Diffusion tensor imaging tractography of the corticosomatosensory pathway in painless diabetic neuropathy

Introduction Diffusion Tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI-MRI) is a non-invasive imaging technique that can be used to measure the anisotropy in parenchymal water diffusion in-vivo. This information can be used to reconstruct models of the complex white matter tracts (fiber tractography) in the CNS which may then be used to detect differences between subject groups. Recent imaging studies 2 have indicated spinal and intracranial involvement in subjects with ‘peripheral’ diabetic neuropathy (DN) in addition to the well-documented peripheral nerve and vascular abnormalities. DT-MRI tractography studies can help us understand the changes that may be taking place in the spinal-corticosomatosensory pathways in subjects with DN. In this study we make a quantitative comparison between the fiber tractography results for the corticosomatosensory pathways in a healthy subject group and a DN group.