Automated fiber quantification analysis identifies tract-specific microstructural alterations in brain in intermittent exotropia

IF 3.5 3区医学 Q2 NEUROSCIENCES

Brain Research Bulletin Pub Date : 2024-11-12 DOI:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.111113

Jianlin Guo , Leqing Zhou , Ying Wang , Di Hu , Yanqiu Lv , Huiying Kang , Li Li , Yun Peng

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Growing evidence of neuroimaging has indicated brain microstructural abnormalities in comitant strabismus. Nonetheless, few studies have investigated neuropathological alterations in patients with intermittent exotropia (IXT). This study aimed at examining the characteristics of brain microstructure along major fiber tracts in IXT patients using an automated fiber quantification analysis.

Methods

A total of 25 patients with IXT as well as 25 healthy participants matched for age and gender finished the diffusion tensor imaging scanning and the ophthalmic examination. Automated fiber quantification analysis of 20 major fiber tracts was carried out for IXT patients and healthy subjects, respectively. Diffusion metrics of 100 equidistant nodes resampled along each tract were measured for every subject and compared between two groups. Effect size analysis was performed to identify the most affected fiber tracts in IXT.

Results

Widely declined mean diffusivity was noted in IXT along major tracts containing bilateral thalamic radiations, bilateral corticospinal fasciculi, bilateral cingulum cingulate, left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, right arcuate fasciculus and superior longitudinal fasciculus. Local reduction in fractional anisotropy was observed in IXT along left cingulum hippocampus, right inferior longitudinal fasciculus and right uncinate fasciculus, in contrast to the regionally increased fractional anisotropy along bilateral thalamic radiation, left corticospinal tract and left arcuate fasciculus. Among the tracts with significantly changed diffusion metrics in IXT, right inferior longitudinal fasciculus was the most affected one in fractional anisotropy while left thalamic radiation was the most influenced one in mean diffusivity.

Conclusions

Abnormalities in microstructural properties along visual-related fiber tracts are likely to contribute to difficulties in visual information processing in IXT patients, which could serve as the neural basis of underlying pathological mechanism of IXT.

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自动纤维定量分析发现间歇性外斜视患者大脑中特定瓣膜的微结构变化

背景：越来越多的神经影像学证据表明，合并斜视患者的大脑微结构异常。然而，很少有研究对间歇性外斜（IXT）患者的神经病理学改变进行调查。本研究旨在利用自动纤维定量分析技术，研究 IXT 患者沿主要纤维束的大脑微结构特征：方法：25 名 IXT 患者和 25 名年龄、性别匹配的健康参与者完成了弥散张量成像扫描和眼科检查。分别对 IXT 患者和健康受试者的 20 条主要纤维束进行了自动纤维定量分析。对每个受试者的每条纤维束重新采样的 100 个等距节点的扩散指标进行测量，并在两组之间进行比较。进行效应大小分析，以确定 IXT 患者中受影响最大的纤维束：结果：在 IXT 中，沿包含双侧丘脑放射线、双侧皮质脊束、双侧扣带回、左侧下额枕束、右侧弓状束和上纵束的主要纤维束的平均扩散率广泛下降。在 IXT 中，沿左侧扣带回海马、右侧下纵筋束和右侧钩状筋束的分数各向异性局部降低，而沿双侧丘脑放射、左侧皮质脊髓束和左侧弓状筋束的分数各向异性则区域性增加。在IXT中扩散指标发生明显变化的束中，右下纵筋束受各向异性分数的影响最大，而左丘脑放射束受平均扩散率的影响最大：视觉相关纤维束的微结构特性异常可能导致 IXT 患者视觉信息处理困难，这可能是 IXT 潜在病理机制的神经基础。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Brain Research Bulletin 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

6.90

自引率

2.60%

发文量

253

审稿时长

67 days

期刊介绍： The Brain Research Bulletin (BRB) aims to publish novel work that advances our knowledge of molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie neural network properties associated with behavior, cognition and other brain functions during neurodevelopment and in the adult. Although clinical research is out of the Journal''s scope, the BRB also aims to publish translation research that provides insight into biological mechanisms and processes associated with neurodegeneration mechanisms, neurological diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. The Journal is especially interested in research using novel methodologies, such as optogenetics, multielectrode array recordings and life imaging in wild-type and genetically-modified animal models, with the goal to advance our understanding of how neurons, glia and networks function in vivo.