Altered cerebellar white matter in sensory processing dysfunction is associated with impaired multisensory integration and attention

Sensory processing dysfunction (SPD) is characterized by a behaviorally observed difference in the response to sensory information from the environment. While the cerebellum is involved in normal sensory processing, it has not yet been examined in SPD. Diffusion tensor imaging scans of children with SPD (n=42) and typically developing controls (TDC; n=39) were compared for fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD) and axial diffusivity (AD) across the following cerebellar tracts: the middle cerebellar peduncles (MCP), superior cerebellar peduncles (SCP), and cerebral peduncles (CP). Compared to TDC, children with SPD show reduced microstructural integrity of the SCP and MCP, which correlates with abnormal auditory behavior, multisensory integration, and attention, but not tactile behavior or direct measures of auditory discrimination. In contradistinction, decreased CP microstructural integrity in SPD correlates with abnormal tactile and auditory behavio...

感觉处理障碍（Sensory processing dysfunction, SPD）以行为层面观测到的对环境感觉信息的反应异常为核心特征。尽管小脑参与正常感觉加工过程，但目前尚未有针对SPD的相关研究。本研究对42名SPD儿童与39名典型发育对照组（typically developing controls, TDC）儿童的扩散张量成像扫描结果进行对比分析，考察了以下通路的各向异性分数（fractional anisotropy, FA）、平均扩散系数（mean diffusivity, MD）、径向扩散系数（radial diffusivity, RD）与轴向扩散系数（axial diffusivity, AD）：小脑中脚（middle cerebellar peduncles, MCP）、小脑上脚（superior cerebellar peduncles, SCP）以及大脑脚（cerebral peduncles, CP）。与典型发育对照组相比，SPD儿童的小脑上脚与小脑中脚微观结构完整性显著降低，且该改变与异常的听觉行为、多感觉整合及注意力表现相关，但与触觉行为或直接测得的听觉辨别能力无关联。与之形成鲜明对比的是，SPD儿童大脑脚的微观结构完整性降低则与异常的触觉及听觉行为相关……