Marek Kubicki talks with
ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about
this month's Fast Breaking Paper in the field of
Psychiatry/Psychology.
Article Title: A review of diffusion tensor imaging
studies in schizophrenia
Authors:
Kubicki,
M;McCarley, R;Westin, CF;Park, HJ;Maier, S;Kikinis,
R;Jolesz,
FA;Shenton, ME
(see also)
Journal: J PSYCHIAT RES
Volume: 41
Issue: 1-2
Page: 15-30
Year: JAN-FEB 2007
* Harvard Univ, Sch Med, Dept Psychiat, Clin Neurosci
Div,Lab Neurosci,Boston VA Hlth Car, 940 Belmont St,
Boston, MA 02301 USA.
* Harvard Univ, Sch Med, Dept Psychiat, Clin Neurosci
Div,Lab Neurosci,Boston VA Hlth Car, Boston, MA 02301
USA.
(addresses have been truncated)
Why do you think your paper is highly cited?
Our paper is likely highly cited because it provides a comprehensive review
of findings in the literature based on the application of diffusion tensor
imaging (DTI) to schizophrenia. This is a very exciting area of
research, as DTI is quite a new and powerful technology for evaluating
white matter pathology. There is also recent evidence that suggests
white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia. In this paper, we review
DTI findings, to-date, as well as explain different aspects of this
technique, including some of the problems. We also suggest possible
solutions to these problems and future directions for research.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper in
layman's terms?
"I became
acquainted with DTI methodology
nine years ago thanks to my
mentor,
Professor Martha
Shenton
, who is an expert in imaging and
schizophrenia."
Our paper provides a comprehensive review of DTI findings in schizophrenia.
In this paper we explain the concepts behind DTI methodology, and we review
the different ways in which DTI data have been collected, processed, and
analyzed. We also comment on the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
This is then followed by a discussion of DTI findings in schizophrenia, and
future directions for this research.
How did you become involved in this research, and were
there any problems along the way?
I became acquainted with DTI methodology nine years ago thanks to my
mentor,
Professor Martha Shenton
(see also), who is an expert in imaging and
schizophrenia.
Since the first clinical application of DTI to schizophrenia, published in
1998 by M.S. Buchsbaum and colleagues, "MRI white matter diffusion
anisotropy and PET metabolic rate in schizophrenia," NeuroReport
9: 425–30, Dr. Shenton and I have been working together to use DTI in
order to better understand white matter pathology in this devastating
disease. We have published multiple empirical papers since then, but as is
the case with any new methodology, it has taken time for people to
understand what this technique has to offer and what the advantages are of
using one method of analysis over another.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
As DTI gives us only anatomical information about brain connections, this
technique needs to be incorporated into studies which combine DTI with
functional imaging, so that both functional and anatomical connectivity can
be investigated at the same time.
With imaging and processing advances, I see DTI methods becoming useful for
pre-surgical planning. I also envision white matter atlases being generated
using DTI, and, with increases in image resolution, the possibility of DTI
being used to measure populations of neuronal cells. As our understanding
of white matter pathology increases, it may even progress to the point
where brain disorders associated with severe psychiatric disorders might be
diagnosed through the use of DTI imaging.
Marek Kubicki, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory,
Department of Psychiatry
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Keywords for this commentary: marek kubicki,
diffusion tensor imaging (dti), schizophrenia, martha shenton, white matter
pathology, dti imaging, psychiatry/psychology