Comparison Between Left and Right Hemisphere DTI-ALPS Indices and Associated Measurements in Healthy Subjects
Enchao Qiu1, Phillip Phan1, Areeba Nisar1, Mahdi Alizadeh2, Devon Middleton3, Feroze Mohamed3, Joga Chaganti3, Kiran Talekar3, Prabath Mondel3, Scott Faro3, Hsiangkuo Yuan1
1Department of Neurology, 2Department of Neurosurgery, 3Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University
Objective:
To evaluate the differences of diffusion tensor imaging analysis along perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) indices and related DTI measurements between the dominant and non-dominant hemispheres in healthy volunteers.
Background:
The brain asymmetry may affect the DTI-ALPS indices and the related DTI measurements in the dominant or non-dominant hemispheres.
Design/Methods:
DTI data were acquired from 10 right-handed healthy volunteers (mean age 31.5±9.3, 6 females). Following data correction, DTI measurement maps, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and tensor maps, were generated and registered to the FMRIB58_FA (1mm) template. Four 5mm-diameter spherical regions of interest (ROIs) were set in the left and right projection and association fibers. The DTI-ALPS indices and related DTI measurements (FA, MD, λ1, λ2, λ3, Dxx, Dyy, Dzz) for each ROI were compared between the left and right sides using a paired t-test.
Results:
The left-sided (dominant hemisphere) ALPS indices were significantly higher than the right-sided (non-dominant hemisphere) indices (1.655±0.137 vs. 1.560±0.148, t = 2.461, P = 0.036). The λ3 in the left-sided projection fibers was significantly lower than in the right-sided fibers (0.370±0.016 vs. 0.393±0.018, t = -3.052, P = 0.014). No statistically significant differences were observed for other DTI measurements.
Conclusions:
The results demonstrate significant differences in DTI-ALPS indices and λ3 measurements of projection fibers between the dominant and non-dominant hemispheres in healthy right-handed volunteers. The higher ALPS indices in the left hemisphere suggest potential differences in perivascular space structure or function, while the lower λ3 in left-sided projection fibers may indicate variations in white matter microstructure. These findings underscore the importance of considering brain asymmetry when interpreting DTI measurements in research settings. Further studies with larger sample sizes and diverse hand dominancy populations are needed to corroborate these findings and elucidate their implications.
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