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Diffusion tensor imaging in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder reveals microstructural changes in the brainstem, substantia nigra, olfactory region, and other brain regions.
- Source :
-
Sleep [Sleep] 2010 Jun; Vol. 33 (6), pp. 767-73. - Publication Year :
- 2010
-
Abstract
- Study Objectives: Idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD)--a parasomnia characterized by dream enactments--is a risk marker for the development of Parkinson disease (PD) and other alpha-synucleinopathies. The pathophysiology of iRBD is likely due to dysfunction of brainstem nuclei that regulate REM sleep. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a method for studying microstructural brain tissue integrity in vivo. We investigated whether DTI detects microstructural abnormalities in the brain of patients with iRBD--compared with age-matched control subjects--as an in vivo potential indicator for changes related to "preclinical (premotor)" neuropathology in PD.<br />Design: N/A.<br />Patients: Patients with iRBD (n = 12) and age-matched healthy control subjects (n = 12) were studied.<br />Interventions: At a 1.5T MRI maschine, whole-head DTI scans of fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity (a potential marker of neuronal loss), and radial diffusivity (a potential marker of glial pathology) were analyzed using track-based spatial statistics, and 2 types of group analysis tools (FreeSurfer and FSL).<br />Measurements and Results: We found significant microstructural changes in the white matter of the brainstem (P < 0.0001), the right substantia nigra, the olfactory region, the left temporal lobe, the fornix, the internal capsule, the corona radiata, and the right visual stream of the patients with iRBD.<br />Conclusions: Changes were identified in regions known to be involved in REM-sleep regulation and/or to exhibit neurodegenerative pathology in iRBD and/or early PD. The study findings suggest that iRBD-related microstructural abnormalities can be detected in vivo with DTI, a widely available MRI technique.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Aged
Anisotropy
Brain Mapping methods
Brain Stem pathology
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted methods
Male
Middle Aged
Risk Factors
Substantia Nigra pathology
Brain pathology
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging methods
Parkinson Disease diagnosis
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder diagnosis
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0161-8105
- Volume :
- 33
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Sleep
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 20550017
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/33.6.767