Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Pediatr Neurol. 2012 Mar;46(3):162-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2011.12.007.
Motor deficits associated with developmental coordination disorder are not attributable to macrostructural brain abnormalities, but differences in brain microstructure may exist. Using diffusion tensor imaging, we explored the integrity of motor, sensory, and cerebellar pathways in children with and without developmental coordination disorder. In seven children with the disorder and nine typically developing children (aged 8-12 years), we measured diffusivity and fractional anisotropy of the corticospinal tract, posterior thalamic radiation, and superior and middle cerebellar peduncles. Fractional anisotropy of motor and sensory tracts and diffusion parameters in cerebellar peduncles did not differ between groups. Mean diffusivity of the corticospinal tract and posterior thalamic radiation was lower in children with developmental coordination disorder compared with control children (P < 0.04 and P < 0.06, respectively). Results were driven by lower axial diffusivity, which was significantly correlated with motor impairment scores on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 for both the corticospinal tract (r = 0.56, P = 0.03) and posterior thalamic radiation (r = 0.70, P = 0.003). Reduced axial diffusivity in motor and sensory tracts may be implicated in developmental coordination disorder, but replication in a larger study is needed to confirm these findings.
与发育性协调障碍相关的运动缺陷不是由于大脑宏观结构异常引起的，但可能存在大脑微观结构的差异。我们使用弥散张量成像技术，探讨了发育性协调障碍儿童和正常发育儿童的运动、感觉和小脑通路的完整性。在 7 名患有该疾病的儿童和 9 名正常发育的儿童（年龄 8-12 岁）中，我们测量了皮质脊髓束、后丘脑辐射以及上、中脑脚的弥散性和各向异性分数。运动和感觉通路的各向异性分数以及小脑脚的弥散参数在两组之间没有差异。与对照组儿童相比，发育性协调障碍儿童的皮质脊髓束和后丘脑辐射的平均弥散度较低（分别为 P < 0.04 和 P < 0.06）。结果主要由皮质脊髓束和后丘脑辐射的轴向弥散度降低驱动，其与儿童运动评估电池-2 的运动损伤评分显著相关（皮质脊髓束：r = 0.56，P = 0.03；后丘脑辐射：r = 0.70，P = 0.003）。运动和感觉通路中减少的轴向弥散度可能与发育性协调障碍有关，但需要更大的研究来证实这些发现。
