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Gerussi T, Graïc JM, Peruffo A, Behroozi M, Schlaffke L, Huggenberger S, Güntürkün O, Cozzi B. The prefrontal cortex of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus Montagu, 1821): a tractography study and comparison with the human. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1963-1976. [PMID: 37660322 PMCID: PMC10517040 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02699-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Cetaceans are well known for their remarkable cognitive abilities including self-recognition, sound imitation and decision making. In other mammals, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) takes a key role in such cognitive feats. In cetaceans, however, a PFC could up to now not be discerned based on its usual topography. Classical in vivo methods like tract tracing are legally not possible to perform in Cetacea, leaving diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) as the most viable alternative. This is the first investigation focussed on the identification of the cetacean PFC homologue. In our study, we applied the constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) algorithm on 3 T DWI scans of three formalin-fixed brains of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and compared the obtained results to human brains, using the same methodology. We first identified fibres related to the medio-dorsal thalamic nuclei (MD) and then seeded the obtained putative PFC in the dolphin as well as the known PFC in humans. Our results outlined the dolphin PFC in areas not previously studied, in the cranio-lateral, ectolateral and opercular gyri, and furthermore demonstrated a similar connectivity pattern between the human and dolphin PFC. The antero-lateral rotation of the PFC, like in other areas, might be the result of the telescoping process which occurred in these animals during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Gerussi
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science (BCA), University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy.
| | - Jean-Marie Graïc
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science (BCA), University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Antonella Peruffo
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science (BCA), University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Mehdi Behroozi
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Lara Schlaffke
- Department of Neurology, BG-University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bürkle-de-La-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stefan Huggenberger
- Institute of Anatomy and Clinical Morphology, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50, 58448, Witten, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
- Research Center One Health Ruhr, Research Alliance Ruhr, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Bruno Cozzi
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science (BCA), University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy
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Cartiaux B, Amara A, Pailloux N, Paumier R, Malek A, Elmehatli K, Kachout S, Bensmida B, Montel C, Arribarat G, Mogicato G. Diffusion tensor imaging tractography in the one-humped camel ( Camelus dromedarius) brain. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1231421. [PMID: 37649566 PMCID: PMC10464492 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1231421] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tractography is a technique used to trace the pathways of the brain using noninvasive diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. It is becoming increasingly popular for investigating the brains of domestic mammals and other animals with myelinated fibers but the principle of DTI can also apply for those with unmyelinated fibers. In the case of camels, DTI tractography is a promising method for enhancing current knowledge of the brain's structural connectivity and identifying white-matter tract changes potentially linked to neurodegenerative pathologies. The present study was therefore designed to describe representative white-matter tracts in the one-humped camel DTI tractography. Methods Post mortem DTI was used to obtain images of two one-humped camel brains using a 3 Tesla system. T2-weighted images were also acquired to identify regions of interest for each fiber tract and a fiber dissection technique was used to complement the DT images. The main association, commissural, and projection fibers were reconstructed and superimposed on T2-weighted images or fractional anisotropy maps. Results The results of the present study show the reconstruction of the most representative tracts, ie the cingulum, the corpus callosum and the internal capsule, in the one-humped camel brain using DTI data acquired post mortem. These DTI results were compared to those from fiber dissection. Discussion Anatomy of the cingulum, corpus callosum and internal capsule correlates well with the description in anatomical textbooks and appears to be similar to fibers describe in large animals. Further research will be required to improve and validate these findings and to generate a tractography atlas based on MRI and histological data, as such an atlas would be a valuable resource for future neuroimaging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Cartiaux
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier-INSERM-ENVT, Toulouse, France
| | - Abdelkader Amara
- Department of Pathology, University of La Manouba, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Ninon Pailloux
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier-INSERM-ENVT, Toulouse, France
| | - Romain Paumier
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier-INSERM-ENVT, Toulouse, France
| | - Atef Malek
- Department of Nutrition, University of La Manouba, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Kefya Elmehatli
- Regional Commissariat for Agricultural Development, Tataouine, Tunisia
| | - Souhir Kachout
- Regional Commissariat for Agricultural Development, Tataouine, Tunisia
| | - Boubaker Bensmida
- Regional Commissariat for Agricultural Development, Tataouine, Tunisia
| | - Charles Montel
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier-INSERM-ENVT, Toulouse, France
| | - Germain Arribarat
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier-INSERM, Toulouse, France
| | - Giovanni Mogicato
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier-INSERM-ENVT, Toulouse, France
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Murray SJ, Almuqbel MM, Felton SA, Palmer NJ, Myall DJ, Shoorangiz R, Ella A, Keller M, Palmer DN, Melzer TR, Mitchell NL. Progressive MRI brain volume changes in ovine models of CLN5 and CLN6 neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcac339. [PMID: 36632184 PMCID: PMC9830986 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac339] [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: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (Batten disease) are a group of inherited lysosomal storage disorders characterized by progressive neurodegeneration leading to motor and cognitive dysfunction, seizure activity and blindness. The disease can be caused by mutations in 1 of 13 ceroid lipofuscinosis neuronal (CLN) genes. Naturally occurring sheep models of the CLN5 and CLN6 neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses recapitulate the clinical disease progression and post-mortem pathology of the human disease. We used longitudinal MRI to assess global and regional brain volume changes in CLN5 and CLN6 affected sheep compared to age-matched controls over 18 months. In both models, grey matter volume progressively decreased over time, while cerebrospinal fluid volume increased in affected sheep compared with controls. Total grey matter volume showed a strong positive correlation with clinical scores, while cerebrospinal fluid volume was negatively correlated with clinical scores. Cortical regions in affected animals showed significant atrophy at baseline (5 months of age) and progressively declined over the disease course. Subcortical regions were relatively spared with the exception of the caudate nucleus in CLN5 affected animals that degenerated rapidly at end-stage disease. Our results, which indicate selective vulnerability and provide a timeline of degeneration of specific brain regions in two sheep models of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, will provide a clinically relevant benchmark for assessing therapeutic efficacy in subsequent trials of gene therapy for CLN5 and CLN6 disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha J Murray
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
| | - Mustafa M Almuqbel
- Pacific Radiology Group, Christchurch 8014, New Zealand,New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | | | | | - Daniel J Myall
- New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | - Reza Shoorangiz
- New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | | | - Matthieu Keller
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction & des Comportements, INRAE/CNRS/University of Tours, F-37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - David N Palmer
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
| | | | - Nadia L Mitchell
- Correspondence to: Nadia Mitchell Faculty of Agricultural and Life Sciences, PO Box 85084, Lincoln University Lincoln 7647, Canterbury, New Zealand E-mail:
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Banstola A, Reynolds JNJ. Mapping sheep to human brain: The need for a sheep brain atlas. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:961413. [PMID: 35967997 PMCID: PMC9372442 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.961413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A brain atlas is essential for understanding the anatomical relationship between neuroanatomical structures. Standard stereotaxic coordinates and reference systems have been developed for humans, non-human primates and small laboratory animals to contribute to translational neuroscience research. Despite similar neuroanatomical and neurofunctional features between the sheep and human brain, little is known of the sheep brain stereotaxy, and a detailed sheep atlas is scarce. Here, we briefly discuss the value of using sheep in neurological research and the paucity of literature concerning the coordinates system during neurosurgical approaches. Recent advancements such as computerized tomography, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging are used for targeting and localizing the coordinates and brain areas in humans. Still, their application in sheep is rare due to the lack of a 3D stereotaxic sheep atlas by which to map sheep brain structures to its human counterparts. More recently, a T1- and T2-weighted high-resolution MRI 3D stereotaxic atlas of the sheep brain has been generated, however, the journey to create a sheep brain atlas by which to map directly to the human brain is still uncharted. Therefore, developing a detailed sheep brain atlas is valuable for the future to facilitate the use of sheep as a large animal experimental non-primate model for translational neurological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashik Banstola
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- *Correspondence: Ashik Banstola
| | - John N. J. Reynolds
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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