Correlation Between Structural Characteristics of Arcuate Fasciculus and Performances of Language Comprehension Revealed by Diffusion Imaging Based Tractography

doi:10.11938/cjmr20160209

Abstract

Abstract:

In this study, we aimed to study the relationship between structural characteristics of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) derived from diffusion MRI and the performance of language comprehension. Constrained spherical deconvolution and tractography were used to analyze the diffusion MRI data. A total of 14 right-handed subjects with brain tumors in the left-hemisphere were recruited. Two MRI scan which one before the tumor-removing brain surgery and the other after the surgery were performed. In each scan, a short version of Boston diagnostic aphasia Examination (BDAE) test was applied to evaluate the performance of language comprehension. Four averaged diffusion indices along bilateral AF reconstructed by tractography were extrocted. The results showed that FA and RD in the left AF changed significantly (p<0.01) after the surgery, but similar changes were not found in the right AF. Diffusion indices of the left AF tract showed significantly higher (p<0.01) correlation with the BDAE results (r=0.6~0.8), relative to the right AF (r=0.3~0.4). The findings are consistent with previous reports concerning the functional lateralization of the AF.

Key words: diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD), language comprehension, tractography

CLC Number:

GAO Wen-jing, LI Qiang, CHEN Pin-yuan, TOH Cheng-hong, CHAO Yi-ping. Correlation Between Structural Characteristics of Arcuate Fasciculus and Performances of Language Comprehension Revealed by Diffusion Imaging Based Tractography[J]. Chinese Journal of Magnetic Resonance, 2016, 33(2): 269-280.

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