Emotion-associated white matter changes in thyroid eye disease: Comparative study using diffusion kurtosis and tensor imaging

Motivation: Thyroid eye disease (TED) significantly affects emotional well-being and brain function, yet the neural mechanisms underlying these factors remain unclear. Goal(s): To investigate the microstructural changes in white matter associated with emotional disturbances in TED patients. Approach: We compared white matter integrity between TED patients and healthy controls using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) with tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Results: Significant reductions in white matter integrity, particularly in emotion-related tracts, were observed in TED patients, suggesting a link between white matter changes and emotional dysregulation. Impact: This study demonstrates that DKI is more sensitive than DTI in detecting subtle white matter changes in thyroid eye disease. Our findings highlight potential neural mechanisms underlying emotional disturbances in this condition.