Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology (May 2015)

Microstructural effects of Ramadan fasting on the brain: a diffusion tensor imaging study

  • Evrim Özmen,
  • Betül Derinkuyu,
  • Cesur Samancı,
  • Havva Akmaz Ünlü,
  • Tülin Hakan Demirkan,
  • Zehra Işık Haşıloğlu,
  • Sebuh Kuruoğlu,
  • İbrahim Adaletli

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5152/dir.2014.14361
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 3
pp. 256 – 261

Abstract

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PURPOSEWe aimed to examine whether the brain displays any microstructural changes after a three-week Ramadan fasting period using diffusion tenson imaging.METHODSThis study included a study and a control group of 25 volunteers each. In the study group, we examined and compared apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the participants during (phase 1) and after (phase 2) a period of fasting. The control group included individuals who did not fast. ADC and FA values obtained in phase 1 and phase 2 were compared between the study and control groups.RESULTSIn the study group, ADC values of hypothalamus and, to a lesser extent, of insula were lower in phase 1 compared with phase 2 and the control group. The FA values of amygdala, middle temporal cortex, thalamus and, to a lesser extent, of medial prefrontal cortex were lower in phase 1 compared with phase 2 and the control group. Phase 2 ADC and FA values of the study group were not significantly different compared with the control group at any brain location.CONCLUSIONA three-week Ramadan fasting period can cause microstructural changes in the brain, and diffusion tensor imaging enables the visualization of these changes. The identification of brain locations where changes occurred in ADC and FA values during fasting can be helpful in diagnostic imaging and understanding the pathophysiology of eating disorders.