MR analysis of regional brain volume in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: Neurological manifestation of a systemic disease

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate whether regional brain volumes in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients differ from matched control subjects as AIS subjects are reported to have poor performance on combined visual and proprioceptive testing and impaired postural balance in previous studies. Materials and Methods:Twenty AIS female patients with typical right-convex thoracic curve (age range,11-18 years; mean, 14.1 years) and 26 female controls (mean age, 14.8 years) underwent three-dimensional magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (3D-MPRAGE) MR imaging. Volumes of 99 preselected neuroanatomical regions were compared by statistical parametric mapping and atlas-based hybrid warping.Results: Analysis of variance statistics revealed significant mean volumetric differences in 22 brain regions between AIS and controls. Ten regions were larger in AIS including the left frontal gyri and white matter in left frontal, parietal, and temporal regions, corpus callosum and brainstem. Twelve regions were smaller in AIS, including right-sided descending white matter tracts (anterior and posterior limbs of the right internal capsule and the cerebral peduncle) and deep nucleus (caudate), bilateral perirhinal cortices, left hippocampus and amygdala, bilateral precuneus gyri, and left middle and inferior occipital gyri.Conclusion: Regional brain volume difference in AIS subjects may help to explain neurological abnormalities in this group.

Automatic MRI segmentation and morphoanatomy analysis of the vestibular system in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

“…Recently, studies have been performed to analyze the morphological brain changes in AIS, such as the splenium of corpus callosum , local white matter attenuation ), and regional brain volumes (Liu et al, 2008). However, little research has been carried out to study the detailed morphology of vestibular system in AIS.…”

Variation in Anisotropy and Diffusivity along the Medulla Oblongata and the Whole Spinal Cord in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Pilot Study Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging

“…3 Previous studies have reported changes in central nervous system structures in patients with AIS based on advanced medical imaging modalities. [4][5][6] Furthermore in a number of MR imaging studies, the observable changes in morphologic shape and position of the cord, 7 mismatch in lengthening between the cord and vertebral column, 8 and increased incidence of low-lying cerebellar tonsils 9 have led to the postulation of the presence of subclinical tethering of the spinal cord in AIS. 10 The proposed disturbed spinal cord function in AIS was further supported by the clinical observation of abnormal somatosensory function, which has been widely reported in this group.…”

Anatomical Origin of Abnormal Somatosensory-Evoked Potential (SEP) in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis With Different Curve Severity and Correlation With Cerebellar Tonsillar Level Determined by MRI

“…8 A study from Sweden provided further support on the higher incidence (3 times more common) of cerebellar tonsillar ectopia in scoliotic patients than controls, 2 and a study from our Nanjing AIS research group in China also confirmed a subgroup of AIS patients with tonsillar ectopia and abnormal SEP. 24 With recent advanced computational analysis technique, our group has also demonstrated abnormal changes in other structures within the central nervous system in AIS in a number of MRI-related studies. [25][26][27] These included morphologic changes in the brain and the spinal cord. The morphological changes in the cord, including altered shape and position of the cord at the scoliotic apex, shorter spinal cord length relative to the lengthened vertebral column, and increased incidence of low-lying cerebellar tonsils, lead to the hypothesis of spinal cord tethering in AIS.…”