Gray matter volume deficits in spinocerebellar ataxia: An optimized voxel based morphometric study

Impact of cerebellar atrophy on cortical gray matter and cerebellar peduncles as assessed by voxel-based morphometry and high angular resolution diffusion imaging

“…The first objective of this work was to use VBM in a cohort of patients with cerebellar atrophy to investigate which regions of the cerebrum were affected by the cerebellar degeneration. According to the current genetic classification there are more than 40 types of SCA (Currie et al, 2013), however a considerable overlap exists not only between the clinical symptoms of these different autosomal dominant types, but also with other hereditary forms of cerebellar atrophy such as Friedreich's ataxia, and consequently no neuroimaging techniques can distinguish between them all (Goel et al, 2011). Furthermore, no reliable biomarker has been demonstrated to inform on the state and severity of cerebellar ataxia (Currie et al, 2013), therefore a more clinically-focused aim of this study was to assess how the use of VBM and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) metrics may contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting this condition.…”

Voxel‐based meta‐analysis of gray and white matter volume abnormalities in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2

“…After initially searching, the titles and abstracts with the search strategy, eight VBM studies (Brenneis et al., 2003; D'Agata, Caroppo, Boghi et al., 2011; Goel et al., 2011; Hernandez‐Castillo et al., 2015; Jacobi et al., 2013; Mercadillo et al., 2014; Nave, Ginestroni, Tessa, Cosottini et al., 2008; Nave, Ginestroni, Tessa, Salvatore et al., 2008) were identified as potentially meeting the inclusion criteria. A detailed review of the full text was then performed, and two studies (Hernandez‐Castillo et al., 2015; Jacobi et al., 2013) were excluded due to absence of stereotactic coordinates.…”

“…Voxel‐based morphometry (VBM), a processing technique of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that can detect regional morphological changes in the whole brain, has been commonly used to evaluate gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume abnormalities in SCA2 patients (Brenneis, Bosch, Schocke, Wenning, & Poewe, 2003; D'Agata, Caroppo, Boghi et al., 2011; Goel et al., 2011; Hernandez‐Castillo et al., 2015; Jacobi et al., 2013; Mercadillo et al., 2014; Nave, Ginestroni, Tessa, Cosottini et al., 2008; Nave, Ginestroni, Tessa, Salvatore et al., 2008; Olivito et al., 2018). However, the findings of these studies are variable and conflicting.…”

“…However, the findings of these studies are variable and conflicting. Some studies reported regional cerebral atrophy in frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes (Brenneis et al., 2003; Goel et al., 2011; Hernandez‐Castillo et al., 2015; Mercadillo et al., 2014; Nave, Ginestroni, Tessa, Salvatore et al., 2008), while some studies found brain volume reductions limited in the infratentorial regions such as cerebellum and pons (D'Agata, Caroppo, Boghi et al., 2011; Jacobi et al., 2013; Nave, Ginestroni, Tessa, Cosottini et al., 2008; Olivito et al., 2018). The atrophy of mesencephalon and thalamus was also detected in a few studies (Brenneis et al., 2003; Nave, Ginestroni, Tessa, Salvatore et al., 2008), and significant parahippocampal atrophy was demonstrated in one study (Mercadillo et al., 2014).…”

Current molecular insight to reveal the dynamics of CAG repeating units in spinocerebellar ataxia

“…Voxel-based morphometrics can also expose the volume loss in cerebellum and brain stem region involving both gray and white matter of the brain (37,38). The region degeneration may also be able to be seen by this method (39).…”