Pvel Lindberg1, Antoine Feydy2,
Marc A. Maier3
1Radiology B, Hopital Cochin, Paris,
France; 2Radiology B, Hpital Cochin, Paris, France; 3LNRS,
Universite Paris Descartes, Paris, France
We
hypothesized that spinal white matter organization relates to the level of
dexterity in healthy subjects. Spinal white matter was analyzed using DTI and
related to a precision grip tracking task. FA was lower in subjects with high
tracking error and decreased with age. The closest relation between FA and
tracking error was found in the lateral spinal cord whereas FA of the medial
spinal cord correlated with age. The results suggest (i) a functionally
relevant specialization of lateral spinal cord white matter and (ii) an
increased sensitivity to age-related decline in medial spinal cord white
matter in healthy subjects.