Evaluation of Motor Neuron Injury in ALS by Different Parameters of Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease involving upper and lower motoneurons selectively. The injury of lower motoneurons is closely related to the onset, progression and prognosis of ALS. Therefore, the assessment of the injury of lower motoneurons is of great significance to ALS. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a new imaging method improved and developed on the basis of diffusion weighted imaging. It uses the anisotropic principle of diffusion movement of water molecules to quantify it from multiple directions, so as to reflect the changes of fine structure and function of living tissues. It can be more objective to find the damage of the upper motor neurons, help the early diagnosis of ALS, and objectively monitor and evaluate the development and treatment of ALS. In this paper, the research and application of different parameters of diffusion tensor imaging to evaluate the motor neuron injury in ALS were studied. Patients with motor neuron injury in ALS were collected as case group and healthy volunteers as control group. The diagnostic value of different parameters of axial DTI in ALS was discussed. The FA and MD values of the pyramidal tract in ALS patients have obvious changes compared with those in healthy people. It can objectively and quantitatively evaluate the pathological changes of the pyramidal tract in ALS patients, and provide valuable information for the diagnosis of ALS. The FA value is more sensitive, and the posterior limb of the internal capsule may be the best place to evaluate the damage of the pyramidal tract. In a word, DTI can objectively and quantitatively evaluate the lesions of pyramidal tract, provide valuable information for the diagnosis of ALS, and hope to provide help for the establishment, diagnosis, evaluation, prognosis, scientific research and drug test of ALS motor nerve injury. INDEX TERMS Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), motor neuron injury (MN), evaluation parameters.

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“…The frustration of not being able to say what one wants to say and not being able to communicate one's needs or speak at all can lead to a fear of not being able to call someone even during an emergency. Thus, immediate communication with patients with ALS is one of the most necessary and challenging tasks in daily life [4][5][6].…”