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Abstract #1028

Brain Grey Matter Changes in Young Patients with Mild Type of Essential Arms Tremor: A Voxel-Based Morphometry MRI Study

Hongmei Cao1, Rong Wang2, Xue Luo2, 3, Zhe Zhang2, Xianjun Li2, Ed X Wu4, Qiumin Qu5, Jian Yang2

1Neurology department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College,Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; 2Radiology department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College,Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; 3Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology,Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xian, Shaanxi, China; 4Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 5Neurology department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College,Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

Essential tremor (ET) is common neurological movement disorders and may be related to cerebella dysregulation. The variation of grey matter (GM) in ET patients has remained uncertain from previous MRI studies, especially in mild type of essential arms tremor (a-ET). In this MRI study, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method was used to detect the morphological changes of GM in 8 young patients with mild a-ET with respect to 8 healthy subjects. The mild a-ET patients exhibited the decrease of GM density in bilateral parietal lobe and the increase in GM density in bilateral cerebellum, occipital lobe and temporal occipital fusiform cortex. These findings may be associated with the network changes of cerebelo-thalamo-cortical loop in mild a-ET. The atrophy of GM in bilateral parietal lobe might represent the diminished capacity of spatial erientation and proprioceptive sensibility in a-ET patients. Moreover, mild a-ET shows a relative expansion of GM areas involved in higher order visuospatial processing, which might represent the adaptive reorganizational compensating through the increased demand on the visuospatial control of skilled movements in the early stage of a-ET. These morphological changes may help to assess early stage and distinguish subtype of ET.

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Keywords

acquisition adaptive affiliated anterior applied arms atrophy bilateral biomedical brain cerebellar cerebellum channel characteristics china closely college color committee common compensation conflicting consensus considered contrary control controls coordinate cortical decrease decreases defined density detect diagnosis dimensional diminished disease disorder disrupt early education engineering enhanced essential examination examined expansion explored fast findings finger five forearm fulfill function genetic gray hands head healthy heights help hong hospital human included individuals informed intention investigate involved isometric journal kinetic linear lobe lobes loop loss major maneuver mapping matched medical might mild model morphological morphology motor movement neural neurological neurology nose occipital onset organ parietal pathology patient patients plays posterior postural pouring previous processing psychiatry quantitative radiology recruited regulation related reported represent representation sample scale scanner school science sciences scientific score selection sensibility severe severity skilled slice society spatial specialized spirals stage statement studies subtypes summary suppl table temporal tremor type uncorrected upper volume water young