TY  - JOUR
T1  - FRactional anisotropy in the posterior limb of the internal capsule and prognosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
AU  - Menke RL, Abraham I, Thiel CS, et al
Y1  - 2012/11/01
N1  - 10.1001/archneurol.2012.1122
JO  - Archives of Neurology
SP  - 1493
EP  - 1498
VL  - 69
IS  - 11
N2  - Objective 
                  To explore the value of diffusion tensor imaging applied to those specific cerebral white matter tracts consistently involved pathologically in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as a source of prognostic biomarkers.Design 
                  Baseline clinical assessment and 3-T diffusion tensor imaging, repeated after approximately 6 months. Tract-based spatial statistics were used to assess voxelwise correlations of just the baseline diffusion tensor imaging indices with the progression rate (change in disability score/time interval) within the corticospinal tract and corpus callosum.Patients 
                  The study involved 21 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 3 patients with primary lateral sclerosis.Results 
                  Correlation was observed between fractional anisotropy and progression rate for a region of the corticospinal tract spanning the posterior limb of the internal capsule, with a left hemisphere emphasis. Posterior limb of the internal capsule fractional anisotropy showed potential to distinguish those patients with rapid progression. Axial diffusivity significantly increased in this region in a paired t test analysis of baseline and follow-up diffusion tensor imaging, in keeping with axonal damage. No correlations were noted for the corpus callosum.Conclusions 
                  Posterior limb of the internal capsule fractional anisotropy is a candidate prognostic marker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with potential to identify incident cases with more rapid progression.
SN  - 0003-9942
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archneurol.2012.1122
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2012.1122
ER  -