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Axial diffusivity is increased in the degenerating superior cerebellar peduncles of Friedreich's ataxia

  • Functional Neuroradiology
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Abstract

Introduction

Decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) demonstrated by diffusion tensor MR imaging (DTI) in areas of white matter (WM) damage is generally associated with increase of radial diffusivity, while axial diffusivity is reported to be decreased, unchanged, or increased. Aiming to better define the type of axial diffusivity change occurring in a typical human neurodegenerative disease, we investigated axial and radial diffusivity in Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) which is characterized by selective neuronal loss of the dentate nuclei and atrophy and decreased FA of the superior cerebellar peduncles (SCPs).

Methods

Axial and radial diffusivity of the whole-brain WM were evaluated in 14 patients with FRDA and 14 healthy volunteers using DTI at 1.5 T and the tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) method, part of FSL software.

Results

TBSS analysis showed a single area in the central midbrain corresponding to the decussation of the SCPs which exhibited lower FA in patients than in controls. In this area, a significant increase of both axial and radial diffusivity was observed. No clusters of significantly decreased axial diffusivity were observed, while additional clusters of increase of radial diffusivity were present throughout the brain.

Conclusions

The selective decrease of FA in SCPs of FRDA patients reflecting chronic WM tract damage is associated with increase of both the axial and radial diffusivity, the latter more pronounced than the former. The ultrastructural and biophysical bases of the increased axial diffusivity in chronically degenerating WM tracts deserve further studies.

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Conflict of Interest

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. S. Giuseppe Hospital, Radiodiagnostic Section, Empoli, Italy

    Riccardo Della Nave

  2. Radiodiagnostic Section, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Andrea Ginestroni, Stefano Diciotti & Mario Mascalchi

  3. Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Elena Salvatore

  4. IRCCS Fondazione SDN and University of Naples Parthenope, Naples, Italy

    Andrea Soricelli

Authors
  1. Riccardo Della Nave
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  2. Andrea Ginestroni
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  3. Stefano Diciotti
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  4. Elena Salvatore
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  5. Andrea Soricelli
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  6. Mario Mascalchi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mario Mascalchi.

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Supplementary Fig. 1

TBSS analysis of whole-brain λ|| map in FRDA patients vs. healthy controls. Map of the t value (t > 3 with p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons) showing in violet the areas of significantly increased λ|| that are solely located in the central midbrain corresponding to the SCP decussation (GIF 54 kb)

High-resolution image (TIFF 611 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 2

TBSS analysis of whole-brain λ⊥ map in FRDA patients vs. healthy controls. Map of the t value (t > 3 with p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons) showing in sky-blue the areas of significantly increased λ⊥ that are located in the central midbrain, corresponding to the SCP decussation, the SCPs, the subcortical cerebellar WM, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi and the corticospinal tracts, bilaterally, the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the left frontal subcortical WM (GIF 76 kb)

High-resolution image (TIFF 821 kb)

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Della Nave, R., Ginestroni, A., Diciotti, S. et al. Axial diffusivity is increased in the degenerating superior cerebellar peduncles of Friedreich's ataxia. Neuroradiology 53, 367–372 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-010-0807-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-010-0807-1

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