Age effects on diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging tractography measures of frontal cortex connections in schizophrenia

TY - JOUR

T1 - Age effects on diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging tractography measures of frontal cortex connections in schizophrenia

AU - Jones, D K

AU - Catani, M

AU - Pierpaoli, C

AU - Reeves, S J C

AU - Shergill, S S

AU - O'Sullivan, M

AU - Golesworthy, P

AU - McGuire, P

AU - Horsfield, M A

AU - Simmons, A

AU - Williams, S C R

AU - Howard, R J

PY - 2006/3

Y1 - 2006/3

N2 - Diffusion tenser magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) has previously been used to investigate white matter tracts in schizophrenia, with inconsistent results. The aim of the study was to use a novel method for tract-specific measurements of fronto-temporal fasciculi in early-onset schizophrenia. We hypothesized that by making tract-specific measurements, clear diffusion abnormalities would be revealed in specific fasciculi in schizophrenia. Measurements of diffusion anisotropy and mean diffusivity were localized within fronto-temporal fasciculi by forming 3-D reconstructions of the cingulum, uncinate, superior longitudinal, and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi using diffusion tenser tractography. We were limited in our ability to test our hypothesis by the important and surprising finding that age affected DT-MRI-based measures in schizophrenia patients in a different way from comparison subjects, most notably in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus. The youngest schizophrenia patients that we studied had lower diffusion anisotropy than age-matched comparison subjects, but this difference diminished with increasing age. The main conclusion of this study was that direct comparisons of absolute DT-MRI-based measures between individuals with schizophrenia and comparison subjects may be problematic and misleading because of underlying age-related differences in brain maturation between groups

AB - Diffusion tenser magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) has previously been used to investigate white matter tracts in schizophrenia, with inconsistent results. The aim of the study was to use a novel method for tract-specific measurements of fronto-temporal fasciculi in early-onset schizophrenia. We hypothesized that by making tract-specific measurements, clear diffusion abnormalities would be revealed in specific fasciculi in schizophrenia. Measurements of diffusion anisotropy and mean diffusivity were localized within fronto-temporal fasciculi by forming 3-D reconstructions of the cingulum, uncinate, superior longitudinal, and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi using diffusion tenser tractography. We were limited in our ability to test our hypothesis by the important and surprising finding that age affected DT-MRI-based measures in schizophrenia patients in a different way from comparison subjects, most notably in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus. The youngest schizophrenia patients that we studied had lower diffusion anisotropy than age-matched comparison subjects, but this difference diminished with increasing age. The main conclusion of this study was that direct comparisons of absolute DT-MRI-based measures between individuals with schizophrenia and comparison subjects may be problematic and misleading because of underlying age-related differences in brain maturation between groups

U2 - 10.1002/hbm.20179

DO - 10.1002/hbm.20179

M3 - Article

VL - 27

SP - 230

EP - 238

JO - Human Brain Mapping

JF - Human Brain Mapping

IS - 3

ER -