McKinstry Robert C, Mathur Amit, Miller Jeffrey H, Ozcan Alpay, Snyder Abraham Z, Schefft Georgia L, Almli C Robert, Shiran Shelly I, Conturo Thomas E, Neil Jeffrey J
Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St Louis Children's Hospital at the Washington University Medical Center, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Cereb Cortex. 2002 Dec;12(12):1237-43. doi: 10.1093/cercor/12.12.1237.
Cerebral cortical development involves a complex cascade of events which are difficult to visualize in intact, living subjects. In this study, we apply diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to the evaluation of cortical development in human infants ranging from 26 to 41 weeks gestational age (GA). Apparent diffusion of water in cortex is maximally anisotropic at 26 weeks GA and anisotropy values approach zero by 36 weeks GA. During this period, the major eigenvector of the diffusion tensor in cerebral cortex is oriented radially across the cortical plate, in accord with a predominately radial deployment of its neuronal constituents. Values for the rotationally averaged water diffusion coefficient increase between 26 and 32 weeks GA, then decrease thereafter. These changes in DTI parameters are specific to cerebral cortex and reflect changes in underlying cortical architecture and formation of neuronal connections. Because of its correlation with tissue microstructure and non-invasive nature, DTI offers unique insight into cortical development in preterm human newborns and, potentially, detection of derangements of its basic cytoarchiteture.
大脑皮质发育涉及一系列复杂的事件，在完整的活体受试者中很难观察到。在本研究中，我们应用扩散张量成像（DTI）来评估孕龄（GA）在26至41周的人类婴儿的皮质发育情况。在孕26周时，皮质中水的表观扩散各向异性最大，到孕36周时各向异性值接近零。在此期间，大脑皮质中扩散张量的主要特征向量沿径向穿过皮质板，这与其神经元成分主要沿径向分布一致。旋转平均水扩散系数的值在孕26至32周之间增加，此后下降。DTI参数的这些变化是大脑皮质特有的，反映了潜在的皮质结构变化和神经元连接的形成。由于其与组织微观结构的相关性以及非侵入性，DTI为早产新生儿的皮质发育提供了独特的见解，并有可能检测其基本细胞结构的紊乱情况。
