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Neuronal fiber bundle lengths in healthy adult carriers of the ApoE4 allele: a quantitative tractography DTI study.

ABSTRACT: The epsilon 4 (e4) isoform of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a known genetic risk factor for suboptimal brain health. Morphometry studies of brains with Alzheimer's disease have reported significant alterations in temporal lobe brain structure of e4 carriers, yet it remains unclear if the presence of an e4 allele is associated with alterations in the microstructure of white matter fiber bundles in healthy populations. The present study used quantitative tractography based on diffusion tensor imaging (qtDTI) to examine the influence of the e4 allele on temporal lobe fiber bundle lengths (FBLs) in 64 healthy older adults with at least one e4 allele (carriers, N = 23) versus no e4 allele (non-carriers, N = 41). Subtests from the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were also analyzed to examine memory performance between groups. Analyses revealed shorter FBLs in the left uncinate fasciculus (UF) (p =?.038) of e4 carriers compared to non-carriers. By contrast, neither FBLs specific to the temporal lobe nor memory performances differed significantly between groups. Increased age correlated significantly with shorter FBL in the temporal lobe and UF, and with decreased performance on tests of memory. This is the first study to utilize qtDTI to examine relationships between FBL and ApoE genotype. Results suggest that FBL in the UF is influenced by the presence of an ApoE e4 allele (ApoE4) in healthy older adults. Temporal lobe FBLs, however, are more vulnerable to aging than the presence of an e4 allele.

SUBMITTER: Salminen LE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3726531 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Neuronal fiber bundle lengths in healthy adult carriers of the ApoE4 allele: a quantitative tractography DTI study.

Salminen Lauren E LE Schofield Peter R PR Lane Elizabeth M EM Heaps Jodi M JM Pierce Kerrie D KD Cabeen Ryan R Laidlaw David H DH Akbudak Erbil E Conturo Thomas E TE Correia Stephen S Paul Robert H RH

Brain imaging and behavior 20130901 3

The epsilon 4 (e4) isoform of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a known genetic risk factor for suboptimal brain health. Morphometry studies of brains with Alzheimer's disease have reported significant alterations in temporal lobe brain structure of e4 carriers, yet it remains unclear if the presence of an e4 allele is associated with alterations in the microstructure of white matter fiber bundles in healthy populations. The present study used quantitative tractography based on diffusion tensor imaging ...[more]

PMID: 23475756

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Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate brai structural connectivity in children with traumatic injury (TI) following a motor vehicle accident using graph theory analysis of DTI tractography data.MethodsDTI scans were acquired on a 3 T Philips scanner from children aged 8-15 years approximately 2 months post-injury. The TI group consisted of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI; n = 44) or extracranial injury (EI; n = 23). Healthy control children (n = 36) were included as an age-matched comparison group. A graph theory approach was applied to DTI tractography data to investigate injury-related differences in connectivity network characteristics. Group differences in structural connectivity evidenced by graph metrics including efficiency, strength, and modularity were assessed using the multi-threshold permutation correction (MTPC) and network-based statistic (NBS) methods.ResultsAt the global network level, global efficiency and mean network strength were lower, and modularity was higher, in the TBI than in the control group. Similarly, strength was lower and modularity higher when comparing the EI to the control group. At the vertex level, nodal efficiency, vertex strength, and average shortest path length were different between all pairwise comparisons of the three groups. Both nodal efficiency and vertex strength were higher in the control than in the EI group, which in turn were higher than in the TBI group. The opposite between-group relationships were seen with path length. These between-group differences were distributed throughout the brain, in both hemispheres. NBS analysis resulted in a cluster of 22 regions and 21 edges with significantly lower connectivity in the TBI group compared to controls. This cluster predominantly involves the frontal lobe and subcortical gray matter structures in both hemispheres.ConclusionsGraph theory analysis of DTI tractography showed diffuse differences in structural brain network connectivity in children 2 months post-TI. Network differences were consistent with lower network integration and higher segregation in the injured groups compared to healthy controls. Findings suggest that inclusion of trauma-exposed comparison groups in studies of TBI outcome is warranted to better characterize the indirect effect of stress on brain networks.

Dataset Information

Neuronal fiber bundle lengths in healthy adult carriers of the ApoE4 allele: a quantitative tractography DTI study.

Publications

Neuronal fiber bundle lengths in healthy adult carriers of the ApoE4 allele: a quantitative tractography DTI study.

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