A Preliminary Study Of Voxel-based Analysis In The Brain Of Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis By Using MRI

Part I:Age-and sex-related Chinese normal adult brain anatomy:a voxel-based morphometry analysisPurposes:To investigate the age and sex effects on nomal adult brain anatomy.Materials and Methods:Voxel-based morphometry was used to analysis the 3D Tl structure images from the 76 health subjects,which were devided into three groups by age.Gray matter fraction,white matter fraction,brain parenchymal fraction and total intracranial volume were calcificated;and an ANCOVA was applied for statistics analysis.Results:Global encephalic volumes results showed that gray matter volumes in older groups was significantly less than that in younger groups(P=0.000),while white matter volumes and total intracranial volumes had no significant difference between older groups and younger groups(P=0.189 & P=0.100)statistically;and gray matter fraction and parenchymal fraction in older groups were less than that in younger groups(P=0.000),while white matter fraction's differences had no significance statistically(P=0.483);It could also be found that gray matter volumes,white matter volumes and total intracranial volumes in male groups were more than that in female groups;and gray matte fraction in male group less than that in femal group(P=0.038)while white matter fraction and parenchymal fraction had no obvious difference between two groups statistically.Regional specific gray matter volumes results showed that age-related gray matter loss could be seen in bilateral frontal gray matter obviously,then the temporal and parieooccipital gray matter;and the sub-lobar region gray matter loss mainly happened in the bilateral thalamus and insula.and sex-related gray maater decrease mainly happened in bilateral frontal and temporal lobes,then the parietal,occipital,limbic lobes and sub-lobar region;and the sex-related limbic gray matter loss occured at the bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus and bilateral parahippocampal gyruses. Conclusions:Age-and sex-ralated normal brain anatomy changes exhibits widespread gray matter loss,especially in bilateral frontal lobe.Age effects on gray matter loss is more than sex effects.Partâ…¡:Age-and sex-related normal adult brain changes:a voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging analysisPurposes:To investigate the age and sex effects on FA values in nomal adult brain.Materials and Methods:Voxel-based analysis was used to analysis the FA maps from the 76 health subjects,which were devided into two groups by age and gender respectively,and an ANCOVA was applied for statistics analysis.Results:Age-related FA decreases mainly occurred in right external capsule and optic radiation and left acoustic radiation,optic radiation and extreme capsule; while bilateral putamen and thalamus had higer FA values.No significantly FA values changes in normal subjects were found between male and female groups(P_unc<0.001,continued clusters>10 voxels).Conclusions:Age-related FA changes may be helpful to shed light on the pathophysiological changes associated to aging brain.Partâ…¢:Voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based diffusion tensor analysis in amyotrophic lateral sclerorisPurposes:To evaluate gray matter volume,white matter volume and FA value changes in ALS patients by voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based diffusion tensor analysis.Materials and Methods:39 definite or probable ALS patients by El Escorial standard and 76 health controls were recruited and underwent a neuropsychological evaluation.The 3D FSPGR TlWI and DTI data were collcected on GE Medical 3.0T MRI system.An ANCOVA was applied with age and total intrcranial volume for VBM and age for VBDTA as covariates because of exactly sex.natch.A statistical threshold of P<0.001(uncorrected)and more than continuous 30 voxels determined significance.Results:Global results showed that there was no significant difference in the global volumes of gray matter and white matter,total intracranial volumes and gray matter fraction between ALS patients and health controls,but the white matter fraction of ALS patients was significantly less than that of health controls statistically(P=0.003).Regional results showed there was a significant reduction of gray matter volumes in superior frontal gyrus and precentral gyrus bilaterally, right middle frontal gyrus,right middle and inferior temporal gyrus,left superior occipital gyrus and cuneus and left insula in ALS patients when compared with health controls;and the regional reduction of white matter volumes in ALS patients mainly located in genu of corpus callosum,bilateral medial frontal gyrus, paracentral lobule and insula,right superior and middle frontal gyrus and left postcentral gyrus.VBDTA showed a bilateral decrease in FA values in parahipocampal gyrus and cingulate gyrus in ALS patients compared with health controls.Conclusions:VBM and VBDTA analysis results suggest that ALS is not simply a motor neuron disease but a multisystem disorder;and VBDTA has a potential value for the detection of FA value changes of cingulate and parahippocampal gyral white matter in suspected cognitive impairment for ALS patients.Partâ…£:A preliminary application of T2 relaxometry by voxel-based relaxometry in amyotrophic lateral sclerorsisPurposes:To study the characteristics of T2 relaxometry in amyotrophic lateral sclerorsis(ALS)by voxel-based relaxometry(VBR).Materials and Methods:32 definite or probable ALS patients by EI Escorial standard and 32 health controls were recruited and underwent a neuropsycholcgical evaluation.The T2 mapping sequence data were collcected on GE Medical 3.0T MRI system.An ANCOVA was applied with age as a covariate because of exactly sex match.A statistical threshold of P<0.001(uncorrected, t<3.23)and more than continuous 20 voxels determined significance.The correlation analysis was applied between the mean intensity of active clusters and the progression scores by SPSS 15.0 and the curve fitting toolbox of matlab (version 7.6.0.324).Results:VBR identified the T2 values increase in the right superior temporal gyrus white matter and inferior parietal lobule gray matter,the left superior frontal gyrus white matter and inferior frontal gyrus gray matter(P<0.05).No areas of statistically significant decrease was displayed.Conclusion:Voxel-based relaxometry may be preliminarily applied to the evaluation of T2 relaxometry in ALS.And Combined with mean intensity,it can be a new marker for the progression degrees in ALS.