Deformation field morphometry in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is an autosomal dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by progressive ataxia and development of cerebellar atrophy. Previous neuropathological examinations as well as in-vivo morphometry studies have found atrophy in pontine nuclei and fibre tracts, cerebellum and basal ganglia. In the present study, T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images of SCA3 patients and healthy controls were analysed by Deformation Field Morphometry (DFM). DFM enables detecting inter-individual differences in local brain structure with high sensitivity and correlating them wi…