Abnormal White Matter Microstructure of Posterior Cerebral Tracts Correlates with Sensory Dysfunction, Impaired Multisensory Integration and Inattention in Children with Sensory Processing Disorders

Julia P. Owen¹, Elysa Marco², Emily Fourie¹, Shivani Desai², Julia Harris², Susanna Hill², Pratik Mukherjee¹

In this work, we present the results from a data-driven analysis of the white matter microstructural changes seen in young males with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). We find wide-spread changes in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD). In addition, we find that the FA and RD of specific regions of white matter correlate strongly with sensory processing and inattention scores derived from a parent questionnaire. The findings in this paper provide new insights into the biological substrates of SPD and also to take the first steps toward an imaging biomarker for diagnosis and outcome prediction.