Fixel-wise Differences in White Matter Fiber-bundle Cross-section identified in Children who Stutter

Fiber-bundle cross-section differences in 171 children (84 who stutter, 87 controls) are linked to developmental stuttering, with bilateral arcuate fasciculus FC showing group-by-age effects.

• Why it matters: Prior diffusion MRI work using voxel-averaged tensor measures can’t separate crossing-fiber populations, limiting how well stuttering-related white-matter differences are localized and interpreted across development.
• What they did: Using fixel-based analysis of diffusion MRI, the study quantified fiber density (FD), fiber-bundle cross-section (FC), and their combined measure (FDC) at whole-brain and tract levels, testing Group and Group-by-Age effects.
• The result: FC, but not FD or FDC, showed significant Group and Group-by-Age effects; controls had greater age-related FC increases in bilateral arcuate fasciculus, with additional FC differences in corticospinal and thalamocortical pathways.

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