Voxel-based analysis of the diffusion tensor in psychiatric diseases

最近的功能性神经影像学研究表明，区域间的功能连接前扣带皮层（ACC），其他边缘系统，前额叶区域可能参与创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的病理生理。但对白色物质网络的关注较少。基于体素的分析能够探索整个大脑的形态或功能变化。在这里，我们承担了这项技术的第一个应用程序的扩散张量数据与创伤后应激障碍患者。参与者是9名患有PTSD的东京地铁沙林袭击受害者和16名没有PTSD的相同创伤事件的受害者。基于体素的分析显示，在PTSD受试者中，左前扣带回的各向异性分数显著增加，位于我们先前发现体积减少的左前扣带回灰质下方。此外，严重程度是积极的，但没有显着相关的分数各向异性的左前扣带在PTSD的受害者，使用本机空间中定义的感兴趣的区域与逆归一化技术。本研究进一步证明了ACC（一种与注意力、情绪调节和恐惧条件反射密切相关的结构）和创伤后应激障碍病理学中的下白色物质的异常。

Recent functional neuroimaging work has suggested that interregional functional connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), other limbic, and prefrontal regions may be involved in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, less attention has been paid to the white matter network. Voxel-based analysis enables an exploration of morphological or functional changes throughout the entire brain. Here we undertook the first application of this technology to diffusion tensor data in patients with PTSD. Participants were 9 victims of the Tokyo subway sarin attack with PTSD and 16 matched victims of the same traumatic event without PTSD. The voxel-based analysis showed a significant fractional anisotropy increase in the left anterior cingulum, subjacent to the left ACC gray matter where we previously found volume decrement, in PTSD subjects. Moreover, the severity was positively, but not significantly associated with the fractional anisotropy of the left anterior cingulum in the victims with PTSD, using the region of interest defined in the native space with the inverse normalization technique. The present study demonstrated further evidence of abnormalities of both the ACC, a structure which is pivotally involved in attention, emotional regulation, and fear conditioning, and of subjacent white matter in the pathology of PTSD.