Plessen Kerstin J, Grüner Renate, Lundervold Arvid, Hirsch Jochen G, Xu Dongrong, Bansal Ravi, Hammar Asa, Lundervold Astri J, Wentzel-Larsen Tore, Lie Stein Atle, Gass Achim, Peterson Bradley S, Hugdahl Kenneth
Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2006 Oct;47(10):1013-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01639.x.
Brain imaging studies have revealed anatomical anomalies in the brains of individuals with Tourette syndrome (TS). Prefrontal regions have been found to be larger and the corpus callosum (CC) area smaller in children and young adults with TS compared with healthy control subjects, and these anatomical features have been understood to reflect neural plasticity that helps to attenuate the severity of tics.
CC white matter connectivity, as measured by the Fractional Anisotropy (FA) index from diffusion tensor images, was assessed in 20 clinically well-defined boys with Tourette syndrome and 20 age- and gender-matched controls.
The hypothesis that children with TS would show reduced measures of connectivity in CC fibers was confirmed for all subregions of the CC. There was no significant interaction of TS and region. Reductions in FA in CC regions may reflect either fewer interhemispheric fibers or reduced axonal myelination. FA values did not correlate significantly with the severity of tic symptoms. Group differences in measures of connectivity did not seem to be attributable to the presence of comorbid ADHD or OCD, to medication exposure, or group differences in IQ.
Our findings of a reduced interhemispheral white matter connectivity add to the understanding of neural connectivity and plasticity in the brains of children who have TS.
脑成像研究揭示了患有妥瑞氏症（TS）个体大脑中的解剖学异常。与健康对照受试者相比，已发现患有TS的儿童和年轻人的前额叶区域更大，胼胝体（CC）面积更小，并且这些解剖学特征被认为反映了有助于减轻抽动严重程度的神经可塑性。
通过扩散张量图像的分数各向异性（FA）指数测量CC白质连通性，对20名临床诊断明确的患有妥瑞氏症的男孩和20名年龄和性别匹配的对照进行评估。
患有TS的儿童在CC纤维中连通性测量值降低的假设在CC的所有子区域均得到证实。TS与区域之间没有显著的相互作用。CC区域FA值的降低可能反映半球间纤维较少或轴突髓鞘形成减少。FA值与抽动症状的严重程度没有显著相关性。连通性测量的组间差异似乎不归因于共病注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）或强迫症（OCD）的存在、药物暴露或智商的组间差异。
我们关于半球间白质连通性降低的发现有助于加深对患有TS儿童大脑中神经连通性和可塑性的理解。
