PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - H. Zhang
AU  - X. Wang
AU  - J. Lin
AU  - Y. Sun
AU  - Y. Huang
AU  - T. Yang
AU  - S. Zheng
AU  - M. Fan
AU  - J. Zhang
TI  - Reduced Regional Gray Matter Volume in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study
AID  - 10.3174/ajnr.A3235
DP  - 2012 Aug 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/early/2012/08/02/ajnr.A3235.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/early/2012/08/02/ajnr.A3235.full
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Decreased oxygen supply may cause neuronal damage in the brains of patients with COPD, which is manifested by clinical symptoms such as neuropsychological deficits and mood disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate brain gray matter change in COPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using voxel-based morphometry based on the high-resolution 3D T1-weighted MR images of GM volume, we investigated 25 stable patients with COPD and 25 matching healthy volunteers. A battery of neuropsychological tests was also performed. RESULTS: Patients with COPD (versus controls) showed reduced GM volume in the frontal cortex (bilateral gyrus rectus, bilateral orbital and inferior triangular gyri, and left medial superior gyrus), right anterior insula, cingulate cortex (left anterior and middle gyri, right middle gyrus), right thalamus/pulvinar, right caudate, right putamen, right parahippocampus, and left amygdala. In COPD, in some of these regions, regional GM volume had positive correlations with arterial blood po2, while in some regions, regional GM volume had negative correlations with disease duration. Patients with COPD (versus controls) had poorer performance in the Mini-Mental State Examination, Visual Reproduction, and Figure Memory tests. Moreover, the GM volume in the inferior triangular frontal cortex in patients with COPD was significantly correlated with the Picture Memory score. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest GM reductions in a number of brain regions in COPD, which were associated with disease severity and may underlie the pathophysiologic and psychological changes in patients with COPD. Abbreviations COPDchronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseDARTELDiffeomorphic Anatomical Registration Through Exponentiated Lie algebraFEVforced expiratory volumeFEV1forced expiratory volume in 1 secondFVCforced vital capacityGMgray matterSao2arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation