Bruno Federico, Splendiani Alessandra, Tommasino Emanuele, Conson Massimiliano, Quarantelli Mario, Saporito Gennaro, Carolei Antonio, Sacco Simona, Di Cesare Ernesto, Barile Antonio, Masciocchi Carlo, Pistoia Francesca
Department of Biotechnology and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
Laboratory of Developmental Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2021 Jan 4;11(1):70. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics11010070.
Moving from the central role of the thalamus in the integration of inner and external stimuli and in the implementation of a stress-related response, the objective of the present study was to investigate the presence of any MRI structural and volumetric changes of the thalamic structures in earthquake witnesses. Forty-one subjects were included, namely 18 university students belonging to the experimental earthquake-exposed group (8 males and 10 females, mean age 24.5 ± 1.8 years) and a control group of 23 students not living in any earthquake-affected areas at the time of the earthquake (14 males and 9 females, mean age 23.7 ± 2.0 years). Instrumental MRI evaluation was performed using a 3-Tesla scanner, by acquiring a three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo (FSPGR) sequence for volumetric analysis and an EPI (echoplanar imaging) sequence to extract fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. As compared to the control one, the experimental group showed significantly lower gray matter volume in the mediodorsal nucleus of the left thalamus ( < 0.001). The dominant hemisphere thalamus in the experimental group showed higher mean ADC values and lower mean FA values as compared to the control group.
鉴于丘脑在整合内部和外部刺激以及实施与应激相关反应中所起的核心作用，本研究的目的是调查地震目击者丘脑结构在MRI上是否存在任何结构和体积变化。研究纳入了41名受试者，即18名属于实验性地震暴露组的大学生（8名男性和10名女性，平均年龄24.5±1.8岁）以及23名在地震发生时未居住在任何地震影响地区的学生组成的对照组（14名男性和9名女性，平均年龄23.7±2.0岁）。使用3特斯拉扫描仪进行仪器MRI评估，通过采集三维快速扰相梯度回波（FSPGR）序列进行体积分析，并采集EPI（回波平面成像）序列以提取分数各向异性（FA）和表观扩散系数（ADC）值。与对照组相比，实验组左侧丘脑背内侧核的灰质体积显著降低（<0.001）。与对照组相比，实验组优势半球丘脑的平均ADC值较高，平均FA值较低。
