White matter organization in relation to upper limb motor control in healthy subjects: exploring the added value of diffusion kurtosis imaging

摘要: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) characterizes white matter (WM) microstructure. In many brain regions, however, the assumption that diffusion probability distribution is Gaussian may be invalid, even at low b values. Recently, kurtosis (DKI) was suggested to more accurately estimate this distribution. We explored added value of DKI in studying relation between WM microstructure and upper limb coordination healthy controls (N = 24). Performance on a complex bimanual tracking task studied with respect conventional DTI measures (DKI or derived) metrics tracts/regions carrying efferent (motor) output from brain, corpus callosum (CC) substructures whole WM. For both estimation models, motor performance associated fractional anisotropy (FA) CC-genu, CC-body, anterior internal capsule, (rs range 0.42–0.63). Although revealed higher mean, radial axial diffusivity lower FA than (p < 0.001), correlation coefficients were comparable. Finally, better increased mean 0.43–0.55). conclusion, provided additional information, but did not show sensitivity detect relations controls.