In vivo evaluation of gray and white matter volume loss in the parkinsonian variant of multiple system atrophy using SPM8 plus DARTEL for VBM

Yoko Shigemoto,Kimiteru Ito,Norihide Maikusa,Hiroshi Matsuda,Noriko Sato,Kouhei Kamiya,Naofumi Matsunaga,Yasuhiro Nakata,Miho Ota

doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2013.03.017

Abstract

In multiple system atrophy with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P), several voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have revealed gray matter loss; however, the white matter volume changes have been rarely reported. We investigated the volume changes of white matter as well as gray matter by VBM. A retrospective MRI study was performed in 20 patients with MSA-P and 30 age-matched healthy controls. We applied VBM with statistical parametric mapping (SPM8) plus diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) to explore the regional atrophy of gray and white matter in all of the MSA-P patients, 14 patients with left-side dominant and 6 patients with right-side dominant onset as compared to controls. In all of the MSA-P patients, VBM revealed a significant volume reduction of gray matter in the bilateral putamina, cerebellums and dorsal midbrain. White matter loss was located in bilateral globus pallidi, external capsules extending to the midbrain, right subcortical to precentral area through internal capsule, the pons, bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles and left cerebellum. In left-side dominant MSA-P patients, the gray and white matter volume loss was detected predominantly on the right side and vice versa in right-side dominant MSA-P patients. A correlation with disease duration and severity was not detected. VBM using SPM8 plus DARTEL detected significant volume loss not only in the gray but also in the white matter of the area affected by MSA-P.

Highlights

MSA is a sporadic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder clinically characterized by autonomic dysfunction, parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, and pyramidal signs (Quinn, 1989)
We evaluated MR images of multiple system atrophy with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P) patients to examine the volume changes of white matter as well as gray matter by using the latest voxel-based morphometry (VBM) technique with SPM 8 plus diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) (Matsuda et al, 2012)
The coordinates refer to the Talairach reference space. This is the first study to focus on the white matter volume loss in MSA-P patients as determined by VBM using SPM8 plus DARTEL

Summary

Introduction

MSA is a sporadic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder clinically characterized by autonomic dysfunction, parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, and pyramidal signs (Quinn, 1989). In the past few years, VBM has been used to study the patterns of structural changes in the brain during brain development or in neurodegenerative disorders (Bergfield et al, 2010; Brenneis et al, 2004; Burton et al, 2002). In MSA-P, VBM revealed gray matter loss mainly in the striatum, the cerebral cortex including the motor area and the cerebellar lobes (Brenneis et al, 2003, 2007; Minnerop et al, 2007; Tir et al, 2009; Tzarouchi et al, 2010). White matter volume changes have been rarely reported, and the results were inconsistent (Brenneis et al, 2003; Minnerop et al, 2007, 2010; Tzarouchi et al, 2010)

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Conclusion