Diffusion MRI tractography with along-tract profiling reveals subtle neurodevelopmental differences between moderate and late preterm infants

IF 3.2 3区医学 Q1 RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING

European Journal of Radiology Pub Date : 2025-04-05 DOI:10.1016/j.ejrad.2025.112098

Anouk S. Verschuur , Chantal M.W. Tax , Ingrid M. Nijholt , Gerda van Wezel-Meijler , Leonora Hendson , Hussein Zein , Jeanne Scotland , Regan King , Khorshid Mohammad , Martijn F. Boomsma , Alexander Leemans , Lara M. Leijser

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

Moderately preterm (MP) infants (32–33 weeks’ gestation) are at increased risk for developmental problems compared to late preterm (LP) infants (34–36 weeks’ gestation). Fiber bundle tractography remains an unexplored avenue to understanding this risk-difference between MP and LP infants. This study aimed to examine along-tract profile differences between MP and LP infants at term-equivalent age (TEA).

Methods

Ninety-five infants (31 MP and 64 LP), born between November 2020 and March 2023, underwent MRI around TEA (40–44 weeks postmenstrual age). MRI included T2-weighted imaging and diffusion MRI (dMRI) with b-values 800 and 2000 s/mm² (single shell). dMRI scans were preprocessed to reduce common artifacts. For all infants, 15 fiber bundles were reconstructed using TractSeg and along-tract profiles, expressed as fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), and were compared between MP and LP infants using tractometry.

Results

Reconstructions with TractSeg demonstrated shape, position, and orientation of fiber bundles consistent with known neuroanatomy. FA and MD profiles were not significantly different between MP and LP infants. However, alternating trends towards along-tract profile differences between MP and LP infants were observed for multiple bundles. Wide 95% confidence intervals indicated substantial variability in fiber bundle organization within groups.

Conclusion

Although not significant, along-tract differences between MP and LP infants suggest subtle alterations in white matter maturation. These findings indicate along-tract variability as potential focus for future research aimed at uncovering the mechanisms underlying early maturational differences and their potential role in later neurodevelopmental challenges encountered in moderate-late preterm infants.

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弥散性MRI神经束造影显示中度早产儿和晚期早产儿神经发育的细微差异

目的中度早产儿（妊娠 32-33 周）与晚期早产儿（妊娠 34-36 周）相比，出现发育问题的风险更高。纤维束束线图仍是了解早产儿和晚期早产儿之间风险差异的一个尚未探索的途径。本研究旨在检查早产儿（MP）和早产儿（LP）在足月等龄（TEA）时的纤维束轮廓差异。方法2020 年 11 月至 2023 年 3 月间出生的 95 名婴儿（31 名早产儿和 64 名早产儿）在足月等龄（TEA）前后（月经后 40-44 周）接受了核磁共振成像。核磁共振成像包括T2加权成像和弥散核磁共振成像（dMRI），b值分别为800和2000 s/mm2（单壳）。使用 TractSeg 对所有婴儿的 15 条纤维束进行重建，并以分数各向异性（FA）和平均扩散率（MD）表示沿茎干剖面，使用茎干测定法对 MP 婴儿和 LP 婴儿进行比较。MP婴儿和LP婴儿的FA和MD曲线无明显差异。但是，在多个纤维束中，观察到 MP 婴儿和 LP 婴儿沿纤维束轮廓差异的交替趋势。结论尽管MP婴儿和LP婴儿之间的沿束差异不显著，但这表明白质成熟过程中存在微妙的变化。这些发现表明，沿束变异是未来研究的潜在重点，旨在揭示早期成熟差异的机制及其在中晚期早产儿日后神经发育挑战中的潜在作用。

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来源期刊

European Journal of Radiology 医学-核医学

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

3.00%

发文量

398

审稿时长

42 days

期刊介绍： European Journal of Radiology is an international journal which aims to communicate to its readers, state-of-the-art information on imaging developments in the form of high quality original research articles and timely reviews on current developments in the field. Its audience includes clinicians at all levels of training including radiology trainees, newly qualified imaging specialists and the experienced radiologist. Its aim is to inform efficient, appropriate and evidence-based imaging practice to the benefit of patients worldwide.