Abstract #3424

White Matter Microstructural Alternations in Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With Normal Appearing Brain Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Jyh-Wen Chai^1,2, Ni-Jung Chang¹, Tsung-Yung Li¹, Yi-Ying Wu^1,3, Li-Ying Fan ^4,5, and Clayton Chi-Chang Clayton Chen^1,6

¹Department of Radiology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ²College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ³Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Central Taiwan University of Sciences and Technology, Taichung City, Taiwan, ⁴College of Human Development and Health, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan, ⁵Department of Thanatology and Health Counseling, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan, ⁶Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hung Kuang University, Taichung City, Taiwan

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patient has neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms, called neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE), usually with increased mortality and morbidity rates. There was little known about pathogenic mechanisms leading to neuropsychiatric symptoms in SLE. The aims of this study attempt to investigate diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in detection of white matter micro-structural alternations for NPSLE patients, who had normal appearing brain in conventional MRI. By using the TRACULA analysis, we found significant differences of mean diffusivity (MD) and fraction anisotropy (FA) in several important nerve tracts between NPSLE patients and normal subjects, which would be helpful in understanding the mechanisms of NPSLE.

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