title: Abnormal subcortical nuclei shapes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increases the risk of brain atrophy and dementia. We aimed to elucidate deep grey matter (GM) structural abnormalities and their relationships with T2DM cognitive deficits by combining region of interest (ROI)-based volumetry, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and shape analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 23 T2DM patients and 24 age-matched healthy controls to undergo T1-weighted structural MRI scanning. Images were analysed using the three aforementioned methods to obtain deep GM structural shapes and volumes. Biochemical and cognitive assessments were made and were correlated with the resulting metrics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Shape analysis revealed that T2DM is associated with focal atrophy in the bilateral caudate head and dorso-medial part of the thalamus. ROI-based volumetry only detected thalamic volume reduction in T2DM when compared to the controls. No significant between-group differences were found by VBM. Furthermore, a worse performance of cognitive processing speed correlated with more severe GM atrophy in the bilateral dorso-medial part of the thalamus. Also, the GM volume in the bilateral dorso-medial part of the thalamus changed negatively with HbA1c.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Shape analysis is sensitive in identifying T2DM deep GM structural abnormalities and their relationships with cognitive impairments, which may greatly assist in clarifying the neural substrate of T2DM cognitive dysfunction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus is accompanied with brain atrophy and cognitive dysfunction • Deep grey matter structures are essential for multiple cognitive processes • Shape analysis revealed local atrophy in the dorso-medial thalamus and caudatum in patients • Dorso-medial thalamic atrophy correlated to cognitive processing speed slowing and high HbA1c. • Shape analysis has advantages in unraveling neural substrates of diabetic cognitive deficits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Junxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, Fujian, China.|Department of Medical Imaging, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210011, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xuebing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Xiangjin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210011, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Yanqiu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, Fujian, China. chenziqianfz@sina.com.
authors.forename: Ziqian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000473:pathology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Cognition; Shape analysis; Structural MRI; Subcortical nuclei; Type 2 diabetes mellitus