1
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Saker Z, Rizk M, Merie D, Nabha RH, Pariseau NJ, Nabha SM, Makki MI. Insight into brain sex differences of typically developed infants and brain pathologies: A systematic review. Eur J Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 38693604 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
The continually advancing landscape of neuroscientific and imaging research has broadened our comprehension of sex differences encoded in the human brain, expanding from the hypothalamus and sexual behaviour to encompass the entire brain, including its diverse lobes, structures, and functions. However, less is known about sex differences in the brains of neonates and infants, despite their relevance to various sex-linked diseases that develop early in life. In this review, we provide a synopsis of the literature evidence on sex differences in the brains of neonates and infants at the morphological, structural and network levels. We also briefly overview the present evidence on the sex bias in some brain disorders affecting infants and neonates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahraa Saker
- Research Department, Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Mahdi Rizk
- School of Health Sciences, Modern University for Business and Science, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Diana Merie
- Neuroscience Research Center, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | | | - Nicole J Pariseau
- Department of Pediatrics-Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Sanaa M Nabha
- Neuroscience Research Center, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Malek I Makki
- Laboratory of Functional Neurosciences and Pathologies, University of Picardy Jules Verne, Amiens, France
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2
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Geng X, Chan PH, Lam HS, Chu WC, Wong PC. Brain templates for Chinese babies from newborn to three months of age. Neuroimage 2024; 289:120536. [PMID: 38346529 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The infant brain develops rapidly and this area of research has great clinical implications. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and developmental delay have their origins, potentially, in abnormal early brain maturation. Searching for potential early neural markers requires a priori knowledge about infant brain development and anatomy. One of the most common methods of characterizing brain features requires normalization of individual images into a standard stereotactic space and conduct of group-based analyses in this space. A population representative brain template is critical for these population-based studies. Little research is available on constructing brain templates for typical developing Chinese infants. In the present work, a total of 120 babies from 5 to 89 days of age were included with high resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scans. T1-weighted and T2-weighted templates were constructed using an unbiased registration approach for babies from newborn to 3 months of age. Age-specific templates were also estimated for babies aged at 0, 1, 2 and 3 months old. Then we conducted a series of evaluations and statistical analyses over whole tissue segmentations and brain parcellations. Compared to the use of population mismatched templates, using our established templates resulted in lower deformation energy to transform individual images into the template space and produced a smaller registration error, i.e., smaller standard deviation of the registered images. Significant volumetric growth was observed across total brain tissues and most of the brain regions within the first three months of age. The total brain tissues exhibited larger volumes in baby boys compared to baby girls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on the construction of Chinese infant brain templates. These templates can be used for investigating birth related conditions such as preterm birth, detecting neural biomarkers for neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders in Chinese populations, and exploring genetic and cultural effects on the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujuan Geng
- Brain and Mind Institute The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Peggy Hy Chan
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hugh Simon Lam
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Winnie Cw Chu
- Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Patrick Cm Wong
- Brain and Mind Institute The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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3
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Guma E, Beauchamp A, Liu S, Levitis E, Ellegood J, Pham L, Mars RB, Raznahan A, Lerch JP. Comparative neuroimaging of sex differences in human and mouse brain anatomy. eLife 2024; 13:RP92200. [PMID: 38488854 PMCID: PMC10942785 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
In vivo neuroimaging studies have established several reproducible volumetric sex differences in the human brain, but the causes of such differences are hard to parse. While mouse models are useful for understanding the cellular and mechanistic bases of sex-specific brain development, there have been no attempts to formally compare human and mouse neuroanatomical sex differences to ascertain how well they translate. Addressing this question would shed critical light on the use of the mouse as a translational model for sex differences in the human brain and provide insights into the degree to which sex differences in brain volume are conserved across mammals. Here, we use structural magnetic resonance imaging to conduct the first comparative neuroimaging study of sex-specific neuroanatomy of the human and mouse brain. In line with previous findings, we observe that in humans, males have significantly larger and more variable total brain volume; these sex differences are not mirrored in mice. After controlling for total brain volume, we observe modest cross-species congruence in the volumetric effect size of sex across 60 homologous regions (r=0.30). This cross-species congruence is greater in the cortex (r=0.33) than non-cortex (r=0.16). By incorporating regional measures of gene expression in both species, we reveal that cortical regions with greater cross-species congruence in volumetric sex differences also show greater cross-species congruence in the expression profile of 2835 homologous genes. This phenomenon differentiates primary sensory regions with high congruence of sex effects and gene expression from limbic cortices where congruence in both these features was weaker between species. These findings help identify aspects of sex-biased brain anatomy present in mice that are retained, lost, or inverted in humans. More broadly, our work provides an empirical basis for targeting mechanistic studies of sex-specific brain development in mice to brain regions that best echo sex-specific brain development in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Guma
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Antoine Beauchamp
- Mouse Imaging CentreTorontoCanada
- The Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoCanada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Siyuan Liu
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Elizabeth Levitis
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Jacob Ellegood
- Mouse Imaging CentreTorontoCanada
- The Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoCanada
| | - Linh Pham
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaUnited States
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical 15 Neurosciences, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical 15 Neurosciences, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University NijmegenNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Armin Raznahan
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Mouse Imaging CentreTorontoCanada
- The Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoCanada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical 15 Neurosciences, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
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Steger C, Moatti C, Payette K, De Silvestro A, Nguyen TD, Coraj S, Yakoub N, Natalucci G, Kottke R, Tuura R, Knirsch W, Jakab A. Characterization of dynamic patterns of human fetal to neonatal brain asymmetry with deformation-based morphometry. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1252850. [PMID: 38130698 PMCID: PMC10734644 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1252850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite established knowledge on the morphological and functional asymmetries in the human brain, the understanding of how brain asymmetry patterns change during late fetal to neonatal life remains incomplete. The goal of this study was to characterize the dynamic patterns of inter-hemispheric brain asymmetry over this critically important developmental stage using longitudinally acquired MRI scans. Methods Super-resolution reconstructed T2-weighted MRI of 20 neurotypically developing participants were used, and for each participant fetal and neonatal MRI was acquired. To quantify brain morphological changes, deformation-based morphometry (DBM) on the longitudinal MRI scans was utilized. Two registration frameworks were evaluated and used in our study: (A) fetal to neonatal image registration and (B) registration through a mid-time template. Developmental changes of cerebral asymmetry were characterized as (A) the inter-hemispheric differences of the Jacobian determinant (JD) of fetal to neonatal morphometry change and the (B) time-dependent change of the JD capturing left-right differences at fetal or neonatal time points. Left-right and fetal-neonatal differences were statistically tested using multivariate linear models, corrected for participants' age and sex and using threshold-free cluster enhancement. Results Fetal to neonatal morphometry changes demonstrated asymmetry in the temporal pole, and left-right asymmetry differences between fetal and neonatal timepoints revealed temporal changes in the temporal pole, likely to go from right dominant in fetal to a bilateral morphology in neonatal timepoint. Furthermore, the analysis revealed right-dominant subcortical gray matter in neonates and three clusters of increased JD values in the left hemisphere from fetal to neonatal timepoints. Discussion While these findings provide evidence that morphological asymmetry gradually emerges during development, discrepancies between registration frameworks require careful considerations when using DBM for longitudinal data of early brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Steger
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Pediatric Heart Center, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Charles Moatti
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kelly Payette
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra De Silvestro
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Pediatric Heart Center, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thi Dao Nguyen
- Newborn Research, Department of Neonatology, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Seline Coraj
- Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ninib Yakoub
- Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giancarlo Natalucci
- Newborn Research, Department of Neonatology, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Raimund Kottke
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ruth Tuura
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Walter Knirsch
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Pediatric Heart Center, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andras Jakab
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
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Weaver JM, DiPiero M, Rodrigues PG, Cordash H, Davidson RJ, Planalp EM, Dean DC. Automated motion artifact detection in early pediatric diffusion MRI using a convolutional neural network. IMAGING NEUROSCIENCE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 1:10.1162/imag_a_00023. [PMID: 38344118 PMCID: PMC10854394 DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Diffusion MRI (dMRI) is a widely used method to investigate the microstructure of the brain. Quality control (QC) of dMRI data is an important processing step that is performed prior to analysis using models such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) or neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI). When processing dMRI data from infants and young children, where intra-scan motion is common, the identification and removal of motion artifacts is of the utmost importance. Manual QC of dMRI data is (1) time-consuming due to the large number of diffusion directions, (2) expensive, and (3) prone to subjective errors and observer variability. Prior techniques for automated dMRI QC have mostly been limited to adults or school-age children. Here, we propose a deep learning-based motion artifact detection tool for dMRI data acquired from infants and toddlers. The proposed framework uses a simple three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3DCNN) trained and tested on an early pediatric dataset of 2,276 dMRI volumes from 121 exams acquired at 1 month and 24 months of age. An average classification accuracy of 95% was achieved following four-fold cross-validation. A second dataset with different acquisition parameters and ages ranging from 2-36 months (consisting of 2,349 dMRI volumes from 26 exams) was used to test network generalizability, achieving 98% classification accuracy. Finally, to demonstrate the importance of motion artifact volume removal in a dMRI processing pipeline, the dMRI data were fit to the DTI and NODDI models and the parameter maps were compared with and without motion artifact removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayse Merle Weaver
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Marissa DiPiero
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | - Hassan Cordash
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Richard J. Davidson
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison WI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Elizabeth M. Planalp
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Douglas C. Dean
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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6
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Wang J, Ma S, Yu P, He X. Evolution of Human Brain Left-Right Asymmetry: Old Genes with New Functions. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad181. [PMID: 37561991 PMCID: PMC10473864 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The human brain is generally anatomically symmetrical, boasting mirror-like brain regions in the left and right hemispheres. Despite this symmetry, fine-scale structural asymmetries are prevalent and are believed to be responsible for distinct functional divisions within the brain. Prior studies propose that these asymmetric structures are predominantly primate specific or even unique to humans, suggesting that the genes contributing to the structural asymmetry of the human brain might have evolved recently. In our study, we identified approximately 1,500 traits associated with human brain asymmetry by collecting paired brain magnetic resonance imaging features from the UK Biobank. Each trait is measured in a specific region of one hemisphere and mirrored in the corresponding region of the other hemisphere. Conducting genome-wide association studies on these traits, we identified over 1,000 quantitative trait loci. Around these index single nucleotide polymorphisms, we found approximately 200 genes that are enriched in brain-related Gene Ontology terms and are predominantly upregulated in brain tissues. Interestingly, most of these genes are evolutionarily old, originating just prior to the emergence of Bilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals) and Euteleostomi (bony vertebrates with a brain), at a significantly higher ratio than expected. Further analyses of these genes reveal a brain-specific upregulation in humans relative to other mammalian species. This suggests that the structural asymmetry of the human brain has been shaped by evolutionarily ancient genes that have assumed new functions over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Sidi Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Peijie Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
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7
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Guma E, Beauchamp A, Liu S, Levitis E, Ellegood J, Pham L, Mars RB, Raznahan A, Lerch JP. Comparative neuroimaging of sex differences in human and mouse brain anatomy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.23.554334. [PMID: 37662398 PMCID: PMC10473765 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.23.554334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
In vivo neuroimaging studies have established several reproducible volumetric sex differences in the human brain, but the causes of such differences are hard to parse. While mouse models are useful for understanding the cellular and mechanistic bases of sex-biased brain development in mammals, there have been no attempts to formally compare mouse and human sex differences across the whole brain to ascertain how well they translate. Addressing this question would shed critical light on use of the mouse as a translational model for sex differences in the human brain and provide insights into the degree to which sex differences in brain volume are conserved across mammals. Here, we use cross-species structural magnetic resonance imaging to carry out the first comparative neuroimaging study of sex-biased neuroanatomical organization of the human and mouse brain. In line with previous findings, we observe that in humans, males have significantly larger and more variable total brain volume; these sex differences are not mirrored in mice. After controlling for total brain volume, we observe modest cross-species congruence in the volumetric effect size of sex across 60 homologous brain regions (r=0.30; e.g.: M>F amygdala, hippocampus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and hypothalamus and F>M anterior cingulate, somatosensory, and primary auditory cortices). This cross-species congruence is greater in the cortex (r=0.33) than non-cortex (r=0.16). By incorporating regional measures of gene expression in both species, we reveal that cortical regions with greater cross-species congruence in volumetric sex differences also show greater cross-species congruence in the expression profile of 2835 homologous genes. This phenomenon differentiates primary sensory regions with high congruence of sex effects and gene expression from limbic cortices where congruence in both these features was weaker between species. These findings help identify aspects of sex-biased brain anatomy present in mice that are retained, lost, or inverted in humans. More broadly, our work provides an empirical basis for targeting mechanistic studies of sex-biased brain development in mice to brain regions that best echo sex-biased brain development in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Guma
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Antoine Beauchamp
- Mouse Imaging Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Siyuan Liu
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth Levitis
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jacob Ellegood
- Mouse Imaging Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Linh Pham
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Armin Raznahan
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Mouse Imaging Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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8
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Proshchina A, Kharlamova A, Krivova Y, Godovalova O, Otlyga D, Gulimova V, Otlyga E, Junemann O, Sonin G, Saveliev S. Neuromorphological Atlas of Human Prenatal Brain Development: White Paper. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13051182. [PMID: 37240827 DOI: 10.3390/life13051182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent morphological data on human brain development are quite fragmentary. However, they are highly requested for a number of medical practices, educational programs, and fundamental research in the fields of embryology, cytology and histology, neurology, physiology, path anatomy, neonatology, and others. This paper provides the initial information on the new online Human Prenatal Brain Development Atlas (HBDA). The Atlas will start with forebrain annotated hemisphere maps, based on human fetal brain serial sections at the different stages of prenatal ontogenesis. Spatiotemporal changes in the regional-specific immunophenotype profiles will also be demonstrated on virtual serial sections. The HBDA can serve as a reference database for the neurological research, which provides opportunity to compare the data obtained by noninvasive techniques, such as neurosonography, X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, 3D high-resolution phase-contrast computed tomography visualization techniques, as well as spatial transcriptomics data. It could also become a database for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of individual variability in the human brain. Systemized data on the mechanisms and pathways of prenatal human glio- and neurogenesis could also contribute to the search for new therapy methods for a large spectrum of neurological pathologies, including neurodegenerative and cancer diseases. The preliminary data are now accessible on the special HBDA website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Proshchina
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasia Kharlamova
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Yuliya Krivova
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga Godovalova
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitriy Otlyga
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Victoria Gulimova
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Otlyga
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga Junemann
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Gleb Sonin
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Saveliev
- Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery", Tsurupi Street, 3, 117418 Moscow, Russia
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9
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Planalp EM, Dowe KN, Alexander AL, Goldsmith HH, Davidson RJ, Dean DC. White matter microstructure predicts individual differences in infant fear (But not anger and sadness). Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13340. [PMID: 36367143 PMCID: PMC10079554 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
We examine neural correlates of discrete expressions of negative emotionality in infants to determine whether the microstructure of white matter tracts at 1 month of age foreshadows the expression of specific negative emotions later in infancy. Infants (n = 103) underwent neuroimaging at 1-month, and mothers reported on infant fear, sadness, and anger at 6, 12, and 18 months using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised. Levels and developmental change in fear, sadness, and anger were estimated from mother reports. Relations between MRI and infant emotion indicated that 1-month white matter microstructure was differentially associated with level and change in infant fear, but not anger or sadness, in the left stria terminalis (p < 0.05, corrected), a tract that connects frontal and tempo-parietal regions and has been implicated in emerging psychopathology in adults. More relaxed constraints on significance (p < 0.10, corrected) revealed that fear was associated with lower white matter microstructure bilaterally in the inferior portion of the stria terminalis and regions within the sagittal stratum. Results suggest the neurobehavioral uniqueness of fear as early as 1 month of age in regions that are associated with potential longer-term outcomes. This work highlights the early neural precursors of fearfulness, adding to literature explaining the psychobiological accounts of affective development. HIGHLIGHTS: Expressions of infant fear and anger, but not sadness, increase from 6 to 18 months of age. Early neural architecture in the stria terminalis is related to higher initial levels and increasing fear in infancy. After accounting for fear, anger and sadness do not appear to be associated with differences in early white matter microstructure. This work identifies early neural precursors of fearfulness as early as 1-month of age.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristin N Dowe
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Andrew L Alexander
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - H Hill Goldsmith
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Richard J Davidson
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Douglas C Dean
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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10
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Cook KM, De Asis-Cruz J, Lopez C, Quistorff J, Kapse K, Andersen N, Vezina G, Limperopoulos C. Robust sex differences in functional brain connectivity are present in utero. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2441-2454. [PMID: 35641152 PMCID: PMC10016060 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-based differences in brain structure and function are observable throughout development and are thought to contribute to differences in behavior, cognition, and the presentation of neurodevelopmental disorders. Using multiple support vector machine (SVM) models as a data-driven approach to assess sex differences, we sought to identify regions exhibiting sex-dependent differences in functional connectivity and determine whether they were robust and sufficiently reliable to classify sex even prior to birth. To accomplish this, we used a sample of 110 human fetal resting state fMRI scans from 95 fetuses, performed between 19 and 40 gestational weeks. Functional brain connectivity patterns classified fetal sex with 73% accuracy. Across SVM models, we identified features (functional connections) that reliably differentiated fetal sex. Highly consistent predictors included connections in the somatomotor and frontal areas alongside the hippocampus, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. Moreover, high consistency features also implicated a greater magnitude of cross-region connections in females, while male weighted features were predominately within anatomically bounded regions. Our findings indicate that these differences, which have been observed later in childhood, are present and reliably detectable even before birth. These results show that sex differences arise before birth in a manner that is consistent and reliable enough to be highly identifiable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Cook
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Josepheen De Asis-Cruz
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Catherine Lopez
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Jessica Quistorff
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Kushal Kapse
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Nicole Andersen
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Gilbert Vezina
- Division of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Catherine Limperopoulos
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
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11
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Ibrahim A, Warton FL, Fry S, Cotton MF, Jacobson SW, Jacobson JL, Molteno CD, Little F, van der Kouwe AJW, Laughton B, Meintjes EM, Holmes MJ. Maternal ART throughout gestation prevents caudate volume reductions in neonates who are HIV exposed but uninfected. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1085589. [PMID: 36968507 PMCID: PMC10035579 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1085589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionSuccessful programmes for prevention of vertical HIV transmission have reduced the risk of infant HIV infection in South Africa from 8% in 2008 to below 1% in 2018/2019, resulting in an increasing population of children exposed to HIV perinatally but who are uninfected (HEU). However, the long-term effects of HIV and antiretroviral treatment (ART) exposure on the developing brain are not well understood. Whereas children who are HEU perform better than their HIV-infected counterparts, they demonstrate greater neurodevelopmental delay than children who are HIV unexposed and uninfected (HUU), especially in resource-poor settings. Here we investigate subcortical volumetric differences related to HIV and ART exposure in neonates.MethodsWe included 120 infants (59 girls; 79 HEU) born to healthy women with and without HIV infection in Cape Town, South Africa, where HIV sero-prevalence approaches 30%. Of the 79 HEU infants, 40 were exposed to ART throughout gestation (i.e., mothers initiated ART pre conception; HEU-pre), and 39 were exposed to ART for part of gestation (i.e., mothers initiated ART post conception; HEU-post). Post-conception mothers had a mean (± SD) gestational age (GA) of 15.4 (± 5.7) weeks at ART initiation. Mothers with HIV received standard care fixed drug combination ART (Tenofovir/Efavirenz/Emtricitabine). Infants were imaged unsedated on a 3T Skyra (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) at mean GA equivalent of 41.5 (± 1.0) weeks. Selected regions (caudate, putamen, pallidum, thalamus, cerebellar hemispheres and vermis, and corpus callosum) were manually traced on T1-weighted images using Freeview.ResultsHEU neonates had smaller left putamen volumes than HUU [β (SE) = −90.3 (45.3), p = 0.05] and caudate volume reductions that depended on ART exposure duration in utero. While the HEU-pre group demonstrated no caudate volume reductions compared to HUU, the HEU-post group had smaller caudate volumes bilaterally [β (SE) = −145.5 (45.1), p = 0.002, and −135.7 (49.7), p = 0.008 for left and right caudate, respectively].DiscussionThese findings from the first postnatal month suggest that maternal ART throughout gestation is protective to the caudate nuclei. In contrast, left putamens were smaller across all HEU newborns, despite maternal ART.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulmumin Ibrahim
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Fleur L. Warton
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Fleur L. Warton,
| | - Samantha Fry
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health and Tygerberg Children’s Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Family Centre for Research with Ubuntu, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Mark F. Cotton
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health and Tygerberg Children’s Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Family Centre for Research with Ubuntu, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Sandra W. Jacobson
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Joseph L. Jacobson
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Christopher D. Molteno
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Francesca Little
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Andre J. W. van der Kouwe
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Barbara Laughton
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health and Tygerberg Children’s Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Family Centre for Research with Ubuntu, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Ernesta M. Meintjes
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Cape Universities Body Imaging Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Ernesta M. Meintjes,
| | - Martha J. Holmes
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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12
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DiPiero M, Rodrigues PG, Gromala A, Dean DC. Applications of advanced diffusion MRI in early brain development: a comprehensive review. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:367-392. [PMID: 36585970 PMCID: PMC9974794 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02605-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Brain development follows a protracted developmental timeline with foundational processes of neurodevelopment occurring from the third trimester of gestation into the first decade of life. Defining structural maturational patterns of early brain development is a critical step in detecting divergent developmental trajectories associated with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders that arise later in life. While considerable advancements have already been made in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) for pediatric research over the past three decades, the field of neurodevelopment is still in its infancy with remarkable scientific and clinical potential. This comprehensive review evaluates the application, findings, and limitations of advanced dMRI methods beyond diffusion tensor imaging, including diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD), neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) and composite hindered and restricted model of diffusion (CHARMED) to quantify the rapid and dynamic changes supporting the underlying microstructural architectural foundations of the brain in early life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa DiPiero
- Department of Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | | | - Alyssa Gromala
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Douglas C Dean
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
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13
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Ren Q, Wan B, Luo X, Liu Q, Gong H, Li H, Luo M, Xu D, Liu P, Wang J, Yin Z, Li X. Glutamate alterations in the premature infant brain during different gestational ages with glutamate chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging: a pilot study. Eur Radiol 2023; 33:4214-4222. [PMID: 36600123 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-022-09374-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To elucidate the change in glutamate levels in preterm infants at different gestational ages by glutamate chemical exchange saturated transfer (GluCEST) magnetic resonance imaging and to compare the difference in glutamate levels among different brain regions between very early preterm infants and middle and late preterm infants. METHODS Fifty-three preterm infants (59% males; median gestational age = 33.6 weeks) underwent MRI, including conventional MRI and GluCEST. The original data were postprocessed in MATLAB. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the MTRasym and gestational age. The differences in MTRasym signals among different ROIs were statistically analysed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The MTRasym difference of the bilateral hemispherical ROI was compared by a paired T test. RESULTS In all ROIs, glutamate concentration was positively correlated with gestational age. The glutamate concentration in the thalamus was higher than that in the frontal lobe in very early, middle and late preterm infants. A difference in glutamate concentration was not found in the bilateral ROIs. CONCLUSIONS The concentration of glutamate in the brains of preterm infants of different gestational ages increased with gestational age, which may be one of the factors contributing to the higher incidence of neurodevelopmental dysfunction in very early preterm infants compared to that in middle and late preterm infants. Meanwhile, the glutamate concentrations among different brain regions were also diverse. KEY POINTS • The glutamate concentration was positively correlated with gestational age in preterm infants of the brain. • Glutamate concentrations were dissimilar in different brain regions of preterm infants. • Glutamate concentration during the process of brain development in premature infants was not found to be asymmetric.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingfa Ren
- School of Medical Imaging, Binzhou Medical University, No. 346 Guanhai Road, Laishan District, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Bin Wan
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Bincheng District, Binzhou, 256600, China
| | - Xunrong Luo
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University, No. 181 Hanyu Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Quanyuan Liu
- Department of Radiology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Bincheng District, Binzhou, 256600, China
| | - He Gong
- School of Medical Imaging, Binzhou Medical University, No. 346 Guanhai Road, Laishan District, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Hao Li
- School of Medical Imaging, Binzhou Medical University, No. 346 Guanhai Road, Laishan District, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Mingfang Luo
- Department of Radiology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 32, West Second Section, First Ring Road, Qingyang District, Chengdu, 610072, China
| | - Donghao Xu
- School of Medical Imaging, Binzhou Medical University, No. 346 Guanhai Road, Laishan District, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Pan Liu
- School of Medical Imaging, Binzhou Medical University, No. 346 Guanhai Road, Laishan District, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Radiology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Bincheng District, Binzhou, 256600, China.
| | - Zhijie Yin
- Department of Radiology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Bincheng District, Binzhou, 256600, China.
| | - Xianglin Li
- School of Medical Imaging, Binzhou Medical University, No. 346 Guanhai Road, Laishan District, Yantai, 264003, China.
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14
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Wang X, Liu X, Cheng M, Xuan D, Zhao X, Zhang X. Application of diffusion kurtosis imaging in neonatal brain development. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:1112121. [PMID: 37051430 PMCID: PMC10083282 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1112121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Deviations from the regular pattern of growth and development could lead to early childhood diseases, suggesting the importance of evaluating early brain development. Through this study, we aimed to explore the changing patterns of white matter and gray matter during neonatal brain development using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). Materials and methods In total, 42 full-term neonates (within 28 days of birth) underwent conventional brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DKI. The DKI metrics (including kurtosis parameters and diffusion parameters) of white matter and deep gray matter were measured. DKI metrics from the different regions of interest (ROIs) were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Bonferroni method. Spearman rank correlation analysis of the DKI metrics was conducted, and the age at the time of brain MRI acquisition was calculated. The subjects were divided into three groups according to their age at the time of brain MRI acquisition: the first group, neonates aged ≤7 days; the second group, neonates aged 8-14 days; and the third group, neonates aged 15-28 days. The rate of change in DKI metrics relative to the first group was computed. Results The mean kurtosis (MK), axial kurtosis (Ka), radial kurtosis (Kr), and fractional anisotropy (FA) values showed positive correlations, whereas mean diffusion (MD), axial diffusion (Da), and radial diffusion (Dr) values showed negative correlations with the age at the time of brain MRI acquisition. The absolute correlation coefficients between MK values of almost all ROIs (except genu of the corpus callosum and frontal white matter) and the age at the time of brain MRI acquisition were greater than other metrics. The kurtosis parameters and FA values of central white matter were significantly higher than that of peripheral white matter, whereas the MD and Dr values were significantly lower than that of peripheral white matter. The MK value of the posterior limb of the internal capsule was the highest among the white matter areas. The FA value of the splenium of the corpus callosum was significantly higher than that of the other white matter areas. The kurtosis parameters and FA values of globus pallidus and thalamus were significantly higher than those of the caudate nucleus and putamen, whereas the Da and Dr values of globus pallidus and thalamus were significantly lower than those of the caudate nucleus and putamen. The relative change rates of kurtosis parameters and FA values of all ROIs were greater than those of MD, Da, and Dr values. The amplitude of MK values of almost all ROIs (except for the genu of the corpus callosum and central white matter of the centrum semiovale level) was greater than that of other metrics. The relative change rates of the Kr values of most ROIs were greater than those of the Ka value, and the relative change rates of the Dr values of most ROIs were greater than those of the Da value. Conclusion DKI parameters showed potential advantages in detecting the changes in brain microstructure during neonatal brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyuan Wang
- Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xianglong Liu
- Department of Radiology, Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Meiying Cheng
- Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Desheng Xuan
- Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Correspondence: Xin Zhao Xiaoan Zhang
| | - Xiaoan Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Correspondence: Xin Zhao Xiaoan Zhang
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15
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Demers CH, Hankin BL, Hennessey EMP, Haase MH, Bagonis MM, Kim SH, Gilmore JH, Hoffman MC, Styner MA, Davis EP. Maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant subcortical brain volume. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 21:100487. [PMID: 36532374 PMCID: PMC9755027 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A large body of research supports the deleterious effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on disease susceptibility and health for both the exposed individual and the next generation. It is likely that there is an intergenerational transmission of risk from mother to child; however, the mechanisms through which such risk is conferred remain unknown. The current study evaluated the association between maternal ACEs, neonatal brain development of the amygdala and hippocampus, and later infant negative emotionality at six months of age. Methods The sample included 85 mother-infant dyads (44 female infants) from a longitudinal study. Maternal ACEs were assessed with the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q) and neonatal hippocampal and amygdala volume was assessed using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Infant negative emotionality was assessed at 6 months using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ). Results Multivariate analyses demonstrated that maternal ACEs were associated with bilateral amygdala volume (F(2,78) = 3.697,p = .029). Specifically, higher maternal ACEs were associated with smaller left (β = -0.220, t(79) = -2.661, p = .009, R2 = 0.494, and right (β = -0.167, t(79) = -2.043, p = .044, R2 = 0.501) amygdala volume. No significant association between maternal ACEs and bilateral hippocampal volume (F(2,78) = 0.215,p = .0807) was found. Follow-up regression analyses demonstrated that both high maternal ACEs and smaller left amygdala volume were associated with higher infant negative emotionality at six months of age (β = .232, p = .040, R2 = 0.094, and β = -0.337, p = .022, R2 = 0.16, respectively) although statistically significant mediation of this effect was not observed (Indirect effect = 0.0187, 95% CI [-0.0016-0.0557]). Conclusions Maternal ACEs are associated with both newborn amygdala volume and subsequent infant negative emotionality. These findings linking maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant brain development and temperament provide evidence to support the intergenerational transmission of adversity from mother to child.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H. Demers
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Corresponding author. University of Denver, Department of Psychology, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO, 80208-3500, USA.
| | - Benjamin L. Hankin
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | | | | | - Maria M. Bagonis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- PrimeNeuro, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sun Hyung Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - John H. Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - M. Camille Hoffman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Martin A. Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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16
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Birn RM, Dean DC, Wooten W, Planalp EM, Kecskemeti S, Alexander AL, Goldsmith HH, Davidson RJ. Reduction of Motion Artifacts in Functional Connectivity Resulting from Infrequent Large Motion. Brain Connect 2022; 12:740-753. [PMID: 35152725 PMCID: PMC9618388 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2021.0133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Subject head motion is an ongoing challenge in functional magnetic resonance imaging, particularly in the estimation of functional connectivity. Infants (1-month old) scanned during nonsedated sleep often have occasional but large movements of several millimeters separated by periods with relatively little movement. This results in residual signal changes even after image realignment and can distort estimates of functional connectivity. A new motion correction technique, JumpCor, is introduced to reduce the effects of this motion and compared to other existing techniques. Methods: Different approaches for reducing residual motion artifacts after image realignment were compared both in actual and simulated data: JumpCor, regressing out the estimated subject motion, and regressing out the average white matter, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and global signals and their temporal derivatives. Results: Motion-related signal changes resulting from infrequent large motion were significantly reduced both by regressing out the estimated motion parameters and by JumpCor. Furthermore, JumpCor significantly reduced artifacts and improved the quality of functional connectivity estimates when combined with typical preprocessing approaches. Discussion: Motion-related signal changes resulting from occasional large motion can be effectively corrected using JumpCor and to a certain extent also by regressing out the estimated motion. This technique should reduce the data loss in studies where participants exhibit this type of motion, such as sleeping infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasmus M. Birn
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Douglas C. Dean
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - William Wooten
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Elizabeth M. Planalp
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Steven Kecskemeti
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Andrew L. Alexander
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - H. Hill Goldsmith
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Richard J. Davidson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Silver E, Pulli EP, Kataja EL, Kumpulainen V, Copeland A, Saukko E, Saunavaara J, Merisaari H, Lähdesmäki T, Parkkola R, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Tuulari JJ. Prenatal and early-life environmental factors, family demographics and cortical brain anatomy in 5-year-olds: an MRI study from FinnBrain Birth Cohort. Brain Imaging Behav 2022; 16:2097-2109. [PMID: 35869382 PMCID: PMC9581828 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00679-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe human brain develops dynamically during early childhood, when the child is sensitive to both genetic programming and extrinsic exposures. Recent studies have found links between prenatal and early life environmental factors, family demographics and the cortical brain morphology in newborns measured by surface area, volume and thickness. Here in this magnetic resonance imaging study, we evaluated whether a similar set of variables associates with cortical surface area and volumes measured in a sample of 170 healthy 5-year-olds from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. We found that child sex, maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, 5 min Apgar score, neonatal intensive care unit admission and maternal smoking during pregnancy associated with surface areas. Furthermore, child sex, maternal age and maternal level of education associated with brain volumes. Expectedly, many variables deemed important for neonatal brain anatomy (such as birth weight and gestational age at birth) in earlier studies did not associate with brain metrics in our study group of 5-year-olds, which implies that their effects on brain anatomy are age-specific. Future research may benefit from including pre- and perinatal covariates in the analyses when such data are available. Finally, we provide evidence for right lateralization for surface area and volumes, except for the temporal lobes which were left lateralized. These subtle differences between hemispheres are variable across individuals and may be interesting brain metrics in future studies.
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18
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Alex AM, Ruvio T, Xia K, Jha SC, Girault JB, Wang L, Li G, Shen D, Cornea E, Styner MA, Gilmore JH, Knickmeyer RC. Influence of gonadal steroids on cortical surface area in infancy. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:3206-3223. [PMID: 34952542 PMCID: PMC9340392 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in the human brain emerge as early as mid-gestation and have been linked to sex hormones, particularly testosterone. Here, we analyzed the influence of markers of early sex hormone exposure (polygenic risk score (PRS) for testosterone, salivary testosterone, number of CAG repeats, digit ratios, and PRS for estradiol) on the growth pattern of cortical surface area in a longitudinal cohort of 722 infants. We found PRS for testosterone and right-hand digit ratio to be significantly associated with surface area, but only in females. PRS for testosterone at the most stringent P value threshold was positively associated with surface area development over time. Higher right-hand digit ratio, which is indicative of low prenatal testosterone levels, was negatively related to surface area in females. The current work suggests that variation in testosterone levels during both the prenatal and postnatal period may contribute to cortical surface area development in female infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Mary Alex
- Neuroengineering Division, Institute for Quantitative Health Sciences and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Tom Ruvio
- Neuroengineering Division, Institute for Quantitative Health Sciences and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Kai Xia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Shaili C Jha
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jessica B Girault
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Gang Li
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dinggang Shen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Emil Cornea
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Martin A Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - John H Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rebecca C Knickmeyer
- Address correspondence to Rebecca C. Knickmeyer, Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, 775 Woodlot Dr, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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19
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MIYABAYASHI H, NAGANO N, KATO R, NOTO T, HASHIMOTO S, SAITO K, MORIOKA I. Reference Values for Cranial Morphology Based on Three-dimensional Scan Analysis in 1-month-old Healthy Infants in Japan. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 2022; 62:246-253. [PMID: 35370246 PMCID: PMC9178114 DOI: 10.2176/jns-nmc.2021-0384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, molded helmet therapy is used to treat infants with deformational plagiocephaly. However, the indices of normal cranial shape remain unclear, and thus, the prevalence of deformational plagiocephaly is unknown, particularly in Japan. We investigated the reference values for cranial morphological characteristics in 1-month-old Japanese infants using a three-dimensional scanner, to determine the prevalence of deformational plagiocephaly. One hundred fifty-three healthy infants who visited three hospitals (from April 2020 to March 2021) were enrolled. Cranial shape was measured using a three-dimensional scanner and was analyzed using image analysis software. Outcome measures were cranial volume, length, width, length-width ratio, circumference, asymmetry, and vault asymmetry index; cephalic index; and anterior, posterior, and overall symmetry ratios. The cranial vault asymmetry index >3.5% or ≥10% were diagnosed as deformational or severe deformational plagiocephaly, respectively. The mean age at measurement was 35.7 days. The mean cranial volume was 559 mL; cranial length, 129 mm; cranial width, 110 mm; length-width ratio, 118%; cephalic index, 85.2%; cranial circumference, 377 mm, cranial asymmetry, 6.4 mm; cranial vault asymmetry index, 5.0%; and anterior, posterior, and overall asymmetry ratios, 93.1%, 91.3%, and 96.4%, respectively. The prevalence of deformational and severe deformational plagiocephaly was 64.7% and 6.6%, respectively. Sex-based differences were observed for cranial volume and width. The results obtained in this study can be considered standard values that can facilitate the differentiation of abnormal infant cranial morphological characteristics for Japanese medical practitioners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi MIYABAYASHI
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine
| | - Nobuhiko NAGANO
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine
| | - Risa KATO
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine
| | - Takanori NOTO
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine
| | | | - Katsuya SAITO
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine
| | - Ichiro MORIOKA
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine
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20
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Zachlod D, Kedo O, Amunts K. Anatomy of the temporal lobe: From macro to micro. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 187:17-51. [PMID: 35964970 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-823493-8.00009-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The temporal cortex encompasses a large number of different areas ranging from the six-layered isocortex to the allocortex. The areas support auditory, visual, and language processing, as well as emotions and memory. The primary auditory cortex is found at the Heschl gyri, which develop early in ontogeny with the Sylvian fissure, a deep and characteristic fissure that separates the temporal lobe from the parietal and frontal lobes. Gyri and sulci as well as brain areas vary between brains and between hemispheres, partly linked to the functional organization of language and lateralization. Interindividual variability in anatomy makes a direct comparison between different brains in structure-functional analysis often challenging, but can be addressed by applying cytoarchitectonic probability maps of the Julich-Brain atlas. We review the macroanatomy of the temporal lobe, its variability and asymmetry at the macro- and the microlevel, discuss the relationship to brain areas and their microstructure, and emphasize the advantage of a multimodal approach to address temporal lobe organization. We review recent data on combined cytoarchitectonic and molecular architectonic studies of temporal areas, and provide links to their function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Zachlod
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-1, Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Olga Kedo
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-1, Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Katrin Amunts
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-1, Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany; C&O Vogt Institute for Brain Research, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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21
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Bae I, Chae JH, Han Y. A brain extraction algorithm for infant T2 weighted magnetic resonance images based on fuzzy c-means thresholding. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23347. [PMID: 34857824 PMCID: PMC8640033 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02722-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
It is challenging to extract the brain region from T2-weighted magnetic resonance infant brain images because conventional brain segmentation algorithms are generally optimized for adult brain images, which have different spatial resolution, dynamic changes of imaging intensity, brain size and shape from infant brain images. In this study, we propose a brain extraction algorithm for infant T2-weighted images. The proposed method utilizes histogram partitioning to separate brain regions from the background image. Then, fuzzy c-means thresholding is performed to obtain a rough brain mask for each image slice, followed by refinement steps. For slices that contain eye regions, an additional eye removal algorithm is proposed to eliminate eyes from the brain mask. By using the proposed method, accurate masks for infant T2-weighted brain images can be generated. For validation, we applied the proposed algorithm and conventional methods to T2 infant images (0–24 months of age) acquired with 2D and 3D sequences at 3T MRI. The Dice coefficients and Precision scores, which were calculated as quantitative measures, showed the highest values for the proposed method as follows: For images acquired with a 2D imaging sequence, the average Dice coefficients were 0.9650 ± 0.006 for the proposed method, 0.9262 ± 0.006 for iBEAT, and 0.9490 ± 0.006 for BET. For the data acquired with a 3D imaging sequence, the average Dice coefficient was 0.9746 ± 0.008 for the proposed method, 0.9448 ± 0.004 for iBEAT, and 0.9622 ± 0.01 for BET. The average Precision was 0.9638 ± 0.009 and 0.9565 ± 0.016 for the proposed method, 0.8981 ± 0.01 and 0.8968 ± 0.008 for iBEAT, and 0.9346 ± 0.014 and 0.9282 ± 0.019 for BET for images acquired with 2D and 3D imaging sequences, respectively, demonstrating that the proposed method could be efficiently used for brain extraction in T2-weighted infant images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inyoung Bae
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Hee Chae
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeji Han
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Health Sciences, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
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22
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Liu T, Gao F, Zheng W, You Y, Zhao Z, Lv Y, Chen W, Zhang H, Ji C, Wu D. Diffusion MRI of the infant brain reveals unique asymmetry patterns during the first-half-year of development. Neuroimage 2021; 242:118465. [PMID: 34389444 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The human brain demonstrates anatomical and functional lateralization/asymmetry between the left and right hemispheres, and such asymmetry is known to start from the early age of life. However, how the asymmetry changes with brain development during infancy remained unknown. In this study, we aimed to systematically investigate the spatiotemporal pattern of brain asymmetry in healthy preterm-born infants during the first-half-year of development, using high angular resolution diffusion MRI. Sixty-five healthy preterm-born infants (gestational age between 25.3-36.6 weeks) were scanned with postmenstrual age (PMA) ranging from term-equivalent age (TEA) to 6-months. At the regional level, we performed a region-of-interest-based analysis by segmenting the brain into 63 symmetrical pairs of regions, based on which the laterality index was assessed and correlated with PMA. At the voxel level, we performed a fixel-based analysis of each fiber component between the native and left-right flipped data, separately in TEA-1 month, 1-3 months, and 3-6 months groups. The infant brains demonstrated extensive regions with structural asymmetry during their first half-of-year of life. A distinct central-peripheral asymmetry pattern was observed in mean diffusivity, namely, leftward lateralization in the neocortex and rightward asymmetry in the deep brain regions. Besides, the posterior brain demonstrated a higher lateralization index compared with the anterior brain in all metrics, which is congruent with the brain developmental pattern from caudal to rostral. Regionally, language processing regions showed a rightward asymmetry, while visuospatial processing regions exhibited leftward lateralization in fractional anisotropy, fibre density, and fibre cross-section measurements, and most white matter regions were lateralized to the left in these measurements. The laterality index of several regions (12 out 63) demonstrated significant developmental changes in mean diffusivity. At the fixel level, the fiber cross-section of inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus showed significant leftward asymmetry and the extent of asymmetry increased with PMA. In summary, the results revealed unique spatiotemporal patterns of macro- and micro-structural asymmetry in early life, which dynamically changed with age. These findings may contribute to the understanding of brain development during infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Liu
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Room 525, Zhou Yiqing Building, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Fusheng Gao
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Weihao Zheng
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Room 525, Zhou Yiqing Building, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Yuqing You
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyong Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Room 525, Zhou Yiqing Building, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Ying Lv
- Department of Child Health, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Weijun Chen
- Department of Child Health, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongxi Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chai Ji
- Department of Child Health, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dan Wu
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Room 525, Zhou Yiqing Building, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China.
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23
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Copeland A, Silver E, Korja R, Lehtola SJ, Merisaari H, Saukko E, Sinisalo S, Saunavaara J, Lähdesmäki T, Parkkola R, Nolvi S, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Tuulari JJ. Infant and Child MRI: A Review of Scanning Procedures. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:666020. [PMID: 34321992 PMCID: PMC8311184 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.666020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a safe method to examine human brain. However, a typical MR scan is very sensitive to motion, and it requires the subject to lie still during the acquisition, which is a major challenge for pediatric scans. Consequently, in a clinical setting, sedation or general anesthesia is often used. In the research setting including healthy subjects anesthetics are not recommended for ethical reasons and potential longer-term harm. Here we review the methods used to prepare a child for an MRI scan, but also on the techniques and tools used during the scanning to enable a successful scan. Additionally, we critically evaluate how studies have reported the scanning procedure and success of scanning. We searched articles based on special subject headings from PubMed and identified 86 studies using brain MRI in healthy subjects between 0 and 6 years of age. Scan preparations expectedly depended on subject's age; infants and young children were scanned asleep after feeding and swaddling and older children were scanned awake. Comparing the efficiency of different procedures was difficult because of the heterogeneous reporting of the used methods and the success rates. Based on this review, we recommend more detailed reporting of scanning procedure to help find out which are the factors affecting the success of scanning. In the long term, this could help the research field to get high quality data, but also the clinical field to reduce the use of anesthetics. Finally, we introduce the protocol used in scanning 2 to 5-week-old infants in the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, and tips for calming neonates during the scans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anni Copeland
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Eero Silver
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Riikka Korja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Satu J. Lehtola
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Harri Merisaari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Ekaterina Saukko
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Susanne Sinisalo
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jani Saunavaara
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Tuire Lähdesmäki
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Riitta Parkkola
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Saara Nolvi
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jetro J. Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and Technology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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24
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Romaro C, Najman FA, Lytton WW, Roque AC, Dura-Bernal S. NetPyNE Implementation and Scaling of the Potjans-Diesmann Cortical Microcircuit Model. Neural Comput 2021; 33:1993-2032. [PMID: 34411272 PMCID: PMC8382011 DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_01400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The Potjans-Diesmann cortical microcircuit model is a widely used model originally implemented in NEST. Here, we reimplemented the model using NetPyNE, a high-level Python interface to the NEURON simulator, and reproduced the findings of the original publication. We also implemented a method for scaling the network size that preserves first- and second-order statistics, building on existing work on network theory. Our new implementation enabled the use of more detailed neuron models with multicompartmental morphologies and multiple biophysically realistic ion channels. This opens the model to new research, including the study of dendritic processing, the influence of individual channel parameters, the relation to local field potentials, and other multiscale interactions. The scaling method we used provides flexibility to increase or decrease the network size as needed when running these CPU-intensive detailed simulations. Finally, NetPyNE facilitates modifying or extending the model using its declarative language; optimizing model parameters; running efficient, large-scale parallelized simulations; and analyzing the model through built-in methods, including local field potential calculation and information flow measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Romaro
- Department of Physics, School of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049, Brazil
| | - Fernando Araujo Najman
- Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508, Brazil
| | - William W Lytton
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, New York, NY 11203, U.S.A.
| | - Antonio C Roque
- Department of Physics, School of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049, Brazil
| | - Salvador Dura-Bernal
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, New York, NY 11203, U.S.A., and Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York, NY 10962, U.S.A.
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25
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Dean DC, Madrid A, Planalp EM, Moody JF, Papale LA, Knobel KM, Wood EK, McAdams RM, Coe CL, Hill Goldsmith H, Davidson RJ, Alisch RS, Kling PJ. Cord blood DNA methylation modifications in infants are associated with white matter microstructure in the context of prenatal maternal depression and anxiety. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12181. [PMID: 34108589 PMCID: PMC8190282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91642-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal and environmental factors influence brain networks and architecture via both physiological pathways and epigenetic modifications. In particular, prenatal maternal depression and anxiety symptoms appear to impact infant white matter (WM) microstructure, leading us to investigate whether epigenetic modifications (i.e., DNA methylation) contribute to these WM differences. To determine if infants of women with depression and anxiety symptoms exhibit epigenetic modifications linked to neurodevelopmental changes, 52 umbilical cord bloods (CBs) were profiled. We observed 219 differentially methylated genomic positions (DMPs; FDR p < 0.05) in CB that were associated with magnetic resonance imaging measures of WM microstructure at 1 month of age and in regions previously described to be related to maternal depression and anxiety symptoms. Genomic characterization of these associated DMPs revealed 143 unique genes with significant relationships to processes involved in neurodevelopment, GTPase activity, or the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Separate regression models for female (n = 24) and male (n = 28) infants found 142 associated DMPs in females and 116 associated DMPs in males (nominal p value < 0.001, R > 0.5), which were annotated to 98 and 81 genes, respectively. Together, these findings suggest that umbilical CB DNA methylation levels at birth are associated with 1-month WM microstructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas C Dean
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA.,Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Waisman Center, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Andy Madrid
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Planalp
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Psychology, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jason F Moody
- Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ligia A Papale
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Karla M Knobel
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Elizabeth K Wood
- Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ryan M McAdams
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Christopher L Coe
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Psychology, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - H Hill Goldsmith
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Psychology, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Richard J Davidson
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Psychology, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Center for Healthy Minds, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Reid S Alisch
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Pamela J Kling
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
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26
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Dubois J, Alison M, Counsell SJ, Hertz‐Pannier L, Hüppi PS, Benders MJ. MRI of the Neonatal Brain: A Review of Methodological Challenges and Neuroscientific Advances. J Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 53:1318-1343. [PMID: 32420684 PMCID: PMC8247362 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.27192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, exploration of the developing brain has become a major focus for researchers and clinicians in an attempt to understand what allows children to acquire amazing and unique abilities, as well as the impact of early disruptions (eg, prematurity, neonatal insults) that can lead to a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders. Noninvasive neuroimaging methods such as MRI are essential to establish links between the brain and behavioral changes in newborns and infants. In this review article, we aim to highlight recent and representative studies using the various techniques available: anatomical MRI, quantitative MRI (relaxometry, diffusion MRI), multiparametric approaches, and functional MRI. Today, protocols use 1.5 or 3T MRI scanners, and specialized methodologies have been put in place for data acquisition and processing to address the methodological challenges specific to this population, such as sensitivity to motion. MR sequences must be adapted to the brains of newborns and infants to obtain relevant good soft-tissue contrast, given the small size of the cerebral structures and the incomplete maturation of tissues. The use of age-specific image postprocessing tools is also essential, as signal and contrast differ from the adult brain. Appropriate methodologies then make it possible to explore multiple neurodevelopmental mechanisms in a precise way, and assess changes with age or differences between groups of subjects, particularly through large-scale projects. Although MRI measurements only indirectly reflect the complex series of dynamic processes observed throughout development at the molecular and cellular levels, this technique can provide information on brain morphology, structural connectivity, microstructural properties of gray and white matter, and on the functional architecture. Finally, MRI measures related to clinical, behavioral, and electrophysiological markers have a key role to play from a diagnostic and prognostic perspective in the implementation of early interventions to avoid long-term disabilities in children. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Dubois
- University of ParisNeuroDiderot, INSERM,ParisFrance
- UNIACT, NeuroSpin, CEA; Paris‐Saclay UniversityGif‐sur‐YvetteFrance
| | - Marianne Alison
- University of ParisNeuroDiderot, INSERM,ParisFrance
- Department of Pediatric RadiologyAPHP, Robert‐Debré HospitalParisFrance
| | - Serena J. Counsell
- Centre for the Developing BrainSchool of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Lucie Hertz‐Pannier
- University of ParisNeuroDiderot, INSERM,ParisFrance
- UNIACT, NeuroSpin, CEA; Paris‐Saclay UniversityGif‐sur‐YvetteFrance
| | - Petra S. Hüppi
- Division of Development and Growth, Department of Woman, Child and AdolescentUniversity Hospitals of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Manon J.N.L. Benders
- Department of NeonatologyUniversity Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtthe Netherlands
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Bisiacchi P, Cainelli E. Structural and functional brain asymmetries in the early phases of life: a scoping review. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:479-496. [PMID: 33738578 PMCID: PMC8843922 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02256-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Asymmetry characterizes the brain in both structure and function. Anatomical asymmetries explain only a fraction of functional variability in lateralization, with structural and functional asymmetries developing at different periods of life and in different ways. In this work, we perform a scoping review of the cerebral asymmetries in the first brain development phases. We included all English-written studies providing direct evidence of hemispheric asymmetries in full-term neonates, foetuses, and premature infants, both at term post-conception and before. The final analysis included 57 studies. The reviewed literature shows large variability in the used techniques and methodological procedures. Most structural studies investigated the temporal lobe, showing a temporal planum more pronounced on the left than on the right (although not all data agree), a morphological asymmetry already present from the 29th week of gestation. Other brain structures have been poorly investigated, and the results are even more discordant. Unlike data on structural asymmetries, functional data agree with each other, identifying a leftward dominance for speech stimuli and an overall dominance of the right hemisphere in all other functional conditions. This generalized dominance of the right hemisphere for all conditions (except linguistic stimuli) is in line with theories stating that the right hemisphere develops earlier and that its development is less subject to external influences because it sustains functions necessary to survive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Bisiacchi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35121, Padova, Italy. .,Padova Neuroscience Centre, PNC, Padova, Italy.
| | - Elisa Cainelli
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35121, Padova, Italy
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28
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Dump the "dimorphism": Comprehensive synthesis of human brain studies reveals few male-female differences beyond size. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:667-697. [PMID: 33621637 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
With the explosion of neuroimaging, differences between male and female brains have been exhaustively analyzed. Here we synthesize three decades of human MRI and postmortem data, emphasizing meta-analyses and other large studies, which collectively reveal few reliable sex/gender differences and a history of unreplicated claims. Males' brains are larger than females' from birth, stabilizing around 11 % in adults. This size difference accounts for other reproducible findings: higher white/gray matter ratio, intra- versus interhemispheric connectivity, and regional cortical and subcortical volumes in males. But when structural and lateralization differences are present independent of size, sex/gender explains only about 1% of total variance. Connectome differences and multivariate sex/gender prediction are largely based on brain size, and perform poorly across diverse populations. Task-based fMRI has especially failed to find reproducible activation differences between men and women in verbal, spatial or emotion processing due to high rates of false discovery. Overall, male/female brain differences appear trivial and population-specific. The human brain is not "sexually dimorphic."
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29
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Howell AL, Osher DE, Li J, Saygin ZM. The intrinsic neonatal hippocampal network: rsfMRI findings. J Neurophysiol 2020; 124:1458-1468. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00362.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although both animal data and human data suggest that the hippocampus is immature at birth, to date, there are no direct assessments of human hippocampal functional connectivity (FC) very early in life. Our study explores the FC of the hippocampus to the cortex at birth, allowing insight into the development of human memory systems. In particular, we find that adults and neonates exhibit vastly different hippocampal connectivity profiles—a finding that likely has large developmental implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athena L. Howell
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - David E. Osher
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Zeynep M. Saygin
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
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30
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Dowe KN, Planalp EM, Dean DC, Alexander AL, Davidson RJ, Goldsmith HH. Early microstructure of white matter associated with infant attention. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 45:100815. [PMID: 32658763 PMCID: PMC7358182 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Early infancy is characterized by rapid brain development that occurs alongside, and in response to, the development of cognitive and behavioral functions, including attention. Infants' ability to orient and sustain attention to stimuli develops in concert with refinement of the orienting network in frontoparietal regions of the brain. Infants (n = 97) underwent magnetic resonance imaging at one-month of age and data were fit to a diffusion tensor imaging model to calculate fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD), as well as to a neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging model to calculate intracellular volume fraction (νic). Infant attention was assessed at six months of age using a dynamic puppet task (Cuevas and Bell, 2014). Infants with higher FA in the corpus callosum and anterior cingulum showed increased orienting behaviors. Our findings indicate that increased microstructure of the white matter tracts in the orienting network may play a role in the early neurodevelopment of attentional orienting behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin N Dowe
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychology, 1202 W Johnson St, Madison, WI, 53706 United States.
| | - Elizabeth M Planalp
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychology, 1202 W Johnson St, Madison, WI, 53706 United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705 United States.
| | - Douglas C Dean
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705 United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Medical Physics, 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705 United States.
| | - Andrew L Alexander
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705 United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Medical Physics, 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705 United States.
| | - Richard J Davidson
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychology, 1202 W Johnson St, Madison, WI, 53706 United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705 United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Healthy Minds, 625 W Washington Ave, Madison, WI, 53703 United States.
| | - H Hill Goldsmith
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychology, 1202 W Johnson St, Madison, WI, 53706 United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705 United States.
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31
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Stoet G, Geary DC. Sex-specific academic ability and attitude patterns in students across developed countries. INTELLIGENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2020.101453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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32
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Studholme C, Kroenke CD, Dighe M. Motion corrected MRI differentiates male and female human brain growth trajectories from mid-gestation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3038. [PMID: 32546755 PMCID: PMC7297991 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16763-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
It is of considerable scientific, medical, and societal interest to understand the developmental origins of differences between male and female brains. Here we report the use of advances in MR imaging and analysis to accurately measure global, lobe and millimetre scale growth trajectory patterns over 18 gestational weeks in normal pregnancies with repeated measures. Statistical modelling of absolute growth trajectories revealed underlying differences in many measures, potentially reflecting overall body size differences. However, models of relative growth accounting for global measures revealed a complex temporal form, with strikingly similar cortical development in males and females at lobe scales. In contrast, local cortical growth patterns and larger scale white matter volume and surface measures differed significantly between male and female. Many proportional differences were maintained during neurogenesis and over 18 weeks of growth. These indicate sex related sculpting of neuroanatomy begins early in development, before cortical folding, potentially influencing postnatal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Studholme
- Biomedical Image Computing Group, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Box 356320, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, 98195, WA, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, 98195, WA, USA.
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, 98195, WA, USA.
| | - Christopher D Kroenke
- Advanced Imaging Research Center and Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, 97239, OR, USA
| | - Manjiri Dighe
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, 98195, WA, USA
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33
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Craniometric and Volumetric Analyses of Cranial Base and Cranial Vault Differences in Patients With Nonsyndromic Single-Suture Sagittal Craniosynostosis. J Craniofac Surg 2020; 31:1010-1014. [PMID: 32503095 DOI: 10.1097/scs.0000000000006492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE How different from "normal" are the cranial base and vault of infants with nonsyndromic, single-suture sagittal synostosis (NSSS)? This study quantitatively addresses this question utilizing computed tomography (CT) analytic technology. METHOD Head CT scans of infants with NSSS and normocephalic controls were analyzed using Mimics to calculate craniometric angles, distances, and segmented volumes. Craniometric measurements and asymmetry indices were compared between NSSS and control groups using linear regressions controlling for age. Ratios of anterior-, middle-, and posterior-to-total cranial vault volume were compared between groups using beta regressions controlling for age. RESULTS Seventeen patients with NSSS and 19 controls were identified. Cranial index and interoccipital angle were significantly smaller in NSSS compared with controls (P = 0.003 and <0.001, respectively). Right-but not left-external acoustic meatus angle and internal acoustic meatus-to-midline distance were significantly greater in NSSS than in controls (P = 0.021 and 0.016, respectively). NSSS patients and controls did not significantly differ in any asymmetry indices, except for the articular fossa angle asymmetry index (P = 0.016). Anterior vault volume proportion was greater in NSSS relative to controls (proportion ratio = 1.63, P < 0.001). NSSS trended toward a smaller posterior vault volume proportion (P = 0.068) yet did not differ in middle vault volume proportion compared with controls. CONCLUSION In this small study, patients with nonsyndromic, single-suture sagittal craniosynostosis had relatively similar cranial base measurements, and larger anterior vault volumes, when compared with controls. Further work is needed to confirm the possibility of rightward asymmetry of the anterior cranial base.
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34
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Kecskemeti S, Alexander AL. Three-dimensional motion-corrected T 1 relaxometry with MPnRAGE. Magn Reson Med 2020; 84:2400-2411. [PMID: 32301173 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To test the performance of the MPnRAGE motion-correction algorithm on quantitative relaxometry estimates. METHODS Twelve children (9.4 ± 2.6 years, min = 6.5 years, max = 13.8 years) were imaged 3 times in a session without sedation. Stabilization padding was not used for the second and third scans. Quantitative T1 values were estimated in each voxel on images reconstructed with and without motion correction. Mean T1 values were assessed in various regions determined from automated segmentation algorithms. Statistical tests were performed on mean values and the coefficient of variation across the measurements. Accuracy of T1 estimates were determined by scanning the High Precision Devices (Boulder, CO) MRI system phantom with the same protocol. RESULTS The T1 values obtained with MPnRAGE agreed within 4% of the reference values of the High Precision Devices phantom. The best fit line was T1 (MPnRAGE) = 1.02 T1 (reference)-0.9 ms, R2 = 0.9999. For in vivo studies, motion correction reduced the coefficients of variation of mean T1 values in whole-brain tissue regions determined by FSL FAST by 74% ± 7%, and subcortical regions determined by FIRST and FreeSurfer by 32% ± 21% and 33% ± 26%, respectively. Across all participants, the mean coefficients of variation ranged from 0.8% to 2.0% for subcortical regions and 0.6% ± 0.5% for cortical regions when motion correction was applied. CONCLUSION The MPnRAGE technique demonstrated highly accurate values in phantom measurements. When combined with retrospective motion correction, MPnRAGE demonstrated highly reproducible T1 values, even in participants who moved during the acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Kecskemeti
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Andrew L Alexander
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
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35
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Piazza C, Cantiani C, Miyakoshi M, Riva V, Molteni M, Reni G, Makeig S. EEG Effective Source Projections Are More Bilaterally Symmetric in Infants Than in Adults. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:82. [PMID: 32226371 PMCID: PMC7080990 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Although anatomical brain hemispheric asymmetries have been clearly documented in the infant brain, findings concerning functional hemispheric specialization have been inconsistent. The present report aims to assess whether bilaterally symmetric synchronous activity between the two hemispheres is a characteristic of the infant brain. To asses cortical bilateral synchronicity, we used decomposition by independent component analysis (ICA) of high-density electroencephalographic (EEG) data collected in an auditory passive oddball paradigm. Decompositions of concatenated 64-channel EEG data epochs from each of 34 typically developing 6-month-old infants and from 18 healthy young adults participating in the same passive auditory oddball protocol were compared to characterize differences in functional brain organization between early life and adulthood. Our results show that infant EEG decompositions comprised a larger number of independent component (IC) effective source processes compatible with a cortical origin and having bilaterally near-symmetric scalp projections (13.8% of the infant data ICs presented a bilateral pattern vs. 4.3% of the adult data ICs). These IC projections could be modeled as the sum of potentials volume-conducted to the scalp from synchronous locally coherent field activities in corresponding left and right cortical source areas. To conclude, in this paradigm, source-resolved infant brain EEG exhibited more bilateral synchronicity than EEG produced by the adult brain, supporting the hypothesis that more strongly unilateral and likely more functionally specialized unihemispheric cortical field activities are concomitants of brain maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Piazza
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bioengineering Lab, Lecco, Italy
| | - Chiara Cantiani
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Makoto Miyakoshi
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neural Computation, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Valentina Riva
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Reni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bioengineering Lab, Lecco, Italy
| | - Scott Makeig
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neural Computation, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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36
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Zöllei L, Jaimes C, Saliba E, Grant PE, Yendiki A. TRActs constrained by UnderLying INfant anatomy (TRACULInA): An automated probabilistic tractography tool with anatomical priors for use in the newborn brain. Neuroimage 2019; 199:1-17. [PMID: 31132451 PMCID: PMC6688923 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing myelination of white-matter fiber bundles plays a significant role in brain development. However, reliable and consistent identification of these bundles from infant brain MRIs is often challenging due to inherently low diffusion anisotropy, as well as motion and other artifacts. In this paper we introduce a new tool for automated probabilistic tractography specifically designed for newborn infants. Our tool incorporates prior information about the anatomical neighborhood of white-matter pathways from a training data set. In our experiments, we evaluate this tool on data from both full-term and prematurely born infants and demonstrate that it can reconstruct known white-matter tracts in both groups robustly, even in the presence of differences between the training set and study subjects. Additionally, we evaluate it on a publicly available large data set of healthy term infants (UNC Early Brain Development Program). This paves the way for performing a host of sophisticated analyses in newborns that we have previously implemented for the adult brain, such as pointwise analysis along tracts and longitudinal analysis, in both health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilla Zöllei
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.
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37
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Hashempour N, Tuulari JJ, Merisaari H, Lidauer K, Luukkonen I, Saunavaara J, Parkkola R, Lähdesmäki T, Lehtola SJ, Keskinen M, Lewis JD, Scheinin NM, Karlsson L, Karlsson H. A Novel Approach for Manual Segmentation of the Amygdala and Hippocampus in Neonate MRI. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1025. [PMID: 31616245 PMCID: PMC6768976 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The gross anatomy of the infant brain at term is fairly similar to that of the adult brain, but structures are immature, and the brain undergoes rapid growth during the first 2 years of life. Neonate magnetic resonance (MR) images have different contrasts compared to adult images, and automated segmentation of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can thus be considered challenging as less software options are available. Despite this, most anatomical regions are identifiable and thus amenable to manual segmentation. In the current study, we developed a protocol for segmenting the amygdala and hippocampus in T2-weighted neonatal MR images. The participants were 31 healthy infants between 2 and 5 weeks of age. Intra-rater reliability was measured in 12 randomly selected MR images, where 6 MR images were segmented at 1-month intervals between the delineations, and another 6 MR images at 6-month intervals. The protocol was also tested by two independent raters in 20 randomly selected T2-weighted images, and finally with T1 images. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) for intra-rater, inter-rater, and T1 vs. T2 comparisons were computed. Moreover, manual segmentations were compared to automated segmentations performed by iBEAT toolbox in 10 T2-weighted MR images. The intra-rater reliability was high ICC ≥ 0.91, DSC ≥ 0.89, the inter-rater reliabilities were satisfactory ICC ≥ 0.90, DSC ≥ 0.75 for hippocampus and DSC ≥ 0.52 for amygdalae. Segmentations for T1 vs. T2-weighted images showed high consistency ICC ≥ 0.90, DSC ≥ 0.74. The manual and iBEAT segmentations showed no agreement, DSC ≥ 0.39. In conclusion, there is a clear need to improve and develop the procedures for automated segmentation of infant brain MR images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloofar Hashempour
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jetro J Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Harri Merisaari
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Kristian Lidauer
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Iiris Luukkonen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jani Saunavaara
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Riitta Parkkola
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tuire Lähdesmäki
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Satu J Lehtola
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Maria Keskinen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - John D Lewis
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Noora M Scheinin
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Child Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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38
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Stålnacke SR, Tessma M, Böhm B, Herlenius E. Cognitive Development Trajectories in Preterm Children With Very Low Birth Weight Longitudinally Followed Until 11 Years of Age. Front Physiol 2019; 10:307. [PMID: 31001126 PMCID: PMC6454032 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: There is a high prevalence of cognitive dysfunction in very low birthweight (500–1250 g) infants (VLBW). Understanding long-term risk factors associated with cognitive development in preterm children requires longitudinal characterization. Thus, follow-up evaluations, including identification of risks and resilience influences–are important to promote health and cognitive abilities of children born preterm. Aim: To examine changes in cognitive development from birth until 11 years of age in preterm children with very low birthweight. Methods: 24 VLBW infants, at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, were assessed with regards to cognitive functioning at three times during development at 18 months, 5 and 11 years of age using standardized tests. Longitudinal data were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) univariate and multivariate models. Results: The follow-up rate was 100%. Level of cognitive functioning at 18 months and at 11 years was similar. Females had higher cognitive scores than males at all three timepoints. We found that intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and prolonged invasive ventilatory support (>7 days) had a negative effect on cognitive functioning. Higher levels of parental education had a favorable influence on cognitive functioning over time. Conclusion: Level of cognitive development at 18 months was highly predictive of level of cognitive function at 11 years of age and differences in assessment scores between male and female VLBW infants persisted. Additional longitudinal studies, performed before school entry and across childhood, are needed to further elucidate the cognitive trajectories of preterm children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Ryytty Stålnacke
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mesfin Tessma
- Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics - LIME, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Birgitta Böhm
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eric Herlenius
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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39
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Petanjek Z, Sedmak D, Džaja D, Hladnik A, Rašin MR, Jovanov-Milosevic N. The Protracted Maturation of Associative Layer IIIC Pyramidal Neurons in the Human Prefrontal Cortex During Childhood: A Major Role in Cognitive Development and Selective Alteration in Autism. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:122. [PMID: 30923504 PMCID: PMC6426783 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The human specific cognitive shift starts around the age of 2 years with the onset of self-awareness, and continues with extraordinary increase in cognitive capacities during early childhood. Diffuse changes in functional connectivity in children aged 2-6 years indicate an increase in the capacity of cortical network. Interestingly, structural network complexity does not increase during this time and, thus, it is likely to be induced by selective maturation of a specific neuronal subclass. Here, we provide an overview of a subclass of cortico-cortical neurons, the associative layer IIIC pyramids of the human prefrontal cortex. Their local axonal collaterals are in control of the prefrontal cortico-cortical output, while their long projections modulate inter-areal processing. In this way, layer IIIC pyramids are the major integrative element of cortical processing, and changes in their connectivity patterns will affect global cortical functioning. Layer IIIC neurons have a unique pattern of dendritic maturation. In contrast to other classes of principal neurons, they undergo an additional phase of extensive dendritic growth during early childhood, and show characteristic molecular changes. Taken together, circuits associated with layer IIIC neurons have the most protracted period of developmental plasticity. This unique feature is advanced but also provides a window of opportunity for pathological events to disrupt normal formation of cognitive circuits involving layer IIIC neurons. In this manuscript, we discuss how disrupted dendritic and axonal maturation of layer IIIC neurons may lead into global cortical disconnectivity, affecting development of complex communication and social abilities. We also propose a model that developmentally dictated incorporation of layer IIIC neurons into maturing cortico-cortical circuits between 2 to 6 years will reveal a previous (perinatal) lesion affecting other classes of principal neurons. This "disclosure" of pre-existing functionally silent lesions of other neuronal classes induced by development of layer IIIC associative neurons, or their direct alteration, could be found in different forms of autism spectrum disorders. Understanding the gene-environment interaction in shaping cognitive microcircuitries may be fundamental for developing rehabilitation and prevention strategies in autism spectrum and other cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zdravko Petanjek
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dora Sedmak
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Domagoj Džaja
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ana Hladnik
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mladen Roko Rašin
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Nataša Jovanov-Milosevic
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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40
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Huber E, Henriques RN, Owen JP, Rokem A, Yeatman JD. Applying microstructural models to understand the role of white matter in cognitive development. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 36:100624. [PMID: 30927705 PMCID: PMC6969248 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion MRI (dMRI) holds great promise for illuminating the biological changes that underpin cognitive development. The diffusion of water molecules probes the cellular structure of brain tissue, and biophysical modeling of the diffusion signal can be used to make inferences about specific tissue properties that vary over development or predict cognitive performance. However, applying these models to study development requires that the parameters can be reliably estimated given the constraints of data collection with children. Here we collect repeated scans using a typical multi-shell diffusion MRI protocol in a group of children (ages 7-12) and use two popular modeling techniques to examine individual differences in white matter structure. We first assess scan-rescan reliability of model parameters and show that axon water faction can be reliably estimated from a relatively fast acquisition, without applying spatial smoothing or de-noising. We then investigate developmental changes in the white matter, and individual differences that correlate with reading skill. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that previously reported correlations between reading skill and diffusion anisotropy in the corpus callosum reflect increased axon water fraction in poor readers. Both models support this interpretation, highlighting the utility of these approaches for testing specific hypotheses about cognitive development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Huber
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences and Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, United States.
| | - Rafael Neto Henriques
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Julia P Owen
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, United States
| | - Ariel Rokem
- eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, United States
| | - Jason D Yeatman
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences and Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, United States
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41
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Kozana A, Boursianis T, Kalaitzakis G, Raissaki M, Maris TG. Neonatal brain: Fabrication of a tissue-mimicking phantom and optimization of clinical Τ1w and T2w MRI sequences at 1.5 T. Phys Med 2018; 55:88-97. [PMID: 30471825 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2018.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Tο fabricate a tissue-mimicking phantom simulating the MR relaxation times of neonatal gray and white matter at 1.5 T, for the optimization of clinical Τ1 weighted (T1w) and T2 weighted (T2w) sequences. METHODS Numerous agarose gel solutions, doped with paramagnetic Gadopentetic acid (Gd-DTPA) ions, underwent quantitative relaxometry with a Turbo-Inversion-Recovery Spin-Echo (TIRSE) sequence and a Car-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequence for T1 and T2 measurements, respectively. Twenty samples which simulated the spectrum of relaxation times of neonatal brain parenchyma were selected. Reproducibility was tested by refabrication and relaxometry of the relevant samples while stability was tested by six sets of quantitative relaxometry scans during a 12-month period. RESULTS "Neonatal gray matter equivalent"(0.6%w/v agarose-0.10 mM Gd-DTPA), accurately mimicked relaxation times of neonatal gray matter: T1 = (1134 ± 7)ms, T2 = (200 ± 7)ms. "Neonatal white matter equivalent"(0.3%w/v agarose-0.03 mM Gd-DTPA), accurately mimicked relaxation times of neonatal white matter: T1 = (1654 ± 9)ms, T2 = (376 ± 4)ms. Coefficient of variation of T1 and T2 relaxation times measurements remained less than 5% during 12 months. Sequences were modified according to maximum relative contrast (RC) between neonatal gray and white matter equivalents. Optimized T2wTSE and T1wTSE parameters were TR/TE = 9500 ms/280 ms and TR/TE = 1200 ms/10 ms, respectively for a MAGNETOM Vision/Sonata Hybrid 1.5 T system. Quantitative relaxometry at different 1.5 T MR systems resulted in inter-system T1, T2 measurement deviations of 12% and 3%, respectively. CONCLUSION A precise, stable and reproducible phantom for the neonatal brain was fabricated. Subsequent optimization of clinical T1w and T2w sequences based on maximum RC between neonatal gray and white matter equivalents was scientifically supported with robust relaxometry. The procedure was applicable in different 1.5 T systems. HIGHLIGHT TR & TE optimization of neonatal brain at 1.5 T was based on relaxometry of a stable, reproducible phantom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Androniki Kozana
- Radiology Department, University Hospital of Heraklion, GR71110, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Department of Medical Physics, Medical School, University of Crete, GR 71201, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Themis Boursianis
- Department of Medical Physics, Medical School, University of Crete, GR 71201, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - George Kalaitzakis
- Department of Medical Physics, Medical School, University of Crete, GR 71201, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Maria Raissaki
- Radiology Department, University Hospital of Heraklion, GR71110, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Thomas G Maris
- Radiology Department, University Hospital of Heraklion, GR71110, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Department of Medical Physics, Medical School, University of Crete, GR 71201, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
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Lehtola SJ, Tuulari JJ, Karlsson L, Parkkola R, Merisaari H, Saunavaara J, Lähdesmäki T, Scheinin NM, Karlsson H. Associations of age and sex with brain volumes and asymmetry in 2-5-week-old infants. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 224:501-513. [PMID: 30390153 PMCID: PMC6373364 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1787-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Information on normal brain structure and development facilitates the recognition of abnormal developmental trajectories and thus needs to be studied in more detail. We imaged 68 healthy infants aged 2–5 weeks with high-resolution structural MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and investigated hemispheric asymmetry as well as the associations of various total and lobar brain volumes with infant age and sex. We found similar hemispheric asymmetry in both sexes, seen as larger volumes of the right temporal lobe, and of the left parietal and occipital lobes. The degree of asymmetry did not vary with age. Regardless of controlling for gestational age, gray and white matter had different age-related growth patterns. This is a reflection of gray matter growth being greater in the first years, while white matter growth extends into early adulthood. Sex-dependent differences were seen in gray matter as larger regional absolute volumes in males and as larger regional relative volumes in females. Our results are in line with previous studies and expand our understanding of infant brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Lehtola
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3, 2nd floor, 20520, Turku, Finland.
| | - J J Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3, 2nd floor, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - L Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3, 2nd floor, 20520, Turku, Finland.,Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - R Parkkola
- Department of Radiology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - H Merisaari
- Department of Future Technologies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - J Saunavaara
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - T Lähdesmäki
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - N M Scheinin
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3, 2nd floor, 20520, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - H Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3, 2nd floor, 20520, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
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43
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Dean DC, Planalp EM, Wooten W, Kecskemeti SR, Adluru N, Schmidt CK, Frye C, Birn RM, Burghy CA, Schmidt NL, Styner MA, Short SJ, Kalin NH, Goldsmith HH, Alexander AL, Davidson RJ. Association of Prenatal Maternal Depression and Anxiety Symptoms With Infant White Matter Microstructure. JAMA Pediatr 2018; 172:973-981. [PMID: 30177999 PMCID: PMC6190835 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.2132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Maternal depression and anxiety can have deleterious and lifelong consequences on child development. However, many aspects of the association of early brain development with maternal symptoms remain unclear. Understanding the timing of potential neurobiological alterations holds inherent value for the development and evaluation of future therapies and interventions. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between exposure to prenatal maternal depression and anxiety symptoms and offspring white matter microstructure at 1 month of age. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study of 101 mother-infant dyads used a composite of depression and anxiety symptoms measured in mothers during the third trimester of pregnancy and measures of white matter microstructure characterized in the mothers' 1-month offspring using diffusion tensor imaging and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging performed from October 1, 2014, to November 30, 2016. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed at an academic research facility during natural, nonsedated sleep. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Brain mapping algorithms and statistical models were used to evaluate the association between maternal depression and anxiety and 1-month infant white matter microstructure as measured by diffusion tensor imaging and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging findings. RESULTS In the 101 mother-infant dyads (mean [SD] age of mothers, 33.22 [3.99] years; mean age of infants at magnetic resonance imaging, 33.07 days [range, 18-50 days]; 92 white mothers [91.1%]; 53 male infants [52.5%]), lower 1-month white matter microstructure (decreased neurite density and increased mean, radial, and axial diffusivity) was associated in right frontal white matter microstructure with higher prenatal maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety. Significant sex × symptom interactions with measures of white matter microstructure were also observed, suggesting that white matter development may be differentially sensitive to maternal depression and anxiety symptoms in males and females during the prenatal period. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These data highlight the importance of the prenatal period to early brain development and suggest that the underlying white matter microstructure is associated with the continuum of prenatal maternal depression and anxiety symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elizabeth M. Planalp
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | - William Wooten
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | | | | | - Cory K. Schmidt
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | - Corrina Frye
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | - Rasmus M. Birn
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison,Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
| | - Cory A. Burghy
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | | | - Martin A. Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill,Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill
| | - Sarah J. Short
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | - Ned H. Kalin
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
| | - H. Hill Goldsmith
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | - Andrew L. Alexander
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison,Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
| | - Richard J. Davidson
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison,Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
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44
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Dearden L, Bouret SG, Ozanne SE. Sex and gender differences in developmental programming of metabolism. Mol Metab 2018; 15:8-19. [PMID: 29773464 PMCID: PMC6066743 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2018.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The early life environment experienced by an individual in utero and during the neonatal period is a major factor in shaping later life disease risk-including susceptibility to develop obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The incidence of metabolic disease is different between males and females. How the early life environment may underlie these sex differences is an area of active investigation. SCOPE OF REVIEW The purpose of this review is to summarize our current understanding of how the early life environment influences metabolic disease risk in a sex specific manner. We also discuss the possible mechanisms responsible for mediating these sexually dimorphic effects and highlight the results of recent intervention studies in animal models. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS Exposure to states of both under- and over-nutrition during early life predisposes both sexes to develop metabolic disease. Females seem particularly susceptible to develop increased adiposity and disrupted glucose homeostasis as a result of exposure to in utero undernutrition or high sugar environments, respectively. The male placenta is particularly vulnerable to damage by adverse nutritional states and this may underlie some of the metabolic phenotypes observed in adulthood. More studies investigating both sexes are needed to understand how changes to the early life environment impact differently on the long-term health of male and female individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Dearden
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Treatment Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Level 4, Box 289, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastien G Bouret
- The Saban Research Institute, Developmental Neuroscience Program & Diabetes and Obesity Program, Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA; Inserm, Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Center, U1172, University Lille 2, Lille, 59045, France
| | - Susan E Ozanne
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Treatment Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Level 4, Box 289, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.
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45
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Coome LA, Skorska MN, van der Miesen AI, Peragine DE, VanderLaan DP. An examination of the biodevelopment of gender expression in children ages 6- to 12-years. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN SEXUALITY 2018. [DOI: 10.3138/cjhs.2018-0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay A. Coome
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON
| | | | - Anna I.R. van der Miesen
- Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Doug P. VanderLaan
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON
- Child and Youth Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON
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46
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Endendijk JJ, Groeneveld MG, Mesman J. The Gendered Family Process Model: An Integrative Framework of Gender in the Family. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2018; 47:877-904. [PMID: 29549542 PMCID: PMC5891573 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-018-1185-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This article reviews and integrates research on gender-related biological, cognitive, and social processes that take place in or between family members, resulting in a newly developed gendered family process (GFP) model. The GFP model serves as a guiding framework for research on gender in the family context, calling for the integration of biological, social, and cognitive factors. Biological factors in the model are prenatal, postnatal, and pubertal androgen levels of children and parents, and genetic effects on parent and child gendered behavior. Social factors are family sex composition (i.e., parent sex, sexual orientation, marriage status, sibling sex composition) and parental gender socialization, such as modeling, gender-differentiated parenting, and gender talk. Cognitive factors are implicit and explicit gender-role cognitions of parents and children. Our review and the GFP model confirm that gender is an important organizer of family processes, but also highlight that much is still unclear about the mechanisms underlying gender-related processes within the family context. Therefore, we stress the need for (1) longitudinal studies that take into account the complex bidirectional relationship between parent and child gendered behavior and cognitions, in which within-family comparisons (comparing behavior of parents toward a boy and a girl in the same family) are made instead of between-family comparisons (comparing parenting between all-boy families and all-girl families, or between mixed-gender families and same-gender families), (2) experimental studies on the influence of testosterone on human gender development, (3) studies examining the interplay between biology with gender socialization and gender-role cognitions in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce J Endendijk
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marleen G Groeneveld
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Judi Mesman
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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