Voxelwise and Skeleton-Based Region of Interest Analysis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Young Adults

• Authors: Longchuan Li, Emory University; Claire Coles, Emory University; Mary Ellen Lynch, Emory University; Xiaoping P Hu, Emory University
• Journal Title: Human Brain Mapping
• Volume: Volume 30, Number 10
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months | 2009-10, Pages 3265-3274
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.20747
• Subjects: Engineering, Biomedical
• Keywords: fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; diffusion tensor imaging; corpus callosum; voxelwise; region of interest; demyelination

Abstract

Though fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are among the most common developmental disorders, their understanding is incomplete. Diffusion tensor imaging, which is sensitive to microstructural organization in white matter, may provide a relevant measure in this population demonstrating incompletely characterized white matter pathology. In this study, tract-based spatial statistics routine and a skeleton-based region of interest analyses were employed to detect differences in diffusion tensor imaging derived metrics between young adults who were alcohol exposed and an unexposed control group. Participants include twenty-eight with dysmorphic features associated with fetal alcohol syndrome, twenty-nine who were prenatally exposed but do not show physical effects, and twenty-five with the same low socioeconomic status but unexposed. The tract-based spatial statistics analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in fractional anisotropy at the isthmus of the corpus callosum and its connected callosal fibers in dysmorphic individuals relative to controls (cluster-wise pFWE < 0.05). This finding was consistent with that of the follow-up skeleton-based region of interest analysis (F(2,79)=3.256, p=0.044). In addition, the patterns in axial and radial diffusivity changes suggest that demyelination may be associated with the degraded white matter integrity observed in the dysmorphic group.