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Novel method to estimate and display cerebral cortical degeneration using diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging
Author(s) -
Yoshiura Takashi,
Mihara Futoshi,
Tanaka Atsuo,
Noguchi Tomoyuki,
Togao Osamu,
Kuwabara Yasuo,
Honda Hiroshi
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.20558
Subject(s) - diffusion mri , magnetic resonance imaging , white matter , cortex (anatomy) , neuroscience , temporal lobe , cerebral cortex , frontotemporal dementia , frontal lobe , tractography , pathology , dementia , medicine , anatomy , biology , disease , epilepsy , radiology
Previous studies have shown that diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) is useful for detecting microstructural degradation of neuronal tissue in neurodegenerative diseases. Mapping of cortical degeneration by DWI is potentially useful, but is extremely difficult, mainly because of the partial volume effect resulting from the surrounding cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In this study a novel method to map and display the cortical damage in neurodegenerative diseases using DWI is proposed. Instead of measuring the cortical diffusivity, the diffusivity of white matter directly beneath the cortex, where neuronal fibers enter or exit the overlying cortex, was measured and mapped onto the cortical surface. The map was viewed in a form of three‐dimensional (3D) rendering. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) showed cortical damage in the temporal and parietal cortices, and a patient with frontotemporal dementia showed damage in the frontal lobe, consistent with the typical topographical distribution of histopathological cortical damage in each of these diseases. The results suggest that subcortical diffusivity closely reflects cortical damage, and that the current mapping technique is a promising tool for evaluating neurodegenerative diseases. Magn Reson Med 54:455–459, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.