Brain white matter microstructural alterations in children of type I Gaucher disease characterized with diffusion tensor MR imaging

•WM microstructural alterations were found in children with type I GD.•The disease duration was significantly correlated with the WM microstructural changes.•DTI can be used to evaluate brain microstructural alterations in GD.•Neurological and cognitive symptoms should be monitored in GD during the follow-up. To investigate white matter (WM) microstructural alterations in type I Gaucher disease (type I GD) pediatric patients and explore the correlation between the disease duration and WM changes. Twenty-two GD patients and twenty-two sex- and age-matched typical development (TD) children were recruited. Changes in WM were investigated using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and applying atlas-based tract analysis. For all DTI measurements, independent-samples t-test was applied to report significant differences between type I GD and TD. Partial correlation was applied to determine whether the disease duration was correlated with DTI measurements. Bidirectional fractional anisotropy (FA) changes were found in the bilateral superior cerebellar peduncle, right posterior limb of the internal capsule, right posterior corona radiata, and right posterior thalamic radiation (p