Quantification of Neurodegeneration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Using DTI and Iron Mapping

Christian Langkammer¹, Christian Enzinger¹, Stefan Quasthoff¹, Paula Grafenauer¹, Michaela Soellinger¹, Franz Fazekas¹, Stefan Ropele¹

The study sought to better characterise disease related brain tissue changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using tract based spatial statistics (TBSS) and regional analyses both on DTI and R2* data. The latter served to quantify iron deposition in deep gray and white matter, focussing on changes along the corticospinal tract. R2* measurements appeared to be more sensitive over DTI in detecting tissue abnormalities.