Altered Cerebellar White Matter in Sensory Processing Dysfunction Is Associated With Impaired Multisensory Integration and Attention

Frontiers in Psychology

Molly Gerdes¹  Annie Brandes-Aitken²  Shivani S. Desai³  Ioanna Bourla³  Jamie Wren-Jarvis³  Eva M. Palacios³  Elysa J. Marco⁴  Mikaela A. Rowe⁴  Pratik Mukherjee⁵  Anisha Narayan⁶ 

[1] Cortica Healthcare, San Rafael, CA, United States;Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States;Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States;Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States;Cortica Healthcare, San Rafael, CA, United States;Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States;Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States;Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States;Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States;

关键词: sensory processing;    cerebellum;    neurodevelopmental disorders;    diffusion tensor imaging;    connectivity;    white matter;    fractional anisotropy;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2020.618436

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Sensory processing dysfunction (SPD) is characterized by a behaviorally observed difference in the response to sensory information from the environment. While the cerebellum is involved in normal sensory processing, it has not yet been examined in SPD. Diffusion tensor imaging scans of children with SPD (n = 42) and typically developing controls (TDC; n = 39) were compared for fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD) across the following cerebellar tracts: the middle cerebellar peduncles (MCP), superior cerebellar peduncles (SCP), and cerebral peduncles (CP). Compared to TDC, children with SPD show reduced microstructural integrity of the SCP and MCP, characterized by reduced FA and increased MD and RD, which correlates with abnormal auditory behavior, multisensory integration, and attention, but not tactile behavior or direct measures of auditory discrimination. In contradistinction, decreased CP microstructural integrity in SPD correlates with abnormal tactile and auditory behavior and direct measures of auditory discrimination, but not multisensory integration or attention. Hence, altered cerebellar white matter organization is associated with complex sensory behavior and attention in SPD, which prompts further consideration of diagnostic measures and treatments to better serve affected individuals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY