Gray matter textural heterogeneity as a potential in-vivo biomarker of fine structural abnormalities in Asperger syndrome.

Brain imaging studies contribute to the neurobiological understanding of Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). Herein, we tested the prediction that distributed neurodevelopmental abnormalities in brain development impact on the homogeneity of brain tissue measured using texture analysis (TA; a morphological method for surface pattern characterization). TA was applied to structural magnetic resonance brain scans of 54 adult participants (24 with Asperger syndrome (AS) and 30 controls). Measures of mean gray-level intensity, entropy and uniformity were extracted from gray matter images at fine, medium and coarse textures. Comparisons between AS and controls identified higher entropy and lower uniformity across textures in the AS group. Data reduction of texture parameters revealed three orthogonal principal components. These were used as regressors-of-interest in a voxel-based morphometry analysis that explored the relationship between surface texture variations and regional gray matter volume. Across the AS but not control group, measures of entropy and uniformity were related to the volume of the caudate nuclei, whereas mean gray-level was related to the size of the cerebellar vermis. Similar to neuropathological studies, our study provides evidence for distributed abnormalities in the structural integrity of gray matter in adults with ASC, in particular within corticostriatal and corticocerebellar networks. Additionally, this in-vivo technique may be more sensitive to fine microstructural organization than other more traditional magnetic resonance approaches and serves as a future testable biomarker in AS and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Hepatic entropy and uniformity: additional parameters that can potentially increase the effectiveness of contrast enhancement during abdominal CT.

AIM: To determine how hepatic entropy and uniformity of computed tomography (CT) images of the liver change after the administration of contrast material and to assess whether these additional parameters are more sensitive to tumour-related changes in the liver than measurements of hepatic attenuation or perfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hepatic attenuation, entropy, uniformity, and perfusion were measured using multi-phase CT following resection of colorectal cancer. Based on conventional CT and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, 12 patients were classified as having no evidence of malignancy, eight with extra-hepatic tumours only, and eight with metastatic liver disease. RESULTS: Hepatic attenuation and entropy increased after CM administration whereas uniformity decreased. Unlike hepatic attenuation, entropy and uniformity changed maximally in the arterial phase. No significant differences in hepatic perfusion or attenuation were found between patient groups, whereas arterial-phase entropy was lower (p=0.034) and arterial-phase uniformity was higher (p=0.034) in apparently disease-free areas of liver in patients with hepatic metastases compared with those with no metastases. CONCLUSION: Temporal changes in hepatic entropy and uniformity differ from those for hepatic attenuation. By reflecting the distribution of hepatic enhancement, these additional parameters are more sensitive to tumour-related changes in the liver than measurements of hepatic attenuation or perfusion.