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Cross-sectional and longitudinal patterns of atrophy in thalamic and deep gray matter nuclei in frontotemporal dementia

Cross-sectional and longitudinal patterns of atrophy in thalamic and deep gray matter nuclei in frontotemporal dementia
Cross-sectional and longitudinal patterns of atrophy in thalamic and deep gray matter nuclei in frontotemporal dementia
Introduction: frontotemporal dementia involves progressive atrophy in deep gray matter nuclei, including the thalamus and basal ganglia (such as the caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens, and globus pallidus), which are critical for cognition and behavior. This study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal atrophy using a state-of-the-art multi-atlas segmentation method sTHOMAS.

Methods: T1-weighted MRI scans from 274 participants at baseline and 237 at follow-up obtained from the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Neuroimaging Initiative database were analyzed using sTHOMAS. Group differences were assessed using ANCOVA, adjusting for age, gender and intracranial volume as covariates.

Results: atrophy was significant in the mediodorsal, pulvinar, anterior ventral nuclei, nucleus accumbens, and claustrum, with bvFTD most affected cross-sectionally. Longitudinally, the nucleus accumbens, mediodorsal, and pulvinar nuclei declined further. Atrophy correlated with naming (mediodorsal), working memory (ventrolateral posterior), and executive dysfunction (nucleus accumbens) neuropsychological tests.

Discussion: these findings highlight progressive, nucleus-specific atrophy in FTD and emphasize the importance of cross-sectional as well as longitudinal imaging and sex-specific analyses in understanding disease progression.
medRxiv
Banerjee, A.
7e1217f4-949a-4851-be1a-c597e31a38b9
Yang, F.
34103df0-4c40-48cc-9069-e74697c06a55
Dutta, J.
df58d72d-916d-4305-bdf3-53db3b46f50e
Cacciola, A.
b3fa4d08-c7b4-428a-8ff5-23a2165a1f4e
Hornberger, M.
a48c1c63-422a-4c11-9a51-c7be0aa3026d
Saranathan, M.
d75a940f-eff6-44ef-8b9a-382c8ea5bbc4
Banerjee, A.
7e1217f4-949a-4851-be1a-c597e31a38b9
Yang, F.
34103df0-4c40-48cc-9069-e74697c06a55
Dutta, J.
df58d72d-916d-4305-bdf3-53db3b46f50e
Cacciola, A.
b3fa4d08-c7b4-428a-8ff5-23a2165a1f4e
Hornberger, M.
a48c1c63-422a-4c11-9a51-c7be0aa3026d
Saranathan, M.
d75a940f-eff6-44ef-8b9a-382c8ea5bbc4

[Unknown type: UNSPECIFIED]

Record type: UNSPECIFIED

Abstract

Introduction: frontotemporal dementia involves progressive atrophy in deep gray matter nuclei, including the thalamus and basal ganglia (such as the caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens, and globus pallidus), which are critical for cognition and behavior. This study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal atrophy using a state-of-the-art multi-atlas segmentation method sTHOMAS.

Methods: T1-weighted MRI scans from 274 participants at baseline and 237 at follow-up obtained from the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Neuroimaging Initiative database were analyzed using sTHOMAS. Group differences were assessed using ANCOVA, adjusting for age, gender and intracranial volume as covariates.

Results: atrophy was significant in the mediodorsal, pulvinar, anterior ventral nuclei, nucleus accumbens, and claustrum, with bvFTD most affected cross-sectionally. Longitudinally, the nucleus accumbens, mediodorsal, and pulvinar nuclei declined further. Atrophy correlated with naming (mediodorsal), working memory (ventrolateral posterior), and executive dysfunction (nucleus accumbens) neuropsychological tests.

Discussion: these findings highlight progressive, nucleus-specific atrophy in FTD and emphasize the importance of cross-sectional as well as longitudinal imaging and sex-specific analyses in understanding disease progression.

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More information

Published date: 13 February 2025

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 505878
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/505878
PURE UUID: 07cdc025-92fc-4bd5-a0ea-e200f8ad924f
ORCID for A. Banerjee: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2292-4936
ORCID for M. Hornberger: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2214-3788

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Date deposited: 22 Oct 2025 16:33
Last modified: 23 Oct 2025 02:29

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Contributors

Author: A. Banerjee ORCID iD
Author: F. Yang
Author: J. Dutta
Author: A. Cacciola
Author: M. Hornberger ORCID iD
Author: M. Saranathan

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