Tranfa, Mario (2025) Multimodal neuroimaging for the study of healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases. [Tesi di dottorato]
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| Tipologia del documento: | Tesi di dottorato |
|---|---|
| Lingua: | English |
| Titolo: | Multimodal neuroimaging for the study of healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases |
| Autori: | Autore Email Tranfa, Mario mario.tranfa@unina.it |
| Data: | 4 Dicembre 2025 |
| Numero di pagine: | 128 |
| Istituzione: | Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II |
| Dottorato: | Scienze biomorfologiche e chirurgiche |
| Ciclo di dottorato: | 38 |
| Coordinatore del Corso di dottorato: | nome email Cuocolo, Alberto cuocolo@unina.it |
| Tutor: | nome email Brunetti, Arturo [non definito] |
| Data: | 4 Dicembre 2025 |
| Numero di pagine: | 128 |
| Parole chiave: | magnetic resonance imaging; neurodegeneration; healthy aging; multiple sclerosis; Alzheimer’s disease; small vessel disease; Friedreich’s Ataxia; genetics; multimodal imaging. |
| Settori scientifico-disciplinari del MIUR: | Area 06 - Scienze mediche > MED/36 - Diagnostica per immagini e radioterapia Area 06 - Scienze mediche > MED/37 - Neuroradiologia |
| Informazioni aggiuntive: | 38 |
| Depositato il: | 19 Dic 2025 15:33 |
| Ultima modifica: | 12 Ago 2026 05:38 |
| URI: | https://www.fedoa.unina.it/id/eprint/17007 |
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a versatile, non-invasive approach for investigating the human brain across the continuum from health to disease. By combining multiple MRI modalities, it is possible to obtain complementary information on brain structure, microstructure, and function, providing unique insights into the mechanisms underlying healthy aging and neurodegeneration. In recent years, the integration of multimodal imaging with advanced analytical and statistical methods has become central to understanding the biological substrates of neurodegenerative disorders. This thesis comprises four studies applying structural, diffusion, and functional MRI to characterize brain alterations in distinct clinical populations. The first study demonstrates that conventional MRI can be used to quantify tissue damage and morphometric changes in multiple sclerosis, yielding measures sensitive to disease progression and clinical disability. The second study uses diffusion tensor imaging to differentiate the effects of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and cerebral small vessel disease on white matter integrity, revealing spatially distinct patterns of microstructural alteration. The third study integrates diffusion MRI with pathway-specific polygenic risk scores to show that genetic vulnerability modulates white matter properties and interacts with amyloid and tau pathology in cognitively intact older adults. Finally, resting-state functional MRI in Friedreich’s Ataxia reveals altered cerebellar functional organization linked to cognitive performance. Collectively, these studies highlight the potential of multimodal MRI to uncover complementary aspects of brain alteration across aging and neurodegenerative diseases, providing imaging biomarkers that support early diagnosis, monitoring, and individualized therapeutic approaches.
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