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Microstructural white matter abnormalities in hypothyroidism evaluation with diffusion tensor imaging tract-based spatial statistical analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

Hypothyroidism is presented in a wide range from neuropsychiatric problems including depression, memory and cognitive disorders to poor motor coordination. Against the background of morphologic, functional and molecular changes on the white and grey matter of the brain, we aimed to investigate the effects of hypothyroidism on white matter (WM) integrity using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS).

Methods

Eighteen patients with hyperthyroidism and 14 age-sex-matched healthy control subjects were included in this study. TBSS was used in the diffusion tensor imaging study for whole-brain voxel wise analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) of WM.

Results

When compared to the control group, the whole brain TBSS revealed extensive reductions of FA in the supratentorial WM including corticospinal tract, posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), uncinate fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus (p < 0.005). The ROI analyses showed RD increment of superior longitudinal fasciculus, AD decrement of cingulum (CIN), external capsule, PLIC and corpus callosum (CC) in patients with hypothyroidism (p < 0.005). Autoimmune and non-autoimmune hypothyroidism patient subgroups showed a significant difference in terms of hippocampus FA, CIN MD, CC MD, CC AD, CIN RD, SLF RD, CC RD (p < 0.005). CIN FA values showed a negative correlation with the Beck Depression Inventory (p = 0.007, r = − 852).

Conclusions

These preliminary results of TBSS analyses represented FA and AD decrement, and RD increment in several WM tracts and indicates the demyelination process underlying pathophysiology of clinical aspects of hypothyroidism.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Axial diffusivity

MD:

Mean diffusivity

FA:

Fractional anisotropy

RD:

Radial diffusivity

TBSS:

Tract-based spatial statistics

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University of Health Sciences Kartal Lutfi Kırdar Training and Research Hospital, 34890, Kartal/Istanbul, Turkey

    Hediye Pınar Gunbey

  2. Institute of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Arzu Ceylan Has

  3. Department of Radiology, Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey

    Kerim Aslan, Aslı Tanrıvermis Sayıt & Lutfi Incesu

  4. Departmant of Radiology, University of Health Sciences Malatya Training and Research Hospital, Malatya, Turkey

    Dilek Saglam

  5. Department of Endocrinology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey

    Ugur Avcı

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  1. Hediye Pınar Gunbey
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  2. Arzu Ceylan Has
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Correspondence to Hediye Pınar Gunbey.

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Gunbey, H.P., Has, A.C., Aslan, K. et al. Microstructural white matter abnormalities in hypothyroidism evaluation with diffusion tensor imaging tract-based spatial statistical analysis. Radiol med 126, 283–290 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-020-01234-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-020-01234-7

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