Longitudinal striae of the human fornix: shape, relations and variations

The anterior perforated substance (APS) revisited: Commented anatomical and imagenological views

INTRODUCTION

Since 2002, when we published our article about the anterior perforated substance (APS), the knowledge about the region has grown enormously.

OBJECTIVE

To make a better description of the anatomy of the zone with new dissection material added to the previous, to sustain the anatomical analysis of the MRI employing the SPACE sequence, interacting with our imagenology colleagues. Especially, we aim to identify and topographically localize by MRI the principal structures in APS-substantia innominata (SI).

METHOD

The presentation follows various steps: (1) location and boundaries of the zone and its neighboring areas; (2) schematic description of the region with simple outlines; (3) cursory revision of the SI and its three systems; (4) serial images of the dissections of the zone and its vessels, illustrated and completed when possible, by MRI images of a voluntary experimental subject (ES).

RESULTS

With this method, we could expose most of the structures of the region anatomically and imagenologically.

DISCUSSION

The zone can be approached for dissection with magnification and the habitual microsurgical instruments with satisfactory results. We think that fibers in this region should be followed by other anatomical methods in addition to tractography. The principal structures of ventral striopallidum and extended amygdala (EA) can be identified with the SPACE sequence. The amygdala and the basal ganglion of Meynert (BGM) are easily confused because of their similar signal. Anatomical clues can orient the clinician about the different clusters of the BGM in MRI.

CONCLUSIONS

The dissection requires a previous knowledge of the zone and a good amount of patience. The APS is a little space where concentrate essential vessels for the telencephalon, "en passage" or perforating, and neural structures of relevant functional import. From anatomical and MRI points of view, both neural and vascular structures follow a harmonious and topographically describable plan. The SPACE MRI sequence has proved to be a useful tool for identifying different structures in this area as the striatopallidal and EA. Anatomical knowledge of the fibers helps in the search of clusters of the basal ganglion.

Histological and MRI Study of the Development of the Human Indusium Griseum

To uncover the ontogenesis of the human indusium griseum (IG), 28 post-mortem fetal human brains, 12-40 postconceptional weeks (PCW) of age, and 4 adult brains were analyzed immunohistochemically and compared with post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 28 fetal brains (14-41 PCW). The morphogenesis of the IG occurred between 12 and 15 PCW, transforming the bilateral IG primordia into a ribbon-like cortical lamina. The histogenetic transition of sub-laminated zones into the three-layered cortical organization occurred between 15 and 35 PCW, concomitantly with rapid cell differentiation that occurred from 18 to 28 PCW and the elaboration of neuronal connectivity during the entire second half of gestation. The increasing number of total cells and neurons in the IG at 25 and 35 PCW confirmed its continued differentiation throughout this period. High-field 3.0 T post-mortem MRI enabled visualization of the IG at the mid-fetal stage using T2-weighted sequences. In conclusion, the IG had a distinct histogenetic differentiation pattern than that of the neighboring intralimbic areas of the same ontogenetic origin, and did not show any signs of regression during the fetal period or postnatally, implying a functional role of the IG in the adult brain, which is yet to be disclosed.

Long-distance aberrant heterotopic connectivity in a mouse strain with a high incidence of callosal anomalies

Corpus callosum dysgenesis (CCD) is a developmental brain condition in which some white matter fibers fail to find their natural course across the midplane, reorganizing instead to form new aberrant pathways. This type of white matter reorganization is known as long-distance plasticity (LDP). The present work aimed to characterize the Balb/c mouse strain as a model of CCD. We employed high-resolution anatomical MRI in 81 Balb/c and 27 C57bl6 mice to show that the Balb/c mouse strain presents a variance in the size of the CC that is 3.9 times higher than the variance of normotypical C57bl6. We also performed high-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in 8 Balb/c and found that the Balb/c strain shows aberrant white matter bundles, such as the Probst (5/8 animals) and the Sigmoid bundles (7/8 animals), which are similar to those found in humans with CCD. Using a histological tracer technique, we confirmed the existence of these aberrant bundles in the Balb/c strain. Interestingly, we also identified sigmoid-like fibers in the C57bl6 strain, thought to a lesser degree. Next, we used a connectome approach and found widespread brain connectivity differences between Balb/c and C57bl6 strains. The Balb/c strain also exhibited increased variability of global connectivity. These findings suggest that the Balb/c strain presents local and global changes in brain structural connectivity. This strain often presents with callosal abnormalities, along with the Probst and the Sigmoid bundles, making it is an attractive animal model for CCD and LDP in general. Our results also show that even the C57bl6 strain, which typically serves as a normotypical control animal in a myriad of studies, presents sigmoid-fashion pattern fibers laid out in the brain. These results suggest that these aberrant fiber pathways may not necessarily be a pathological hallmark, but instead an alternative roadmap for misguided axons. Such findings offer new insights for interpreting the significance of CCD-associated LDP in humans.

Aberrant supracallosal longitudinal bundle: MR features, pathogenesis and associated clinical phenotype

OBJECTIVE

To describe the MRI and structural features of a peculiar malformation of the corpus callosum (CC) in a group of young patients with intellectual disability.

METHODS

We studied with conventional MRI and DTI a group of subjects showing an aberrant supracallosal bundle, characterized by the presence of a triangle-shaped bulging above the dorsal surface of CC on the midline. Clinical evaluations, CGH-array and instrumental analysis were also collected.

RESULTS

Among 85 patients with malformed CC, we identified 15 subjects that showed the supracallosal bundle. The CC was thickened in five cases, long and thinned in three cases, short and thinned in three cases and it had a "ribbon-like" appearance in four subjects. Additional brain anomalies were present in eight cases. DTI colour maps and tractography showed that the bundle had an antero-posterior longitudinal orientation and that the tract bifurcated posteriorly, ending in the posterior hippocampi. Patients had different combinations of neurological symptoms, but all showed mild or severe intellectual disability.

CONCLUSIONS

Combining radiological and genetic data with embryological knowledge of the development of cerebral commissures, we hypothesize that the supracallosal bundle represents a vestigial structure, the dorsal fornix, present during fetal life. Its persistence is associated with intellectual disability.

KEY POINTS

• An aberrant longitudinal bundle can be detected above corpus callosum. • The presence of the supracallosal bundle is associated with intellectual disability. • The supracallosal bundle may represent a persistent dorsal fornix.

Constrained spherical deconvolution-based tractography to depict and characterize a case of "hyperplastic fornix dorsalis"

The authors report the relevance of Constrained Spherical Deconvolution (CSD)-based tractography in demonstrating and quantitatively assessing a complex midline structure malformation in a 9-year-old girl with moderate intellectual disability and thickening of corpus callosum (CC) body discovered through conventional MRI (cMRI). Color-encoded fractional anisotropy (FA) maps clearly demonstrated what the cMRI showed as a thicknening of CC: a green, longitudinal bundle running dorsally to the body of CC. A more complex midline maldevelopmental disorder was suspected. CSD-based tractography was performed to virtually dissect the anomalous supracallosal longitudinal bundle (SLB), CC, fornix, anterior commissure (AC) and cingula. In addition, DTI-derived metrics were calculated for each virtually dissected fiber tract. The tractography study evidenced projections of the anomalous SLB in left forceps minor and to parietal regions, and projections of the fornix in right forceps minor. CC virtual dissection showed no gross abnormality, and cingula appeared slightly less extended than normal. The considerable thinning of AC hampered its virtual dissection. DTI-derived metrics suggested alterations in fornix microstructure, attributable to higher fiber density. In investigating white matter, cMRI may not be sufficient in addressing and assessing possible anomalies, while advanced CSD-based tractography and DTI-derived metrics may prove helpful in depicting and characterizing white matter anomalies in developmental disorders.

The indusium griseum and the longitudinal striae of the corpus callosum

In the eighteenth century, Lancisi described the indusium griseum (IG) and the longitudinal striae (LS) of the corpus callosum. The IG is a thin neuronal lamina above the corpus callosum, covered on each side of the midline by the medial and lateral LS. The medial LS (nerves of Lancisi) and lateral LS are two pairs of myelinated fiber bands found in the gray matter of the IG on the dorsal aspect of the corpus callosum. Embryologically, the IG and LS are dorsal remnants of the archicortex of the hippocampus and fornix and thus they are considered components of the limbic system. Recent studies using immunohistochemistry reported that acetylcholine, dopamine, noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine and GABA neurons innervate the IG. Newer imaging techniques, such as high field MRI and diffusion tensor imaging, provide new tools for studying these structures, whose true function remains still unclear. The present paper reviews the history of the discovery of the IG and LS of the corpus callosum, with a holistic overview on these interesting structures from the anatomical, embryological, neurochemical, radiological and clinical perspective.