Abstract #4604
In Vivo Detection of Reduced Purkinje Cell Fibers with Diffusion MRI Tractography in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Jeong-Won Jeong 1,2 , Joseph Shin 2 , Vijay N Tiwari 2 , Harry T Chugani 1,2 , and Diane C Chugani 1,2
1
Pediatrics and Neurology, Wayne State
University, Detroit, Michigan, United States,
2
PET
center, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit,
Michigan, United States
Postmortem neuropathology reports reduced number and
size of Purkinje cells (PC) in a majority of cerebellum
specimens from persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
We investigated whether structural changes related to
decreased PC could be detected in vivo by measuring
diffusion weighted imaging streamlines connecting the
cerebellar cortex to the dentate nucleus. It was found
that 73.3% of children with ASD showed reduced
fractional anisotrpy in streamlines connecting
cerebellar cortex to right dentate nucleus. This study
detected white matter pathology in a similar portion of
cases as in postmortem pathology showing decreased PC in
lateral posterio-lateral cerebellar cortex.
This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only;
a login is required.
Join Here
