Abstract #1062

Along-Tract Diffusion Alterations in the Dentato-Rubro-Thalamic Tract Correlate with Motor and Cognitive Decline in Huntington's Disease

Zexi Wang^1,2, Alexia Solomon ^1,3, Guowen Shao ^1,2,4, Janine Lupo^5,6, and Jingwen Yao ^1,2,4

¹UCLA Brain Tumor Imaging Laboratory (BTIL), Center for Computer Vision and Imaging Biomarkers, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ²Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ³Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States, ⁴Department of Bioengineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ⁵Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States, ⁶UCSF/UC Berkeley Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Other Neurodegeneration, Brain

Motivation: Despite the critical role of the cerebellum and related brain circuits in motor and cognitive function, understanding of the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRTT) changes in Huntington’s disease (HD) is limited.

Goal(s): By examining DRTT microstructural alterations, we aim to clarify their relationship with HD progression and symptom severity.

Approach: Using DRTT tractography, we extracted along-tract mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values, comparing them across healthy controls, premanifest, and manifest HD individuals, and correlating them with clinical measures of motor and cognitive function.

Results: Significant FA and MD differences across DRTT regions significantly correlated with motor and cognitive scores.

Impact: This study reveals the DRTT's involvement in HD progression and underscores the importance of examining regional changes along the tract, providing valuable insights into white matter alterations and potential new biomarkers of motor and cognitive impairments in HD.

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