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Orthogonal diffusion-weighted MRI measures distinguish region-specific degeneration in cerebellar ataxia subtypes

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Abstract

The cerebellar peduncles are excellent candidates for composite indicators of regional degeneration in posterior fossa structures, as the peduncles show histopathological changes in degenerative ataxia. We postulate that magnetic resonance imaging will reveal evidence of disease specific peduncle degeneration through macrostructural (cross-sectional area) and microstructural (fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity) measures. This study presents a “proof of principle” using orthogonal diffusion tensor imaging cross-sections of the cerebellar peduncles to distinguish categories of cerebellar disease.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Arnold-Chiari Foundation, the Robin Zee Fund, the Dana Foundation Program for Brain and Immuno-Imaging, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, and the following NIH grants: 1K23EY015802, 5T32DC00023, R01EY01849, R01NS056307, and R21NS059830. Special acknowledgements to Andrew S. K. Liu, Katherine K. Loya, and Jennifer L. Cuzzocreo for their invaluable assistance.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have reported no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pathology 2-210, 600 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Sarah H. Ying & David S. Zee

  2. 324B Clark Hall, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA

    Bennett A. Landman

  3. 201 Clark Hall, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA

    Shwetadwip Chowdhury

  4. 50 E. 98th Street Apt 11L, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Alexander H. Sinofsky

  5. 217 Traylor, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Anna Gambini & Susumu Mori

  6. 201B Clark Hall, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA

    Jerry L. Prince

Authors
  1. Sarah H. Ying
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  2. Bennett A. Landman
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  3. Shwetadwip Chowdhury
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  4. Alexander H. Sinofsky
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  5. Anna Gambini
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  6. Susumu Mori
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  7. David S. Zee
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  8. Jerry L. Prince
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah H. Ying.

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Ying, S.H., Landman, B.A., Chowdhury, S. et al. Orthogonal diffusion-weighted MRI measures distinguish region-specific degeneration in cerebellar ataxia subtypes. J Neurol 256, 1939–1942 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-009-5269-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-009-5269-1

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