Alterations of Neocortico-Limbic Association Fibers and Correlation With Diet in Prediabetes Diagnosed by Impaired Fasting Glucose

Purpose: To assess the existence of alterations in the micro-integrity of the fasciculus in prediabetic subjects. The issue of micro-integrity in white matter tracts has not been adequately addressed in prediabetes. Materials and Methods: Sixty-four prediabetic subjects and 54 controls were enrolled. All participants completed 24-hour diet records and 3-day diet records and received diffusion tensor imaging at 3T. The data for white matter micro-integrity were analyzed and compared between prediabetic subjects and controls with age and gender as covariates. In addition, voxel-wise regression between white matter micro-integrity, diet, and preprandial glucose levels were used to explore the relationship between white matter micro-integrity and diet or serum glucose levels. Results: We found that prediabetic subjects had significant reductions in the micro-integrity of bilateral anterior thalamic radiation, left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and left superior longitudinal fasciculus (corrected P < 0.05). In addition, total carbohydrate intake amount and preprandial serum glucose levels were negatively correlated with the micro-integrity in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus and left anterior thalamic radiation (r: -0.47, corrected P < 0.05). Conclusion: Restrictive alterations in the white matter micro-integrity of the anterior thalamic radiation and inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculi might represent the initial hot spots for white matter tract alterations, which might play a role in the development of prediabetes.