Brain volumetric analysis of muscular dystrophy pediatric patients using MRI images

Muscular Dystrophy is a term used to describe a series of genetic illnesses that affect the development of skeletal muscles, which also causes a series of brain anomalies such as atrophy, white matter abnormalities, and ventricular enlargement [Angelini C. (2019)]. Specifically, around 30% of patients with Duchenne Dystrophy present cognitive deficit and intellectual disability, co morbid with lecture and attention deficits, hyperactivity, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, and obsessive-compulsive disorder [Septien L. (1991)], and in some cases a cerebral atrophy that progresses over time [Doorenweerd N. (2014)]. In our research, we analyzed MRI images of brains of Mexican pediatric patients of muscular dystrophy, along with a control group, using the software FreeSurfer compare volumetric differences on cortical and subcortical structures, and differences on total gray and white matter. The normality of the structure's volume distributions was analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Several structures, both cortical and subcortical, presented a substantial augmented volume compared to control. A handful of cortical structures showed a substantially diminished volume. A better understanding of how brain volumetric differences affects the development of Muscular Dystrophy will allow to develop accurate models to improve the quality of life of its patients. (author)