Functional relevance and diagnostic utility of ROI-based and voxel-based diffusion-tensor imaging analyses in mild cognitive impairment

Diffusion-Tensor-Imaging (DTI) measures the translational motion of water molecules. Several studies have shown the potential of this new structural imaging technique to quantify functionally relevant alterations of white matter integrity in different neurological and psychiatric syndromes and diseases. We investigated patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's Dementia (AD) and healthy age-matched controls using DTI and hippocampus volumetry (1,2,3). ROI-based analysis: Cross-sectiolally MCI patients showed significant elevations of mean diffusivity (MD) in brain regions that are known…