Abstract
IntroductionVitamin B12 deficiency may cause neural tissue damage. Even in advanced stages, conventional imaging of brain usually appears normal in vitamin B12 deficient patients. The aim of this study was to assess the structural and functional changes in brain of patients with vitamin B12 deficiency before and after six weeks of vitamin B12 supplementation using diffusion tensor imaging and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (PCASL). MethodsMR imaging including DTI and PCASL and neuropsychological tests (NPT) were performed in 16 patients with vitamin B12 deficiency and 16 controls before and after 6weeks of therapy. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) derived from PCASL and DTI indices was calculated in brain of patients with vitamin B12 deficiency and controls. ResultsPatient with vitamin B12 deficiency showed altered neuropsychological scores and altered CBF as well as fractional anisotropy (FA) values in various brain regions as compared with controls. Both CBF values and neuropsychological scores showed complete reversibility at 6weeks post therapy. Though FA values showed significant recovery, it failed to show complete recovery. ConclusionOur results suggest that micro-structural recovery lags behind functional recovery in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency following therapy and CBF change may be used as an early predictor of complete recovery in patients with B12 deficiency.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
