The efficacy of a voxel-based morphometry on the analysis of imaging in schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease/mild cognitive impairment: a review

• Published in: Neuroradiology Vol. 52; no. 8; pp. 711 - 721
• Main Authors: Kakeda, Shingo, Korogi, Yukunori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.08.2010; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Algorithms; Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis; Alzheimer Disease - pathology; Anisotropy; Basal Ganglia - pathology; Brain; Brain - pathology; Cerebellum - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - pathology; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Disease Progression; Dominance, Cerebral - physiology; Early Diagnosis; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - diagnosis; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - pathology; Female; Hippocampus - pathology; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Imaging; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Mathematical Computing; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neurological disorders; Neurology; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Organ Size - physiology; Radiology; Reference Values; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - pathology; Sensitivity and Specificity; Software; Topic Article; MRI; Mild cognitive impairment; Voxel-based morphometry; Fractional anisotropy; Schizophrenia; Temporal lobe epilepsy; Alzheimer's disease
• ISSN: 0028-3940; 1432-1920; 1432-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s00234-010-0717-2

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) done by means of MRI have provided new insights into the neuroanatomical basis for subjects with several conditions. Recently, VBM has been applied to investigate not only regional volumetric changes but also voxel-wise maps of fractional anisotropy (FA) computed from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The aim of this article is to review the recent work using VBM technique in particular focusing on schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and Alzheimer's disease (AD)/mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In patients with schizophrenia, VBM approach detects the structural brain abnormalities that appear normal on conventional MRI. Moreover, this technique also has the potential to emerge as a useful clinical tool for early detection and monitoring of disease progression and treatment response in patients with schizophrenia or AD/MCI. In TLE, VBM approach may help elucidate some unresolved important research questions such as how recurrent temporal lobe seizures affect hippocampal and extrahippocampal morphology. Thus, in the future, large cohort studies to monitor whole brain changes on a VBM basis will lead to a further understanding of the neuropathology of several conditions.