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AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

Published ahead of print on October 10, 2007
doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A0740

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American Journal of Neuroradiology 29:140-145, January 2008
© 2008 American Society of Neuroradiology

BRAIN

Whole Brain and Localized Magnetization Transfer Measurements Are Associated with Cognitive Impairment in Patients Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Y. Wu^a,b, P. Storey^a,b, A. Carrillo^a, C. Saglamer^b, B.A. Cohen^d, L.G. Epstein^c,d, R.R. Edelman^a,b and A.B. Ragin^a,b

^a Department of Radiology, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Evanston, Ill
^b Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill
^c Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill
^d Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill

Please address correspondence to Ying Wu, MD, 2650 Ridge Ave, Walgreen G507, Evanston, IL 60201; e-mail: y-wu7{at}northwestern.edu

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are susceptible to cognitive deterioration. This study investigated the utility of magnetization transfer (MT) imaging for quantification of brain tissue alterations associated with cognitive deficits in patients with HIV.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: MT ratios (MTR) were derived for whole brain and for regions of interest (ROIs) in the basal ganglia and white matter in 11 HIV and 12 control subjects. Relationships with severity of cognitive impairment and specific neuropsychological deficits were also evaluated.

RESULTS: MTR values for normalized whole brain histogram peak height, whole brain histogram mean, and all examined ROIs were reduced in the HIV subjects. Normalized histogram peak height and mean for whole brain, as well as means for the corpus callosum, basal ganglia, and frontal white matter (FWM), were significantly correlated with severity of cognitive impairment. MTR values for white matter regions (corpus callosum, FWM, and centrum semiovale) were correlated with specific cognitive deficits.

CONCLUSION: Quantitative MTR measurements, determined for the whole brain and for vulnerable ROIs, are sensitive to neuropathologic changes associated with cognitive impairment in HIV-infected patients.