White matter volume loss in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies

Chen, Guangxiang; Zhou, Baiwan; Zhu, Hongyan; Kuang, Weihong; Bi, Feng; Ai, Hua; Gu, Zhongwei; Huang, Xiaoqi; Lui, Su; Gong, Qiyong

doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.007

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Then, the software recreated peak coordinates for each study with a map of the effect size of group differences in the BOLD response, which was determined by converting the peak t value to Hedges’ effect size and then applying a nonnormalized Gaussian kernel to the voxels near the peak, thus assigning higher effect sizes to the voxels closer to peaks. In the assignment, an isotropic wide full‐width at half‐maximum (FWHM; 20 mm) was used to control false‐positive results (Chen et al., 2018). Then, a meta‐analytic signed differential map was calculated in which the studies with larger sample sizes contributed more to the meta‐analytic value of a voxel.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered intrinsic brain activity in patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Cao

Chen

et al. 2021

J of Neuroscience Research

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Neuropsychiatric deficits are common in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), especially in those with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Previous studies reveal abnormalities in brain activity underlying the neuropsychiatric deficits in LC patients; however, the results are inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies using anisotropic effect-size signed differential mapping software on LC patients to characterize the most consistent regional activity alterations, and to evaluate the potential effect of liver transplantation (LT) on brain function. Meta-regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between brain alterations and clinical variables. Compared with healthy controls, the typical patterns of increased regional activity in the fronto-striato-cerebellar network and decreased activity in the visuo-sensorimotor network and cingulate gyrus were identified in LC patients, which remained significant in the subgroup metaanalyses of minimal HE (MHE) and overt HE (OHE) patients. Functional deficits in the default mode network (DMN) were found in OHE patients compared with MHE patients. Ammonia level positively correlated with brain activity in the right middle temporal gyrus, and the completion time of number connection test A negatively correlated with brain activity in the left anterior cingulate gyrus. In addition, patients showed increased activity in the visuo-sensorimotor network and precuneus after LT. Our study suggests that alterations in the fronto-striato-cerebellar and visuo-sensorimotor networks may be the potential pathophysiological mechanisms underlying HE, and deficits in the DMN may indicate the progression of HE. LT may improve brain function in the visuo-sensorimotor network. This study has registered in the PROSPERO (CRD42020212758).

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered intrinsic brain activity in patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Cao

Chen

et al. 2021

J of Neuroscience Research

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“…Apart from gray matter (GM) involvement, ALS also leads to the degeneration of white matter (WM). Many voxel‐based analyses have collectively demonstrated WM volume losses in ALS, especially involving the bilateral precentral gyrus and supplementary motor areas, the left middle cerebellar peduncle, and the right cerebellum; these atrophied structures are correlated with disease severity and illness duration . In addition, studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have revealed WM microarchitecture alterations in ALS that include the corticospinal tract (CST) in addition to extramotor sites, such as the corpus callosum, the superior longitudinal fasciculus, and internal capsules; these changes are considered to indicate progress of the disease .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Abnormal cerebral microstructures revealed by diffusion kurtosis imaging in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Huang

Zou

Xue

et al. 2019

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease in which cerebral structural impairment is a consistent feature. Purpose To investigate cerebral microstructural changes in ALS using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) for the first time. Study Type Prospective. Subjects Eighteen ALS patients and 20 healthy controls. Field Strength/Sequence DKI images were obtained by a spin‐echo echo‐planar imaging sequence on a 3T MRI scanner, with three b‐values (0, 1000, and 2000 s/mm2) and 64 diffusion encoding directions. Assessment The revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS‐R) was administered to assess disease severity, and the symptom duration and disease progression rate were also recorded. Voxel‐based analysis was applied to examine the alteration of DKI metrics (ie, mean kurtosis metrics [MK], axial kurtosis [AK], and radial kurtosis [RK]) and the conventional diffusion metrics (ie, fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity). Statistical Tests Student's t‐test, chi‐square test, and Pearson correlation analysis. Results ALS patients showed MK reductions in gray matter areas, including the bilateral precentral gyrus, bilateral paracentral lobule, and left anterior cingulate gyrus; they also showed decreased MK values in white matter (WM) in the bilateral precentral gyrus, bilateral corona radiata, bilateral middle corpus callosum, left occipital lobe, and right superior parietal lobule. The spatial distribution of the regions with reduced RK was similar to those with decreased MK. No significant AK difference was found between groups. The correlation analysis revealed significant associations between DKI metrics and clinical assessments such as ALSFRS‐R score and disease duration. Additionally, several WM regions showed between‐group differences in conventional diffusion metrics; but the spatial extent was smaller than that with reduced DKI metrics. Data Conclusion The reduction in DKI metrics indicates decreased microstructural complexity in ALS, involving both motor‐related areas and extramotor regions. DKI metrics can serve as potential biomarkers for assessing disease severity. Level of Evidence: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;51:554–562.

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“…Former VBM studies have reported circumscribed clusters of decreases in WM density that were often located either next to the motor-cortex, in adjacent areas or within the corticospinal tract (De Marco et al., 2015; Kassubek et al., 2005; Kim et al., 2017a; Tsujimoto et al., 2011). A recent meta-analysis confirmed that the most significantly affected clusters were primarily within the supplementary motor areas, the precentral gyri, and the cerebellum (Chen et al., 2018a). However, some previous studies using classical VBM approaches reported no reductions in either GM (Acosta-Cabronero et al., 2018; Buhour et al., 2017) or WM density (Chang et al., 2005; Grosskreutz et al., 2006; Thivard et al., 2007) in patients with ALS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In ALS, using VBM has revealed widespread loss of structural integrity (Bede and Hardiman, 2014; Chio et al., 2014; Pradat and El Mendili, 2014). However, results between studies and centers are often disparate; these inconsistencies have been ascribed to, among other things, methodological and recruitment differences and the substantial heterogeneity between ALS cohorts (Chen et al., 2018a; Shen et al., 2016). Several VBM studies have failed to show consistent correlations with disease progression using the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R)-derived Progression Rate (PR).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%