Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42597242›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in neuroscience2026

White matter abnormalities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a free water imaging study.

Zelin Liu, Haiqing Yang, Jiawei Cui, Zhengkun Guan, Duo Gao, Pingyong Feng, He Yang, Wenyi Li, Yuanhui Zhao, Qianhang Yang and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Zelin LiuDepartment of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Haiqing YangDepartment of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Jiawei CuiDepartment of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Diseases, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Zhengkun GuanDepartment of Cardiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Duo GaoDepartment of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Pingyong FengDepartment of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
He YangAffiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, China.
Wenyi LiDepartment of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Yuanhui ZhaoDepartment of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Qianhang YangDepartment of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Xuyang ZhengDepartment of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Qi LiuDepartment of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Zuojun GengDepartment of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To investigate white matter microstructural alterations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using free-water-corrected diffusion tensor imaging (FW-DTI), compare its findings with those of conventional DTI, and examine the clinical correlations and preliminary diagnostic value of these metrics. Methods: 44 ALS patients and 42 healthy controls underwent multi-b-value diffusion MRI. Conventional DTI metrics (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity [MD], axial diffusivity [AxD], radial diffusivity [RD]), free-water-corrected metrics (FW-FA, FW-MD, FW-AxD, FW-RD), and the free-water fraction (FWF) were calculated. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used for voxelwise group comparisons. Correlations between clinical parameters, including disease progression rate (ΔFS) and the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) score, and DTI metrics were examined. A diagnostic nomogram was constructed using logistic regression based on imaging markers that showed significant differences between groups. Results: Conventional DTI identified white matter abnormalities in ALS-related regions, including corticospinal tract-related regions, the corpus callosum, and the cingulate gyrus. FW-DTI showed additional and partially distinct alterations, including changes in the fornix, bilateral superior corona radiata, anterior and posterior corona radiata, and the posterior limb of the internal capsule. The free-water fraction did not differ between groups. Correlation analysis revealed that ΔFS was negatively associated with FA in the left posterior limb of the internal capsule (r = -0.432), and the ALSFRS-R score was positively associated with FW-FA in the right anterior corona radiata (r = 0.389). A diagnostic nomogram combining FA in the right cerebral peduncle and FW-FA in the right anterior corona radiata showed preliminary discriminative performance (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.860). Conclusion: FW-DTI may provide complementary model-derived information for characterizing ALS-related white matter alterations beyond conventional DTI. Specific regional metrics were associated with ΔFS and the ALSFRS-R score, and the preliminary diagnostic nomogram yielded an AUC of 0.860.

Indexed as

ALSFRS-Ramyotrophic lateral sclerosisFW-DTIMRITBSS

Identifiers

PMID42597242
PMCPMC13468519

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.