• Karl Egger, Christian Clemm von Hohenberg, Michael F Schocke, Charles R G Guttmann, Demian Wassermann, Marlene C Wigand, Wolfgang Nachbauer, Christian Kremser, Brigitte Sturm, Barbara Scheiber-Mojdehkar, Marek Kubicki, Martha E Shenton, and Sylvia Boesch.
• Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Freiburg, Germany.
• J Neuroimaging. 2014 Sep 1; 24 (5): 504-8.

Background And PurposeErythropoietin (EPO) has received growing attention because of its neuroregenerative properties. Preclinical and clinical evidence supports its therapeutic potential in brain conditions like stroke, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. Also, in Friedreich ataxia, clinical improvement after EPO therapy was shown. The aim of this study was to assess possible therapy-associated brain white matter changes in these patients.MethodsNine patients with Friedreich ataxia underwent Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) before and after EPO treatment. Tract-based spatial statistics was used for longitudinal comparison.ResultsWe detected widespread longitudinal increase in fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity (D||) in cerebral hemispheres bilaterally (P < .05, corrected), while no changes were observed within the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and pons.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first DTI study to investigate the effects of EPO in a neurodegenerative disease. Anatomically, the diffusivity changes appear disease unspecific, and their biological underpinnings deserve further study.Copyright © 2013 by the American Society of Neuroimaging.

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