Functional magnetic resonance imaging of human motor unit fasciculation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

• Published in: Annals of neurology Vol. 85; no. 3; pp. 455 - 459
• Main Authors: Whittaker, Roger G., Porcari, Paola, Braz, Luis, Williams, Timothy L., Schofield, Ian S., Blamire, Andrew M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.03.2019; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - diagnostic imaging; Case-Control Studies; Clinical trials; Contraction; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Fasciculation - diagnostic imaging; Female; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Functional Neuroimaging; Humans; Lateral diffusion; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical imaging; Medical research; Middle Aged; Motor units; Motors; Muscle, Skeletal - diagnostic imaging; Muscles; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Patients; Resonance; Structure-function relationships; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0364-5134; 1531-8249
• DOI: 10.1002/ana.25422

A novel diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging protocol sensitive to contraction of individual skeletal motor units was developed. We applied this technique to the lower limb muscles of 4 patients with confirmed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 6 healthy controls. A 3‐minute scan revealed florid fasciculation in ALS patients, involving both superficial and deep muscles, and at a frequency higher than in healthy controls. This novel imaging technique reveals hitherto unobtainable information on human motor unit structure and function, which may allow earlier diagnosis and recruitment to clinical trials. ANN NEUROL 2019;85:455–459.