Quantitative Evaluation of the Corticospinal Tract Segmented by Using Co-registered Functional MRI and Diffusion Tensor Tractography.
- Author:
Sung Ho JANG
1
;
Ji Heon HONG
;
Woo Mok BYUN
;
Chang Ho HWANG
;
Dong Seok YANG
Author Information
1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Functional MRI;
Diffusion tensor tractography;
Corticospinal tract
- MeSH:
Anisotropy;
Brain Injuries;
Diffusion;
Evaluation Studies as Topic;
Extremities;
Hand;
Humans;
Internal Capsule;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging;
Mesencephalon;
Nervous System Diseases;
Pons;
Pyramidal Tracts;
Seeds;
Track and Field
- From:Journal of the Korean Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
2009;13(1):40-46
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the quantitative evaluation of the corticospinal tract (CST) at the multiple levels by using functional MRI (fMRI) co-registered to diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten normal subjects without any history of neurological disorder participated in this study. fMRI was performed at 1.5 T MR scanner using hand grasp-release movement paradigm. DTT was performed by using DtiStudio on the basis of fiber assignment continuous tracking algorithm (FACT). The seed region of interest (ROI) was drawn in the area of maximum fMRI activation during the motor task of hand grasp-release movement on a 2-D fractional anisotropy (FA) color map, and the target ROI was drawn in the cortiocospinal portion of anterior lower pons. We have drawn five ROIs for the measurement of FA and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) along the corona radiata (CR) down to the medulla. RESULTS: The contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) was mainly found to be activated in all subjects. DTT showed that tracts originated from SM1 and ran to the medulla along the known pathway of the CST. In all subjects, FA values of the CST were higher at the level of the midbrain and posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC) than the level of others. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that co-registered fMRI and DTT has elucidated the state of CST on 3-D and analyzed the quantitative values of FA and ADC at the multiple levels. We conclude that co-registered fMRI and DTT may be applied as a useful tool for clarifying and investigating the state of CST in the patients with brain injury.
