Microstructural changes in striatal subregions in sporadic ALS: links to Motor and cognitive deficits and serum biomarkers

Motivation: Striatal changes in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), including neurodegeneration and disrupted connectivity, lead to motor and cognitive-behavioral deficits. Goal(s): Revealing microstructural damage in the striatal subregions of ALS patients. Approach: NODDI diffusion technique was employed to analyze striatal subregions in 79 ALS patients and 53 healthy controls, correlating the imaging findings with clinical assessments and serum NfL levels. Results: The NDI of the left motor striatal subregion was significantly linked to ALSFRS-R scores and serum NfL levels. Impact: The study revealed notable microstructural changes in the striatum of ALS patients, emphasizing the potential of NODDI as a neuroimaging marker.