A primary study of diffusion tensor imaging-based histogram analysis in vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia

• Published in: Clinical neurology and neurosurgery Vol. 113; no. 2; pp. 92 - 97
• Main Authors: Zhou, Yan, Qun-Xu, Qin, Lin-di, Qian, Li-jun, Cao, Wei-wen, Xu, Jian-rong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.02.2011; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anisotropy; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - pathology; Brain Ischemia - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Cerebrovascular Disorders - pathology; Cognition - physiology; Cognition Disorders - pathology; Cognitive ability; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Dementia; Diffusion; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Diffusion tensor imaging; Disease; Disease prevention; Female; Fractional anisotropy; Histogram analysis; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Ischemic Attack, Transient - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurology; Neuropsychological Tests; Neurosurgery; Older people; Pathology; Stroke; Stroke - pathology; Studies; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Vascular cognitive impairment; Fractional anisotropy; Vascular cognitive impairment; Histogram analysis; Diffusion tensor imaging; Histogram; Nervous system diseases; Vascular dementia; Cognitive disorder; Cardiovascular disease; Cerebral disorder; Anisotropy; Surgery; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease; Cerebrovascular disease
• ISSN: 0303-8467; 1872-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2010.09.007

Abstract Purpose This study performed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) histogram analysis and voxel-based analysis (VBA) to detect white matter (WM) damage in patients with vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia (VCIND) and to determine correlations between DTI histogram-derived measures and cognitive dysfunction in these patients. Materials and methods Among patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease, 18 patients with VCIND were selected along with 18 age- and sex-matched cognitive-normal subjects. Both groups underwent magnetic resonance and DTI scans, and fractional anisotropy (FA) changes in VBA between the two groups were assessed. Further, mean diffusivity (MD) and FA histograms of WM and normal-appearing WM (NAWM) in each subject were evaluated. Results Compared to control, the VCIND group showed lower FA values throughout the brain. FA and MD histogram patterns of WM and NAWM were significantly different between the groups. Significant differences were found in all DTI histogram-derived measures, except in the mean FA peak height of WM and mean MD peak location of NAWM. Neuropsychological results ( z -scores) were found to be significantly correlated with mean FA peak location, average MD, mean MD peak location of WM, and mean FA peak height, average MD, mean MD peak location of NAWM. Conclusions Results of VBA and diffusion tensor imaging-based histogram analysis suggest that VCIND patients have more severe damage in WM and NAWM than the control. Thus, the severity of damage in WM and NAWM may be related with cognitive dysfunction in VCIND patients, and DTI histogram analysis can help in further understanding VCIND.