Abstract #4330

Relationship between the Arcuate Fasciculus & Cortical Structure in Pediatric Patients with Polymicrogyria: A Pilot Study.

Michael John Paldino¹, Rudolph Pienaar², Annapurna Poduri³, Katyucia Macedo Rodrigues¹, Patricia Ellen Grant¹

¹Radiology, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, United States; ²Newborn Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, United States; ³Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, United States

Polymicrogyria consists of abnormal cortical lamination, with most severe involvement of layer 5. This pathologic description predicts abnormal white matter connectivity primarily within projection pathways. We have demonstrated a clinically-relevant impact of polymicrogyria on the arcuate fasciculus in pediatric patients with polymicrogyria. These preliminary results suggest a significant effect on the establishment of cortico-cortical connections and furthermore imply abnormal cortical structure beyond layer 5 in patients with polymicrogyria. These data promulgate the potential for tract-based measures of connectivity to probe cortical structure.