RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Diffusion Abnormalities and Reduced Volume of the Ventral Cingulum Bundle in Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum: A 3T Imaging Study
JF American Journal of Neuroradiology
JO Am. J. Neuroradiol.
FD American Society of Neuroradiology
SP 1142
OP 1148
DO 10.3174/ajnr.A1527
VO 30
IS 6
A1 Y. Nakata
A1 A.J. Barkovich
A1 M. Wahl
A1 Z. Strominger
A1 R.J. Jeremy
A1 M. Wakahiro
A1 P. Mukherjee
A1 E.H. Sherr
YR 2009
UL http://www.ajnr.org/content/30/6/1142.abstract
AB BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) exhibit cognitive and behavioral impairments that are not replicated by surgical transection of the callosum, suggesting that other anatomic changes may contribute to the observed clinical findings. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ventral cingulum bundle (VCB) is affected in patients with AgCC by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and volumetry.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve participants with AgCC (8 males and 4 females; mean age, 30 ± 20) and 12 control subjects matched for age and sex (mean age, 37 ± 19) underwent MR imaging and DTI at 3T. 3D fiber tracking of the VCB was generated from DTI and the average fractional anisotropy (FA) was computed for the tracked fibers. Additionally, the volume, cross-sectional area, and length of the VCB were measured by manually drawn regions of interest on thin-section coronal T1-weighted images. The Student t test was used to compare these results.RESULTS: Compared with controls, subjects with AgCC demonstrated significantly reduced FA in the right VCB (P = .0098) and reduced volume and cross-sectional areas of both the left and right VCB (P < .001 for all metrics). The length of the VCB was also significantly reduced in the complete AgCC subgroup compared with controls (P = .030 in the right and P = .046 in the left, respectively).CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AgCC have abnormal microstructure and reduced volume of the VCB, suggesting that abnormalities in intrahemispheric white matter tracts may be an important contributor to the clinical syndrome in patients with AgCC.