精神发育迟滞脑白质磁共振弥散张量成像研究

目的:通过检查精神发育迟滞(MR)患者脑白质磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)来了解该病患者脑白质发育情况,以寻找MR患者新的诊断手段,并探讨发病机制中脑白质纤维束发育障碍的根据.方法:用DTI扫描技术对45例MR患者作了皮质脊髓束、枕额束、扣带束、胼胝体束的检查.结果:45例患者中仅4例未发现异常,枕额束有异常为27例,皮...     

磁共振弥散张量成像在脑部疾病诊断中的应用

磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)是近年来在常规MRI技术和弥散加权(DWI)技术的基础上发展的一种新的MRI技术,是一种能在活体显示脑白质纤维束走向的无创成像方法[1～3]。1DTI的基本原理弥散是指水分子的随机运动,即布朗运动。在这一运动模式中,水分子在各个方面所受的弥散阻力相等,称为各向同性弥散。在脑组织中,由于神经纤维束的限制,水分子更倾向于沿着脑白质走行的方向进行弥散,称为各向异性弥散。由于各向异性的存在,弥散需要用张量描述。在DWI中,仅在1个或3个方向上施加弥散梯度磁场,因此只有表观弥散系数(ADC)1个标量值用于描述弥散…     

室管膜下型灰质异位脑纤维结构连接的MR弥散张量成像研究

目的观察室管膜下型灰质异位（PNH）所发出白质纤维束的空间分布形式以及与正常脑组织的空间位置关系。方法8例以癫痫症状就诊的PNH患者经3．0T磁共振仪T1及T：加权成像诊断,并采集弥散张量成像数据。采用白质纤维束追踪技术,以异位灰质团块作为种子点,对异位灰质相连的白质纤维束进行描绘,并观察总结其空间分布模式及与其他大脑结构之间的关系。结果异位灰质白质纤维束有以下分布特点：①异位灰质均能发出自身的白质纤维,其中有4例表现为仅与位于同侧大脑半球的长联络纤维连接;3例除联络纤维外,还可见到其白质纤维参与对侧的胼胝体连接;6例可见到连接至皮层的弓状纤维;②结构连接空间模式与灰质异位所处位置有关,位于侧脑室前角旁的异位灰质发出的联络纤维主要分布于前方,位于侧脑室后角旁的异位灰质发出的联络纤维主要分布于后方,靠近胼胝体的异位灰质其自质纤维较易连接到对侧,靠近皮层的异位灰质较易发出弓状纤维与皮层相连。结论异位灰质不是孤立的结构,其可发出或长或短的白质纤维,并较广泛地与正常脑结构保持连接;其纤维连接分布的空间模式与异位灰质所处的位置有关。     

精神分裂症患者钩束的弥散张量成像研究

钩束是连接额叶与颞叶之间、额叶和颞顶部语言区之间的白质纤维。弥散张量成像（DTI,可以根据组织内水分子的弥散特性来检测白质纤维结构的异常改变。现将精神分裂症患者钧束的弥散张量成像研究作一综述。     

颞叶内侧结构弥散张量成像及白质纤维束成像在颞叶癫痫诊断中的应用价值

目的 通过磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)及白质纤维束示踪(DTT)技术定量分析颞叶癫痫患者双侧颞叶内侧结构弥散参数值及局部纤维束变化特点,评价DTI技术对颞叶癫痫的诊断价值.方法 对广州医学院第二附属医院自2010年12月至2011年2月临床诊断为颞叶癫痫的16例患者和20例健康志愿者进行常规MRI及DTI扫描,测量双侧颞叶杏仁体、海马及颞叶皮质的部分各向异性(FA)、相对各向异性(RA)、表观弥散系数(ADC)等数值并进行统计学分析,同时应用DTT技术观察癫痫患者局部纤维束与正常对照者的差异.结果 正常对照者双侧颞叶内侧各结构FA、RA、ADC值比较差异均无统计学意义(P＞0.05).颞叶癫痫患侧、对侧与正常对照者颞叶内侧各结构FA、RA、ADC值比较差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05),其中ADC值呈颞叶癫痫患侧＞颞叶癫痫对侧＞正常对照者的变化趋势,以海马尾部变化最为显著;而FA、RA值呈颞叶癫痫患侧＜颞叶癫痫对侧＜正常对照者的变化趋势,并且杏仁体、海马体部变化较海马尾部更显著.结论 DTI技术能充分了解癫痫患者颞叶内侧结构的弥散参数值及纤维束变化特点,有助于癫痫病灶定位的准确诊断,同时加深对颞叶内侧结构整体变化的了解亦有助于术前的整体评估及提高手术疗效.     

弥散张量成像在精神分裂症的研究

弥散张量成像（diffusion tensor imaging,DTI）是目前在活体直视脑白质主要纤维柬三维结构的唯一方法。国内外已将其应用于神经精神疾病的研究。本文就DTI在精神分裂症的应用作一综述。     

成人视放射弥散张量纤维束示踪成像的临床应用研究

目的 常规的影像手段对视放射纤维束的成像、分析缺乏特异性,为了弥补常规影像检查的不足,应用弥散张量成像(DTI)和弥散张量纤维束示踪成像(DTT)研究成人视放射的各向异性程度和视放射纤维束的构象特征.方法 对20例正常视放射和24例视放射区域病变的患者进行MR常规及DTI序列检查,分别测量双侧视放射区的部分各向异性(F...     

磁共振弥散张量成像对功能区脑肿瘤手术的参考价值

[目的]评价磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)对功能区脑肿瘤手术的指导意义和应用价值.[方法]对25例患者行头部DTI检查,立体显示肿瘤与脑白质纤维束的关系,术前评估,设计手术入路,对所有病例行显微外科肿瘤切除手术治疗.[结果]本组脑肿瘤中累及脑白质纤维束区域主要位于锥体束和内囊,其中脑白质纤维束破坏13例,移位12例.肿瘤全切除11例,次全切除14例,无手术死亡.术前存在脑白质纤维束受累所致的神经功能阳性体征者术后改善13例,无变化者10例,加重2例.[结论]DTI能够清晰显示脑肿瘤对白质纤维束的累及关系,对神经外科优化手术设计、决定手术切除范围和评估术后神经功能具有指导意义.     

磁共振弥散张量成像对脑出血致皮质脊髓束损害的诊断价值

目的 研究磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)对脑出血致皮质脊髓束(CST)损害的诊断价值.方法 对20例基底节区脑出血患者(急性期14例,亚急性期6例,均有偏瘫)进行DTI检查,分别测量患侧CST损害区及健侧相应区域的各向异性分数(FA)值、表观弥散系数(ADC)值.结果 DTI显示20例脑出血患者患侧CST受压、移位、变薄或显示不清,患侧CST受损区FA值(0.43±0.16)均较健侧(0.70±0.06)明显降低(t=9.11,P<0.01);14例急性期患者患侧受损CST区ADC值(0.60±0.11)较健侧(0.76±0.10)明显降低(t=7.03,P<0.01).6例亚急性期患者两侧CST区ADC值的差异无统计学意义.结论 DTI可以清楚地显示脑出血患者CST的损害状况,这对判断脑出血患者的病情和预后有参考价值.     

磁共振弥散张量成像在情感障碍研究中的应用

磁共振弥散张量成像(diffusiontensor imaging,DTI)是近年来应用于神经科学研究的一种新技术。它可以对活体脑组织进行水分子扩散测量和成像,无创跟踪脑内纤维束,描绘白质的结构,探测白质纤维微观结构的异常改变。本文主要就DTI在情感障碍中的应用研究作一综述。     

Exploring white matter tracts in band heterotopia using diffusion tractography

Band heterotopia is a malformation of cortical development characterized by bands of gray matter in the white matter parallel to the surface of the neocortex. Histopathological studies have suggested that small white matter tracts pass through the heterotopia, and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown activation in the malformation. We used diffusion tractography to explore the anatomical connectivity of band heterotopia and, in particular, whether in vivo white matter tracts traverse the heterotopic gray matter. Five patients with band heterotopia and five control subjects were scanned with whole brain diffusion tensor imaging. Anisotropy maps were calculated. Using fast marching tractography, we produced maps of connectivity and tract traces from two seed points, in the splenium of the corpus callosum and the right parietal lobe. Eigenvectors were found to pass through the band heterotopia in an aligned fashion. Patterns for maps of connectivity were similar in patients and control subjects. Areas of high connectivity were found in the band heterotopia and in cortical areas on the far side of the malformation from the seed point. The tracts hence appeared to traverse or end within the band heterotopia. The results are in agreement with previous histopathological studies and indicate the structural basis of the functional connectivity and absence of focal deficits in these patients.     

Test–retest reproducibility of white matter parcellation using diffusion MRI tractography fiber clustering

There are two popular approaches for automated white matter parcellation using diffusion MRI tractography, including fiber clustering strategies that group white matter fibers according to their geometric trajectories and cortical‐parcellation‐based strategies that focus on the structural connectivity among different brain regions of interest. While multiple studies have assessed test–retest reproducibility of automated white matter parcellations using cortical‐parcellation‐based strategies, there are no existing studies of test–retest reproducibility of fiber clustering parcellation. In this work, we perform what we believe is the first study of fiber clustering white matter parcellation test–retest reproducibility. The assessment is performed on three test–retest diffusion MRI datasets including a total of 255 subjects across genders, a broad age range (5–82 years), health conditions (autism, Parkinson's disease and healthy subjects), and imaging acquisition protocols (three different sites). A comprehensive evaluation is conducted for a fiber clustering method that leverages an anatomically curated fiber clustering white matter atlas, with comparison to a popular cortical‐parcellation‐based method. The two methods are compared for the two main white matter parcellation applications of dividing the entire white matter into parcels (i.e., whole brain white matter parcellation) and identifying particular anatomical fiber tracts (i.e., anatomical fiber tract parcellation). Test–retest reproducibility is measured using both geometric and diffusion features, including volumetric overlap (wDice) and relative difference of fractional anisotropy. Our experimental results in general indicate that the fiber clustering method produced more reproducible white matter parcellations than the cortical‐parcellation‐based method.     

Confirmation of a gyral bias in diffusion MRI fiber tractography

Diffusion MRI fiber tractography has been increasingly used to map the structural connectivity of the human brain. However, this technique is not without limitations; for example, there is a growing concern over anatomically correlated bias in tractography findings. In this study, we demonstrate that there is a bias for fiber tracking algorithms to terminate preferentially on gyral crowns, rather than the banks of sulci. We investigate this issue by comparing diffusion MRI (dMRI) tractography with equivalent measures made on myelin‐stained histological sections. We begin by investigating the orientation and trajectories of axons near the white matter/gray matter boundary, and the density of axons entering the cortex at different locations along gyral blades. These results are compared with dMRI orientations and tract densities at the same locations, where we find a significant gyral bias in many gyral blades across the brain. This effect is shown for a range of tracking algorithms, both deterministic and probabilistic, and multiple diffusion models, including the diffusion tensor and a high angular resolution diffusion imaging technique. Additionally, the gyral bias occurs for a range of diffusion weightings, and even for very high‐resolution datasets. The bias could significantly affect connectivity results using the current generation of tracking algorithms.     

White matter tractography using diffusion tensor deflection

Diffusion tensor MRI provides unique directional diffusion information that can be used to estimate the patterns of white matter connectivity in the human brain. In this study, the behavior of an algorithm for white matter tractography is examined. The algorithm, called TEND, uses the entire diffusion tensor to deflect the estimated fiber trajectory. Simulations and imaging experiments on in vivo human brains were performed to investigate the behavior of the tractography algorithm. The simulations show that the deflection term is less sensitive than the major eigenvector to image noise. In the human brain imaging experiments, estimated tracts were generated in corpus callosum, corticospinal tract, internal capsule, corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, fronto-occipital fasciculus, and uncinate fasciculus. This approach is promising for mapping the organizational patterns of white matter in the human brain as well as mapping the relationship between major fiber trajectories and the location and extent of brain lesions.     

Ictal EEG patterns in band heterotopia

Band heterotopia (BH) or "double cortex" syndrome is a neuronal migration disorder resulting in a diffuse band of subcortical grey matter and variable abnormality of the overlying cortex. Patients with BH have a spectrum of psychomotor delay and seizures. Associated epileptic syndromes and interictal EEG findings have been described, but ictal EEG patterns are lacking. METHODS: We describe the clinical, interictal, and ictal EEG findings in two girls with BH and intractable seizures. RESULTS: Ictal EEG patterns correlated well with clinical seizure types, and did not have features unique to BH. Similarly, seizure behaviors and interictal EEG findings were typical of those seen in symptomatic generalized epilepsies. CONCLUSIONS: Despite evidence implicating the ectopic grey matter in seizure discharges, we conclude that seizure semiology and associated ictal EEG patterns in BH are no different from those seen in other causes of symptomatic generalized epilepsies.     

Comparison of multiple tractography methods for reconstruction of the retinogeniculate visual pathway using diffusion MRI

The retinogeniculate visual pathway (RGVP) conveys visual information from the retina to the lateral geniculate nucleus. The RGVP has four subdivisions, including two decussating and two nondecussating pathways that cannot be identified on conventional structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Diffusion MRI tractography has the potential to trace these subdivisions and is increasingly used to study the RGVP. However, it is not yet known which fiber tracking strategy is most suitable for RGVP reconstruction. In this study, four tractography methods are compared, including constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) based probabilistic (iFOD1) and deterministic (SD‐Stream) methods, and multi‐fiber (UKF‐2T) and single‐fiber (UKF‐1T) unscented Kalman filter (UKF) methods. Experiments use diffusion MRI data from 57 subjects in the Human Connectome Project. The RGVP is identified using regions of interest created by two clinical experts. Quantitative anatomical measurements and expert anatomical judgment are used to assess the advantages and limitations of the four tractography methods. Overall, we conclude that UKF‐2T and iFOD1 produce the best RGVP reconstruction results. The iFOD1 method can better quantitatively estimate the percentage of decussating fibers, while the UKF‐2T method produces reconstructed RGVPs that are judged to better correspond to the known anatomy and have the highest spatial overlap across subjects. Overall, we find that it is challenging for current tractography methods to both accurately track RGVP fibers that correspond to known anatomy and produce an approximately correct percentage of decussating fibers. We suggest that future algorithm development for RGVP tractography should take consideration of both of these two points.     

Voxel-based 3D MRI analysis helps to detect subtle forms of subcortical band heterotopia

PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential diagnostic value of a novel magnetic resonance image (MRI) postprocessing technique in subtle forms of subcortical band heterotopia (SBH). The method was introduced to improve the visualization of blurred gray-white matter junctions associated with focal cortical dysplasia but was found to be applicable also to SBH. METHODS: In the voxel-based MRI analysis presented here, T1-weighted MRI volume data sets are normalized and segmented using standard algorithms of SPM5. The distribution of gray and white matter is analyzed on a voxelwise basis and compared with a normal database of 150 controls. Based on this analysis, a three-dimensional feature map is created that highlights brain areas if their signal intensities fall within the range between normal gray and white matter and differ from the normal database in this respect. The method was applied to the MRI data of 378 patients with focal epilepsy in three different epilepsy centers. RESULTS: SBH was diagnosed in seven patients with five of them showing subtle forms of SBH that had gone unrecognized in conventional visual analysis of MRI and were only detected by MRI postprocessing. In contrast to distinct double cortex syndrome, these patients had partial double cortex with SBH mostly confined to posterior brain regions. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that a considerable part of cases with SBH might remain unrecognized by conventional MRI. Voxel-based MRI analysis may help to identify subtle forms and appears to be a valuable additional diagnostic tool in the evaluation of patients with cryptogenic epilepsy.     

多发性硬化患者MRI扩散张量成像脑白质束示踪的三维仿真定量研究

目的 研究多发性硬化(MS)患者脑白质束示踪的三维仿真影像表现,评价其定量结果与残疾状态扩展评分(EDSS)的相关性. 方法 对28例MS患者(MS组)和28名健康自愿者(对照组)通过MRI扩散张量成像扫描进行脑白质束示踪,测量示踪纤维数和示踪纤维密度,并应用配对t检验比较两组间差异;对MS组脱髓鞘斑块、正常表现脑白质和对照组感兴趣区的ADC值和FA值进行方差分析,使用线性回归模型计算MS组脑白质束示踪的定量结果与EDSS评分的相关性. 结果 在MS组脑白质束示踪三维仿真图像中可直接观察到脑白质束的受损和减少.MS组的示踪纤维数(2220±100)和示踪纤维密度(0.75±0.04)明显低予对照组(2750±70、0.93±0.02),差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).MS组脱髓鞘斑块、正常表现脑白质和对照组感兴趣区的ADC值依次下降,分别为(1.23 ±0.13)× 10-3 mm2/s、(0.76±0.09)× 10-3 mm2/s、(0.63 ±0.10)×10-3 mm2/s; FA值依次升高,分别为0.24±0.04、0.42±0.07、0.48±0.06,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05).MS组示踪纤维数和示踪纤维密度都与EDSS评分呈负相关关系(r=-0.782,P=0.000;r=-0.771,P=0.000). 结论 通过MRI扩散张量成像扫描进行脑白质束示踪可以发现MS患者脑白质束的受损情况,其较常规MRI能提供更多的空间信息.     

Metabolic properties of band heterotopia differ from those of other cortical dysplasias: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study

PURPOSE: To assess the biochemical properties of band heterotopia in comparison with other cortical developmental malformations (CDMs) by using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). METHODS: We performed localized single-voxel 1H-MRS studies on 13 patients [five band heterotopia (BH), two focal cortical dysplasia (CD), two unilateral CD, one bilateral perisylvian dysplasia, three hemimegalencephaly]. CDMs other than BH were categorized as CD. Spectra were acquired from volumes of interest (VOIs) localized in the CD and in normal-appearing cortex on the contralateral side. In BH patients, the VOIs were the external cortex and the laminar heterotopia. For the BH study, spectra also were obtained from the cortex of age-matched normal volunteers. RESULTS: The spectra of CD lesions were characterized by significantly lower ratios of N-acetyl aspartate to creatine (NAA/Cr) and by higher choline to Cr (Cho/Cr) ratios than in the contralateral remote cortex (p = 0.01 and 0.01, respectively). The NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios of the external cortex of BH were not significantly different from those of normal volunteers. The NAA/Cr ratio of the laminar heterotopia was not significantly different from that of the external cortex (p = 0.12) or normal volunteers (p = 0.60), whereas Cho/Cr was significantly higher in laminar heterotopias than in the external cortex (p = 0.04) or controls (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: 1H-MRS can distinguish between the metabolic properties of BH and CD.