The association between White matter microstructure alterations detected by Diffusional kurtosis imaging in Neural circuit and post-stroke depression

ABSTRACT

Aim

In order to study the mechanism of post-stroke depression (PSD), we used diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) to describe the changes in white matter (WM) microstructure in PSD patients, to investigate the association between WM damage in limbic-cortical-striatal-pallidal-thalamic (LCSPT) circuit and PSD, and the utility of DKI in the diagnosis of PSD.

Methods

Fifty-eight participants were divided into different groups: control group (n=20), stroke patients without depression (Non-PSD, n=21) and PSD group (n=17). All were taken DKI scans. The WM of bilateral superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, the anterior and posterior limb of internal capsule, the genu and splenium of corpus callosum were selected as the regions of interest (ROI) and selected mean kurtosis (MK), radial kurtosis (RK), axial kurtosis (AK) as the DKI parameters.

Results

Compared with control and Non-PSD, MK of PSD group in bilateral superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, temporal lobe and the genu of corpus callosum were decreased significantly, as well as the RK in left superior frontal gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus and temporal lobe. But there was no significant difference in AK. Besides, the decrease in MK and RK in frontal and temporal lobe was negatively associated with the severity of PSD.

Conclusion

Our research indicated that the damage to WM microstructure in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe and the genu of corpus callosum may be related toPSD. DKI explores the microstructural changes of WM in PSD patients and may be an auxiliary diagnostic method for PSD.

KEYWORDS:

• Diffusion kurtosis imaging
• post-stroke depression
• white matter microstructure
• mean kurtosis (MK)
• radial kurtosis (RK)

Disclosure statement

None of the authors declared any potential conflicts of interest in the research and/or publication of this article.

Author contribution

All authors contributed to drafting and revising the article. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The research did not receive any financial support.

Notes on contributors

Weijing Liang

Weijing Liang, a graduate student majoring in neurology at Shanxi Medical University. Her research has mainly focused on the cerebrovascular disease and post-stroke depression.

Zexin Fan

Zexin Fan, an attending physician in the department of Neurology, at Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital. His research has mainly focused on the post-stroke depression and Imaging, and has published articles in some journals.

Sha Cui

Sha Cui, a technician in the Department of Imaging at Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital. Her research has mainly focused on the Neuroimaging changes.

Xueyong Shen

Xueyong Shen, a resident doctor in the department of Neurology, at Shanxi Provincial cardiovascular Hospital. His research has mainly focused on the cerebrovascular disease and imaging of post-stroke depression, has published articles in some journals.

Li Wang

Li Wang, a chief physician in the Department of Neurology at Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital. Her research has mainly focused on the cerebrovascular disease and post-stroke depression. She had published some articles in different journals.