Gradient of microstructural damage along the dentato- thalamo-cortical tract in Friedreich ataxia

Sirio Cocozza, Sara Bosticardo, Matteo Battocchio, Louise Corben, Martin Delatycki, Gary Egan, Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, Serena Monti, Giuseppe Palma, Chiara Pane, Francesco Sacca, Simona Schiavi, Louisa Selvadurai, Mario Tranfa , Alessandro Daducci, Arturo Brunetti & Ian H. Harding. Gradient of microstructural damage along the dentato- thalamo-cortical tract in Friedreich ataxia. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology 2024; 11(7): 1691–1702. doi: 10.1002/acn3.52048

Our study further expands the current knowl- edge about brain involvement in FRDA, showing that microstructural abnormalities within the DTT are weighted to early segments of the tract (i.e., the superior cerebellar peduncle). These findings are consistent with the hypothesis of DTT undergoing anterograde degeneration arising from the dentate nuclei and progressing to the primary motor cortex.