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Age-related changes in the healthy adult visual pathway: evidence from diffusion tensor imaging with fixel-based analysis

Altersabhängige Veränderungen an der Sehbahn des gesunden Erwachsenen: Evidenz aus der Diffusionstensorbildgebung mit fixelbasierter Analyse

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Abstract

Background and purpose

Fixel-based analysis (FBA) is a new method that overcomes the technical limitations of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) by enabling the characterization of multiple fiber populations within a voxel, and provides biologically meaningful indicators. This study aimed to explore age-related changes in the visual pathway in healthy adults and to observe differences in imaging quality between data collected using different b‑values.

Methods

In this prospective cross-sectional study, brain DTI scans which were collected with more than six uniformly distributed gradient directions and higher b‑values (up to 2000 s/mm2) than traditional DTI were performed in 72 healthy adults across the adult lifespan (20–79 years). After image preprocessing, FBA was used to process the dataset. At the same time, conventional DTI metrics were also calculated.

Results

Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that DTI parameters of white matter (optic nerve, optic chiasma, optic tract, and optic radiation) in the optic pathway were correlated with age. FA values were negatively correlated with age, while MD/AD/RD showed a positive correlation (P < 0.05). FBA showed that the index including FD/FC/FDC tended to decline with age (P < 0.05). Linear regression analysis showed a linear relationship between DTI metrics of the dataset collected by b‑values of 1000 and 2000 s/mm2 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

FBA provides a useful method to assess age-related changes in the visual pathway, which is sensitive to diffusion. In addition, the b‑value influences DTI parameters and signal-to-noise ratio of the image.

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund und Ziel

Die fixelbasierte Analyse (FBA) ist eine neue Methode, mit der die technischen Begrenzungen der Diffusionstensorbildgebung (DTI) überwindbar werden, da die FBA die Charakterisierung mehrerer Faserpopulationen innerhalb eines Voxels ermöglicht, und so können biologisch bedeutsame Indikatoren erfasst werden. Die vorliegende Studie zielte darauf ab, altersabhängige Veränderungen der Sehbahn bei gesunden Erwachsenen zu untersuchen und Unterschiede in der Bildqualität zwischen Daten, die mit verschiedenen b‑Werten erstellt wurden, zu erkennen.

Methoden

In dieser prospektiven Querschnittstudie wurden DTI-Aufnahmen des Gehirns, die mit mehr als 6 gleichmäßig verteilten Gradientenrichtungen und höheren b‑Werten (bis zu 2000 s/mm2) als herkömmliche DTI-Aufnahmen erstellt wurden, bei 72 gesunden Erwachsenen über die gesamte Lebensspanne von Erwachsenen hinweg (20–79 Jahre) angefertigt. Nach der Bildvorbearbeitung wurde die FBA zur weiteren Datenverarbeitung verwendet. Gleichzeitig wurden auch konventionelle DTI-Messgrößen berechnet.

Ergebnisse

Die Korrelationsanalyse nach Pearson ergab, dass die DTI-Parameter der weißen Substanz (N. opticus, Chiasma opticum, Tractus opticus und Sehstrahlung) in der Sehbahn mit dem Alter korreliert waren. Die FA-Werte waren negativ mit dem Alter korreliert, während mittlere Diffusivität (MD)/axiale Diffusivität (AD)/radiale Diffusivität (RD) eine positive Korrelation aufwiesen (p < 0,05). In der FBA zeigte sich, dass der Index für Faserdichte (FD)/Faserquerschnitt (FC)/Kombination aus FD und FC (FDC) eine abnehmende Tendenz mit dem Alter aufwies (p < 0,05). Die lineare Regressionsanalyse zeigte eine lineare Beziehung zwischen den DTI-Messgrößen des Datensatzes, der mit b‑Werten von 1000 und 2000 s/mm2 erhoben worden war (p < 0,05).

Schlussfolgerung

Die FBA stellt eine hilfreiche Methode zur Bestimmung altersabhängiger Veränderungen in der Sehbahn dar, die empfindlich auf Diffusion reagiert. Darüber hinaus beeinflusst der b‑Wert DTI-Parameter und den Signal-Rausch-Abstand der Aufnahme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, 271000, Taian, Shandong, China

    Yan Shao, Li Li & Weizhao Lu

  2. Department of Radiology, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430000, Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Wei Peng

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 271000, Taian, Shandong, China

    Yi Wang

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  1. Yan Shao
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  2. Li Li
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  3. Wei Peng
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  4. Weizhao Lu
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  5. Yi Wang
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Availability of data

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Not applicable.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yi Wang.

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Conflict of interest

Y. Wang was supported by the Shandong Province Medical and Health Science and Technology Development Project (2016SW0606) and Shandong University Science and Technology Development Program (J15LL05). Y. Shao, L. Li, W. Peng, and W. Lu declare that they have no competing interests.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants or on human tissue were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1975 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the ethics committee of Shandong First Medical University in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and the later amendments, with approval number 2022046. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Shao, Y., Li, L., Peng, W. et al. Age-related changes in the healthy adult visual pathway: evidence from diffusion tensor imaging with fixel-based analysis. Radiologie 63 (Suppl 2), 73–81 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00117-023-01192-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00117-023-01192-x

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