MRI Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) in Assessment of White Matter Tracts in Primary Dystonia

Background: Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) is the only noninvasive technique that can be used to assess micro-structural integrity of white matter structures and depict brain connectivity in vivo. This study was undertaken to evaluate white matter changes in primary dystonia using DTI-FT. Methods: We evaluated 24 patients with primary dystonia and 24 age-and sex-matched controls. Conventional non-contrast MRI followed by MR diffusion tensor imaging and fiber tractography were acquired in all of the studied population; we collected diffusion-weighted images along twelve different directions with a b value of 1000s/mm^2. We measured the Mean Diffusivity (MD) and Fractional Anisotropy (FA) from voxels of interest. We compared measurements in patients and controls with the high-resolution MR imaging, as well as clinical data. Results: DTI has 100% sensitivity in detection of micro structural changes in studied cases of primary dystonia, while conventional MRI was normal in all patients. Conclusion: This analysis visualized group level white matter tract differences between dystonia patients and normals. This analysis can be useful in understanding the pathophysiology of primary dystonia.