Meeting Banner
Abstract #3721

Can Structural Connectivity Studies Be Performed in Children with Servere Ataxias?

Stephen Rose1, Kerstin Pannek, Kate Sinclair2, Martin Lavin3

1University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; 2Royal Childrens Hospital; 3Queensland Institue for Medical Research

Structural connectivity studies employing diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) and probabilistic tractography can provide new insight into the loss in integrity of important white matter (WM) motor pathways. However, such imaging studies in children with severe ataxias present a significant challenge, due to the likelihood of artifacts induced by involuntary head movement. To overcome this constraint, we have developed an image processing strategy to reduce such effects and present novel information about the degeneration of specific cerebellar-corticomotor pathways in children with ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). Such information improves our understanding of the clinical phenotype in A-T.

Keywords

acceleration accuracy addition adjusted afferent arrow artifacts aspect ataxia ataxias black bottom brain cancer cardiac cerebellar cerebellum challenge channel children circle clinical coded coil connectivity constrained constraint control correction cortex debilitating deconvolution degeneration delineation derived developed diffusion diffusivity disorder distortion distributions drop efferent employed employing enable enabled field findings function gait genetic head help hemispheres highlighting hospital identification identified identifying immunodeficiency impact important improvement improving include included indicating induced inherent inhomogeneity insight integrity invasive investigated involuntary isotropic known likelihood little loss maps martin matched measure measures median medical metrics minute morris motion motor movement networks noise novel observations offers ordination orientation overcome participant participants pathways peduncle phenotype phenotypes physiological previously probabilistic processing progressive quantitative rare recessive reconstructed reduce reduction regarding relationship replaced replacement representative represents resolution risk rose scanned sedation space spherical strategy streamline structural studies subject subjects superior susceptibility tracking tract tracts trajectories transfer trio understanding various walker years yellow