 patients with ALS and 30 healthy age-matched controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Signal alterations were found on SWI in the corpus callosum; along the corticospinal tract (subcortical motor cortex, posterior limb of the internal capsule and brainstem levels) and in the subgyral regions of frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital and limbic lobes. Alterations of white matter in the corpus callosum correlated with disease severity as assessed by the revised ALS functional rating scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SWI is capable of indicating iron and myelin disturbances in white matter of ALS patients. The SWI patterns observed in this study suggest that widespread alterations due to iron disturbances occur in patients with ALS and correlate with disease severity.
authors.affiliation: Hans-Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Tino
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Prell
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, HELIOS Kreiskrankenhaus Gotha, 99867, Gotha, Germany.
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hartung
authors.affiliation: Hans-Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tietz
authors.affiliation: Hans-Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Penzlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ilse
authors.affiliation: Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, United States of America; MRI Clinical and Translational Research Center, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schweser
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Jena University Hospital, Philosophenweg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deistung
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Jena University Hospital, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bokemeyer
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Jena University Hospital, Philosophenweg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Reichenbach
authors.affiliation: Hans-Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Otto W
authors.initials: OW
authors.lastname: Witte
authors.affiliation: Hans-Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grosskreutz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*