Journal Article

Locus Coeruleus magnetic resonance imaging: a comparison between native-space and template-space approach

Della Latta, D., Bastiani, L., Busceti, C. L., Puglisi-Allegra, S., Pavese, N., Giorgi, F. S., Lombardo, F., Martini, N., Biagioni, F., Galgani, A., Hlavata, H., Fornai, F.

2022

Overview

Locus Coeruleus (LC) is the main noradrenergic nucleus of the brain, which is involved in many physiological functions including cognition; its impairment may be crucial in the neurobiology of a variety of brain diseases. Locus Coeruleus-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (LC-MRI) allows to identify in vivo LC in humans. Thus, a variety of research teams have been using LC-MRI to estimate LC integrity in normal aging and in patients affected by neurodegenerative disorders, where LC integrity my work as a biomarker. A number of variations between LC-MRI studies exist, concerning post-acquisition analysis and whether this had been performed within MRI native space or in ad hoc -built MRI template space. Moreover, the reproducibility and reliability of this tool is still to be explored. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed a group of neurologically healthy, cognitively intact elderly subjects, using both a native space- and a template space-based LC-MRI analysis. We found a good inter-method agreement, particularly considering the LC Contrast Ratio. The template space-based approach provided a higher spatial resolution, lower operator-dependency, and allowed the analysis of LC topography. Our ad hoc -developed LC template showed LC morphological data that were in line with templates published very recently. Remarkably, present data significantly overlapped with a recently published LC “metaMask”, that had been obtained by averaging the results of a variety of previous LC-MRI studies. Thus, such a template space-based approach may pave the way to a standardized LC-MRI analysis and to be used in future clinic–anatomical correlations.

• Publisher: Springer Vienna,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Cognition / Geriatrics / Homeostasis / Locus coeruleus / Magnetic resonance imaging / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Neurodegenerative diseases / Neuroimaging / Neurology / Neurology and Preclinical Neurological Studies - Original / Neurology and Preclinical Neurological Studies - Original Article / Neurosciences / Psychiatry / Registration / Spatial discrimination