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Levman J, McCann B, Baumer N, Lam MY, Shiohama T, Cogger L, MacDonald A, Takahashi E. Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Surface Morphometry Analysis of Pediatric Down Syndrome. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:575. [PMID: 39194513 DOI: 10.3390/biology13080575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability whose etiology includes an additional partial or full copy of chromosome 21. Brain surface morphometry analyses can potentially assist in providing a better understanding of structural brain differences, and may help characterize DS-specific neurodevelopment. We performed a retrospective surface morphometry study of 73 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of DS patients (aged 1 day to 22 years) and compared them to a large cohort of 993 brain MRI examinations of neurotypical participants, aged 1 day to 32 years. Surface curvature measurements, absolute surface area measurements, and surface areas as a percentage of total brain surface area (%TBSA) were extracted from each brain region in each examination. Results demonstrate broad reductions in surface area and abnormalities of surface curvature measurements across the brain in DS. After adjusting our regional surface area measurements as %TBSA, abnormally increased presentation in DS relative to neurotypical controls was observed in the left precentral, bilateral entorhinal, left parahippocampal, and bilateral perirhinal cortices, as well as Brodmann's area 44 (left), and the right temporal pole. Findings suggest the presence of developmental abnormalities of regional %TBSA in DS that can be characterized from clinical MRI examinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Levman
- Department of Computer Science, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS B3H 1V8, Canada
| | - Bernadette McCann
- Department of Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Nicole Baumer
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Melanie Y Lam
- Department of Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Tadashi Shiohama
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8677, Japan
| | - Liam Cogger
- Department of Education, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Allissa MacDonald
- Department of Biology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Emi Takahashi
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Dr., Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Faralli A, Fucà E, Lazzaro G, Menghini D, Vicari S, Costanzo F. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in neurogenetic syndromes: new treatment perspectives for Down syndrome? Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1328963. [PMID: 38456063 PMCID: PMC10917937 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1328963] [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: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
This perspective review aims to explore the potential neurobiological mechanisms involved in the application of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Down syndrome (DS), the leading cause of genetically-based intellectual disability. The neural mechanisms underlying tDCS interventions in genetic disorders, typically characterized by cognitive deficits, are grounded in the concept of brain plasticity. We initially present the neurobiological and functional effects elicited by tDCS applications in enhancing neuroplasticity and in regulating the excitatory/inhibitory balance, both associated with cognitive improvement in the general population. The review begins with evidence on tDCS applications in five neurogenetic disorders, including Rett, Prader-Willi, Phelan-McDermid, and Neurofibromatosis 1 syndromes, as well as DS. Available evidence supports tDCS as a potential intervention tool and underscores the importance of advancing neurobiological research into the mechanisms of tDCS action in these conditions. We then discuss the potential of tDCS as a promising non-invasive strategy to mitigate deficits in plasticity and promote fine-tuning of the excitatory/inhibitory balance in DS, exploring implications for cognitive treatment perspectives in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Faralli
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Fucà
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Lazzaro
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Deny Menghini
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Vicari
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
- Life Sciences and Public Health Department, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Floriana Costanzo
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
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Hamadelseed O, Skutella T. Correlating MRI-based brain volumetry and cognitive assessment in people with Down syndrome. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e3186. [PMID: 37496380 PMCID: PMC10570489 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. Children and adults with DS show deficits in language performance and explicit memory. Here, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on children and adults with DS to characterize changes in the volume of specific brain structures involved in memory and language and their relationship to features of cognitive-behavioral phenotypes. METHODS Thirteen children and adults with the DS phenotype and 12 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (age range 4-25) underwent an assessment by MRI and a psychological evaluation for language and cognitive abilities. RESULTS The cognitive profile of people with DS showed deficits in different cognition and language domains correlating with reduced volumes of specific regional and subregional brain structures, confirming previous related studies. Interestingly, in our study, people with DS also showed more significant parahippocampal gyrus volumes, in agreement with the results found in earlier reports. CONCLUSIONS The memory functions and language skills affected in studied individuals with DS correlate significantly with the reduced volume of specific brain regions, allowing us to understand DS's cognitive-behavioral phenotype. Our results provide an essential basis for early intervention and the design of rehabilitation management protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osama Hamadelseed
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell BiologyUniversity of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
| | - Thomas Skutella
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell BiologyUniversity of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
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Wagner MW, Bernhard N, Mndebele G, Vidarsson L, Ertl-Wagner BB. Volumetric differences of thalamic nuclei in children with trisomy 21. Neuroradiol J 2023; 36:581-587. [PMID: 36942548 PMCID: PMC10569191 DOI: 10.1177/19714009231166100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Histological studies have shown alterations of thalamic nuclei in patients with Down syndrome (DS). The correlation of these changes on MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is unclear. Therefore, this study investigates volumetric differences of thalamic nuclei in children with DS compared to controls. METHODS Patients were retrospectively identified between 01/2000 and 10/2021. Patient inclusion criteria were: (1) 0-18 years of age, (2) diagnosis of DS, and (3) availability of a brain MRI without parenchymal injury and a non-motion-degraded volumetric T1-weighted sequence. Whole thalamus and thalamic nuclei (n = 25) volumes were analyzed bilaterally relative to the total brain volume (TBV). Two-sided t-tests were used to evaluate differences between groups. Differences were considered significant if the adjusted p-value was <0.05 after correction for multiple hypothesis testing using the Holm-Bonferroni method. RESULTS 21 children with DS (11 females, 52.4%, mean age: 8.6 ± 4.3 years) and 63 age- and sex-matched controls (32 females, 50.8%, 8.6 ± 4.3 years) were studied using automated volumetric segmentation. Significantly smaller ratios were found for nine thalamic nuclei and the whole thalamus on the right and five thalamic nuclei on the left. TBV was significantly smaller in patients with DS (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the groups for age and sex. CONCLUSIONS In this exploratory volumetric analysis of the thalamus and thalamic nuclei, we observed statistically significant volumetric changes in children with DS. Our findings confirm prior neuroimaging and histological studies and extend the range of involved thalamic nuclei in pediatric DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias W Wagner
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Division of Neuroradiology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nirit Bernhard
- The Hospital for Sick Children Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Gopolang Mndebele
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Division of Neuroradiology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Logi Vidarsson
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Division of Neuroradiology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Birgit B Ertl-Wagner
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Division of Neuroradiology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Hamadelseed O, Chan MKS, Wong MBF, Skutella T. Distinct neuroanatomical and neuropsychological features of Down syndrome compared to related neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1225228. [PMID: 37600012 PMCID: PMC10436105 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1225228] [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: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives We critically review research findings on the unique changes in brain structure and cognitive function characteristic of Down syndrome (DS) and summarize the similarities and differences with other neurodevelopmental disorders such as Williams syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis and systematic literature review of 84 studies identified by searching PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science from 1977 to October 2022. This review focuses on the following issues: (1) specific neuroanatomic and histopathological features of DS as revealed by autopsy and modern neuroimaging modalities, (2) language and memory deficits in DS, (3) the relationships between these neuroanatomical and neuropsychological features, and (4) neuroanatomic and neuropsychological differences between DS and related neurodevelopmental syndromes. Results Numerous post-mortem and morphometric neuroimaging investigations of individuals with DS have reported complex changes in regional brain volumes, most notably in the hippocampal formation, temporal lobe, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and cerebellum. Moreover, neuropsychological assessments have revealed deficits in language development, emotional regulation, and memory that reflect these structural changes and are more severe than expected from general cognitive dysfunction. Individuals with DS also show relative preservation of multiple cognitive, linguistic, and social domains compared to normally developed controls and individuals with other neurodevelopmental disorders. However, all these neurodevelopment disorders exhibit substantial heterogeneity among individuals. Conclusion People with Down syndrome demonstrate unique neurodevelopmental abnormalities but cannot be regarded as a homogenous group. A comprehensive evaluation of individual intellectual skills is essential for all individuals with neurodevelopment disorders to develop personalized care programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osama Hamadelseed
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mike K. S. Chan
- EW European Wellness Academy GmbH, Edenkoben, Germany
- Baden R&D Laboratories GmbH, Edenkoben, Germany
| | - Michelle B. F. Wong
- EW European Wellness Academy GmbH, Edenkoben, Germany
- Baden R&D Laboratories GmbH, Edenkoben, Germany
- Stellar Biomolecular Research GmbH, Edenkoben, Germany
| | - Thomas Skutella
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Fukami-Gartner A, Baburamani AA, Dimitrova R, Patkee PA, Ojinaga-Alfageme O, Bonthrone AF, Cromb D, Uus AU, Counsell SJ, Hajnal JV, O’Muircheartaigh J, Rutherford MA. Comprehensive volumetric phenotyping of the neonatal brain in Down syndrome. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8921-8941. [PMID: 37254801 PMCID: PMC10350827 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability with a wide range of neurodevelopmental outcomes. To date, there have been very few in vivo neuroimaging studies of the neonatal brain in DS. In this study we used a cross-sectional sample of 493 preterm- to term-born control neonates from the developing Human Connectome Project to perform normative modeling of regional brain tissue volumes from 32 to 46 weeks postmenstrual age, accounting for sex and age variables. Deviation from the normative mean was quantified in 25 neonates with DS with postnatally confirmed karyotypes from the Early Brain Imaging in DS study. Here, we provide the first comprehensive volumetric phenotyping of the neonatal brain in DS, which is characterized by significantly reduced whole brain, cerebral white matter, and cerebellar volumes; reduced relative frontal and occipital lobar volumes, in contrast with enlarged relative temporal and parietal lobar volumes; enlarged relative deep gray matter volume (particularly the lentiform nuclei); and enlargement of the lateral ventricles, amongst other features. In future, the ability to assess phenotypic severity at the neonatal stage may help guide early interventions and, ultimately, help improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abi Fukami-Gartner
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Ana A Baburamani
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Ralica Dimitrova
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
| | - Prachi A Patkee
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Olatz Ojinaga-Alfageme
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandra F Bonthrone
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Cromb
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Alena U Uus
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Serena J Counsell
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph V Hajnal
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
| | - Mary A Rutherford
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
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Altered spontaneous brain activity in Down syndrome and its relation with cognitive outcome. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15410. [PMID: 36104362 PMCID: PMC9474876 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19627-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractAlthough Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of neurodevelopmental delay, few neuroimaging studies have explored this population. This investigation aimed to study whole-brain resting-state spontaneous brain activity using fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) strategies to find differences in spontaneous brain activity among young people with DS and controls and to correlate these results with cognitive outcomes. The sample comprised 18 persons with DS (age mean = 28.67, standard deviation = 4.18) and 18 controls (age mean = 28.56, standard deviation = 4.26). fALFF and ReHo analyses were performed, and the results were correlated with other cognitive variables also collected (KBIT-2 and verbal fluency test). Increased activity was found in DS using fALFF in areas involving the frontal and temporal lobes and left cerebellum anterior lobe. Decreased activity in DS was found in the left parietal and occipital lobe, the left limbic lobe and the left cerebellum posterior lobe. ReHo analysis showed increased activity in certain DS areas of the left frontal lobe and left rectus, as well as the inferior temporal lobe. The areas with decreased activity in the DS participants were regions of the frontal lobe and the right limbic lobe. Altered fALFF and ReHo were found in the DS population, and this alteration could predict the cognitive abilities of the participants. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore regional spontaneous brain activity in a population with DS. Moreover, this study suggests the possibility of using fALFF and ReHo as biomarkers of cognitive function, which is highly important given the difficulties in cognitively evaluating this population to assess dementia. More research is needed, however, to demonstrate its utility.
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Saini F, Dell’Acqua F, Strydom A. Structural Connectivity in Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:908413. [PMID: 35937882 PMCID: PMC9354601 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.908413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) arises from the triplication of chromosome 21, which leads to an atypical neurodevelopment and the overproduction of the amyloid precursor protein, predisposing to early Alzheimer's disease (AD). Not surprisingly, trisomy 21 is widely considered a model to study predementia stages of AD. After decades, in which neural loss was the main focus, research in AD is now moving toward understanding the neurodegenerative aspects affecting white matter. Motivated by the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based diffusion techniques, this shift in focus has led to several exploratory studies on both young and older individuals with DS. In this review, we synthesise the initial efforts made by researchers in characterising in-vivo structural connectivity in DS, together with the AD footprint on top of such pre-existing connectivity related to atypical brain development. The white matter structures found to be affected in DS are the corpus callosum and all the main long-association fibres, namely the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, the inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculus, the uncinate fasciculus and the cingulum bundle. Furthermore, the cingulum bundle and the corpus callosum appear to be particularly sensitive to early AD changes in this population. Findings are discussed in terms of their functional significance, alongside methodological considerations and implications for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fedal Saini
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Flavio Dell’Acqua
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andre Strydom
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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Risgaard KA, Sorci IA, Mohan S, Bhattacharyya A. Meta-Analysis of Down Syndrome Cortical Development Reveals Underdeveloped State of the Science. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:915272. [PMID: 35769326 PMCID: PMC9234119 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.915272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental impairment contributes to the hallmark cognitive disability in individuals with Down syndrome (DS, trisomy 21, T21). The appearance of cognitive deficits in infancy suggests that alterations emerge during the earliest stages of neural development and continue throughout the lifespan in DS. Neural correlates of intellectual and language function include cortical structures, specifically temporal and frontal lobes that are smaller in DS. Yet, despite increased understanding of the DS cognitive-behavioral phenotype in childhood, there is very little structural and histological information to help explain the deficits. Consequently, attempts to effectively design therapeutic targets or interventions are limited. We present a systematic review of published research on cortical development in DS that reveals a paucity of studies that rigorously identify cellular features that may underlie the gross morphological deficits of the developing DS brain. We assessed 115 published reports retrieved through PubMed and other sources and found that only 23 reported histological and/or immunohistochemical data to define cell composition affected in DS post-mortem brain. Further, our analysis reveals that many reports have limited samples sizes and few DS samples, making it difficult to draw conclusions that are generally applicable to the DS population. Thus, the lack of replication and limited number of studies indicate that more developmentally focused research, ideally using equal numbers of age-matched samples in analyses, is needed to elucidate the cellular nature of smaller brain size in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isabella A. Sorci
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Sruti Mohan
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Anita Bhattacharyya
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Pubic Health, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- *Correspondence: Anita Bhattacharyya
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Sacco S, Bouis C, Gallard J, Pichot A, Blondiaux E, Marey I, Dorison N, Sturtz F, Cieuta-Walti C, Ravel A, Mircher C. Psychomotor development in infants and young children with Down syndrome-A prospective, repeated measure, post-hoc analysis. Am J Med Genet A 2021; 188:818-827. [PMID: 34863019 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62587] [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: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Children with Down syndrome (DS) show delayed acquisition of cognitive and functional skills compared to typically developing children. The objective of this study was to accurately describe early development of infants and young children (children hereafter) with DS based on a large recent sample. We carried out repeated measure analysis of the global development quotient (GDQ) and developmental age using data from the Assessment of Systematic Treatment with Folinic Acid and Thyroid Hormone on Psychomotor Development of Down Syndrome Young Children (ACTHYF) study (NCT01576705). Because there was no statistically significant difference in the primary endpoint between active treatment and placebo, data from all treatment groups were pooled for post-hoc analysis. Data of 141 children with DS aged 6-18 months at inclusion were analyzed. Mean GDQ decreased over the study period, especially in the youngest age classes ([6-9] and [9-12] months), indicating that acquisition of skills occurred at a slower pace compared to typically developing children. Strongest deficits were observed for motor and hearing and language skills. Only GDQ at baseline correlated significantly with evolution of GDQ. Future studies should aim at elucidating the mechanisms underlying motor and language development. Early pharmacological interventions together with early childhood therapies might be necessary to improve the developmental trajectory of children with DS.
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Modenato C, Martin-Brevet S, Moreau CA, Rodriguez-Herreros B, Kumar K, Draganski B, Sønderby IE, Jacquemont S. Lessons Learned From Neuroimaging Studies of Copy Number Variants: A Systematic Review. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 90:596-610. [PMID: 34509290 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs) and aneuploidies alter gene dosage and are associated with neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Brain mechanisms mediating genetic risk for neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders remain largely unknown, but there is a rapid increase in morphometry studies of CNVs using T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging. Studies have been conducted one mutation at a time, leaving the field with a complex catalog of brain alterations linked to different genomic loci. Our aim was to provide a systematic review of neuroimaging phenotypes across CNVs associated with developmental psychiatric disorders including autism and schizophrenia. We included 76 structural magnetic resonance imaging studies on 20 CNVs at the 15q11.2, 22q11.2, 1q21.1 distal, 16p11.2 distal and proximal, 7q11.23, 15q11-q13, and 22q13.33 (SHANK3) genomic loci as well as aneuploidies of chromosomes X, Y, and 21. Moderate to large effect sizes on global and regional brain morphometry are observed across all genomic loci, which is in line with levels of symptom severity reported for these variants. This is in stark contrast with the much milder neuroimaging effects observed in idiopathic psychiatric disorders. Data also suggest that CNVs have independent effects on global versus regional measures as well as on cortical surface versus thickness. Findings highlight a broad diversity of regional morphometry patterns across genomic loci. This heterogeneity of brain patterns provides insight into the weak effects reported in magnetic resonance imaging studies of cognitive dimension and psychiatric conditions. Neuroimaging studies across many more variants will be required to understand links between gene function and brain morphometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Modenato
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Martin-Brevet
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Clara A Moreau
- Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3571, Department of Neuroscience, Université de Paris, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Borja Rodriguez-Herreros
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et Apparentés, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kuldeep Kumar
- Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Bogdan Draganski
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Neurology Department, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ida E Sønderby
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sébastien Jacquemont
- Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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12
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McCann B, Levman J, Baumer N, Lam MY, Shiohama T, Cogger L, MacDonald A, Ijner P, Takahashi E. Structural magnetic resonance imaging demonstrates volumetric brain abnormalities in down syndrome: Newborns to young adults. Neuroimage Clin 2021; 32:102815. [PMID: 34520978 PMCID: PMC8441087 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21 and characterized by intellectual disability. We hypothesize that performing a retrospective analysis of 73 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of participants with DS (aged 0 to 22 years) and comparing them to a large cohort of 993 brain MRI examinations of neurotypical participants (aged 0 to 32 years), will assist in better understanding what brain differences may explain phenotypic developmental features in DS, as well as to provide valuable confirmation of prospective literature findings clinically. Measurements for both absolute volumes and volumes corrected as a percentage of estimated total intracranial volume (%ETIV) were extracted from each examination. Our results presented novel findings such as volume increases (%ETIV) in the perirhinal cortex, entorhinal cortex, choroid plexus, and Brodmann's areas (BA) 3a, 3b, and 44, as well as volume decreases (%ETIV) in the white matter of the cuneus, the paracentral lobule, the postcentral gyrus, and the supramarginal gyrus. We also confirmed volumetric brain abnormalities previously discussed in the literature. Findings suggest the presence of volumetric brain abnormalities in DS that can be detected clinically with MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette McCann
- Department of Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Jacob Levman
- Department of Computer Science, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada.
| | - Nicole Baumer
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Melanie Y Lam
- Department of Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Tadashi Shiohama
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Liam Cogger
- Department of Education, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Allissa MacDonald
- Department of Biology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Prahar Ijner
- Department of Computer Science, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Emi Takahashi
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 401 Park Dr., Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, 149 Thirteenth Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
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13
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Sorop VB, Enatescu I, Malita DC, Szuhanek C, Florea MS, Balan L, Istrate SL, Boruga MV, Radu D, Anastasiu DM, Susan M. A survey to assess the incidence of Down syndrome risk in rural southwestern Romania. Exp Ther Med 2021; 22:1066. [PMID: 34434280 PMCID: PMC8353639 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2021.10500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the significant evolution in recent years in the medical field, many fetal conditions that can be detected in the early stages, remain a social and economic burden due to a lack of diagnostic and treatment programs. The main objective of the present study was to realize a screening program related to the early detection of Down syndrome, by analyzing biochemical and imaging markers, in women from the rural areas of Southwest Romania. Accordingly, data from 269 pregnant women were taken into evaluation for maternal age, maternal weight, smoking and diabetic statuses, along with ultrasound measurements that were performed to establish fetal nuchal translucency (FNT) and biochemical analysis of free β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein (PAPP-A). Patients at high risk for trisomy 21 (≥1:250) were counseled and the optimal protocol was established for each case. Of the 269 patients studied, 5.6% were included in the risk group based on β-hCG-associated MoM (multiple median approaches) analysis, sonographic measurements and maternal age correlation. Specifically, 60% of patients at risk presented a β-hCG MoM value >1.5 and 20% of patients at risk presented a value ≤0.5 for PAPP-A MoM, and the average maternal age was 33. Measurement of FNT and serum markers, together with associated MoM intervals, was not sufficient to establish the diagnosis of trisomy 21 and to make a risk group inclusion. In summary, the association between sonographic measurements and serum marker values, together with maternal age, are predetermined and indispensable conditions for the most accurate classification in a high-risk group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virgiliu-Bogdan Sorop
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Ileana Enatescu
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Daniel C Malita
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Camelia Szuhanek
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, Department of Orthodontics, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Maria Sorop Florea
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
| | - Lavinia Balan
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Sinziana L Istrate
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Opthalmology, 'Carol Davila' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Madalina V Boruga
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Daniela Radu
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Doru M Anastasiu
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Monica Susan
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
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14
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Tarui T, Im K, Madan N, Madankumar R, Skotko BG, Schwartz A, Sharr C, Ralston SJ, Kitano R, Akiyama S, Yun HJ, Grant E, Bianchi DW. Quantitative MRI Analyses of Regional Brain Growth in Living Fetuses with Down Syndrome. Cereb Cortex 2021; 30:382-390. [PMID: 31264685 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common liveborn autosomal chromosomal anomaly and is a major cause of developmental disability. Atypical brain development and the resulting intellectual disability originate during the fetal period. Perinatal interventions to correct such aberrant development are on the horizon in preclinical studies. However, we lack tools to sensitively measure aberrant structural brain development in living human fetuses with DS. In this study, we aimed to develop safe and precise neuroimaging measures to monitor fetal brain development in DS. We measured growth patterns of regional brain structures in 10 fetal brains with DS (29.1 ± 4.2, weeks of gestation, mean ± SD, range 21.7~35.1) and 12 control fetuses (25.2 ± 5.0, range 18.6~33.3) using regional volumetric analysis of fetal brain MRI. All cases with DS had confirmed karyotypes. We performed non-linear regression models to compare fitted regional growth curves between DS and controls. We found decreased growth trajectories of the cortical plate (P = 0.033), the subcortical parenchyma (P = 0.010), and the cerebellar hemispheres (P < 0.0001) in DS compared to controls. This study provides proof of principle that regional volumetric analysis of fetal brain MRI facilitates successful evaluation of brain development in living fetuses with DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomo Tarui
- Mother Infant Research Institute, Fetal Neonatal Neurology Program, Pediatric Neurology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kiho Im
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Neel Madan
- Radiology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rajeevi Madankumar
- Maternal Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Long Island Jewish Medical Center Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, NY, USA
| | - Brian G Skotko
- Down Syndrome Program, Genetics, Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Allie Schwartz
- Down Syndrome Program, Genetics, Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christianne Sharr
- Down Syndrome Program, Genetics, Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven J Ralston
- Maternal Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rie Kitano
- Mother Infant Research Institute, Fetal Neonatal Neurology Program, Pediatric Neurology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shizuko Akiyama
- Mother Infant Research Institute, Fetal Neonatal Neurology Program, Pediatric Neurology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hyuk Jin Yun
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ellen Grant
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Diana W Bianchi
- Prenatal Genomics and Fetal Therapy Section, Medical Gen etics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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15
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Anagnostopoulou A, Styliadis C, Kartsidis P, Romanopoulou E, Zilidou V, Karali C, Karagianni M, Klados M, Paraskevopoulos E, Bamidis PD. Computerized physical and cognitive training improves the functional architecture of the brain in adults with Down syndrome: A network science EEG study. Netw Neurosci 2021; 5:274-294. [PMID: 33688615 PMCID: PMC7935030 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the neuroplastic capacity of people with Down syndrome (PwDS) can potentially reveal the causal relationship between aberrant brain organization and phenotypic characteristics. We used resting-state EEG recordings to identify how a neuroplasticity-triggering training protocol relates to changes in the functional connectivity of the brain's intrinsic cortical networks. Brain activity of 12 PwDS before and after a 10-week protocol of combined physical and cognitive training was statistically compared to quantify changes in directed functional connectivity in conjunction with psychosomatometric assessments. PwDS showed increased connectivity within the left hemisphere and from left-to-right hemisphere, as well as increased physical and cognitive performance. Our findings reveal a strong adaptive neuroplastic reorganization as a result of the training that leads to a less-random network with a more pronounced hierarchical organization. Our results go beyond previous findings by indicating a transition to a healthier, more efficient, and flexible network architecture, with improved integration and segregation abilities in the brain of PwDS. Resting-state electrophysiological brain activity is used here for the first time to display meaningful relationships to underlying Down syndrome processes and outcomes of importance in a translational inquiry. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04390321.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Anagnostopoulou
- Medical Physics Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Charis Styliadis
- Medical Physics Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Kartsidis
- Medical Physics Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evangelia Romanopoulou
- Medical Physics Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Vasiliki Zilidou
- Medical Physics Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Chrysi Karali
- School of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Maria Karagianni
- Medical Physics Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Manousos Klados
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield International Faculty, City College, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evangelos Paraskevopoulos
- Medical Physics Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Panagiotis D Bamidis
- Medical Physics Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
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16
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Yun HJ, Perez JDR, Sosa P, Valdés JA, Madan N, Kitano R, Akiyama S, Skotko BG, Feldman HA, Bianchi DW, Grant PE, Tarui T, Im K. Regional Alterations in Cortical Sulcal Depth in Living Fetuses with Down Syndrome. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:757-767. [PMID: 32940649 PMCID: PMC7786357 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of developmental disabilities. Advanced analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to find brain abnormalities and their relationship to neurocognitive impairments in children and adolescents with DS. Because genetic factors affect brain development in early fetal life, there is a growing interest in analyzing brains from living fetuses with DS. In this study, we investigated regional sulcal folding depth as well as global cortical gyrification from fetal brain MRIs. Nine fetuses with DS (29.1 ± 4.24 gestational weeks [mean ± standard deviation]) were compared with 17 typically developing [TD] fetuses (28.4 ± 3.44). Fetuses with DS showed lower whole-brain average sulcal depths and gyrification index than TD fetuses. Significant decreases in sulcal depth were found in bilateral Sylvian fissures and right central and parieto-occipital sulci. On the other hand, significantly increased sulcal depth was shown in the left superior temporal sulcus, which is related to atypical hemispheric asymmetry of cortical folding. Moreover, these group differences increased as gestation progressed. This study demonstrates that regional sulcal depth is a sensitive marker for detecting alterations of cortical development in DS during fetal life, which may be associated with later neurocognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyuk Jin Yun
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Juan David Ruiz Perez
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Patricia Sosa
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - J Alejandro Valdés
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Neel Madan
- Department of Radiology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Rie Kitano
- Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Shizuko Akiyama
- Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Brian G Skotko
- Down Syndrome Program, Genetics, Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Henry A Feldman
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Diana W Bianchi
- Prenatal Genomics and Fetal Therapy Section, Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - P Ellen Grant
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tomo Tarui
- Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Kiho Im
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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17
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Banta Lavenex P, Lavenex P. A Critical Review of Spatial Abilities in Down and Williams Syndromes: Not All Space Is Created Equal. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:669320. [PMID: 34122185 PMCID: PMC8193736 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.669320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS, Trisomy 21) and Williams syndrome (WS) are two neurodevelopmental disorders of genetic origin that are accompanied by mild to moderate intellectual disability but exhibit distinct cognitive profiles. In this review we discuss our recent work characterizing the real-world spatial learning and memory abilities of adult individuals with DS and WS. We used several different paradigms in which participants locomote freely and have access to coherent input from all sensory modalities to investigate their fundamental egocentric (body-centered or viewpoint-dependent) and allocentric (world-centered or viewpoint-independent) spatial abilities. We found unequivocal evidence that most individuals with DS exhibit low-resolution egocentric and allocentric spatial learning and memory abilities similar to typically developing (TD) children in the same mental age range. In contrast, most individuals with DS exhibit impaired high-resolution allocentric spatial learning and facilitated response learning as compared to TD children. In comparison, whereas most individuals with WS also exhibit facilitated response learning, their low-resolution allocentric spatial learning and memory abilities are severely impaired as compared to both TD children and individuals with DS. Together with work from other laboratories using real-world or virtual reality paradigms, these findings indicate that in order to navigate in their environment most individuals with DS may use either egocentric route learning that does not integrate individual landmarks, or a low-resolution allocentric spatial representation that encodes the relationships between different locations (i.e., cognitive mapping). In contrast, since most individuals with WS are unable to build or use a low-resolution allocentric or configural representation of the environment they may use visually and verbally encoded landmarks as beacons to learn routes. Finally, we discuss the main neural structures implicated in these different spatial processes and explain how the relative preservation or impairment of specific brain functions may engender the unique cognitive profiles observed in individuals with these neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Banta Lavenex
- Faculty of Psychology, UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland.,Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Lavenex
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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18
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Lee NR, Nayak A, Irfanoglu MO, Sadeghi N, Stoodley CJ, Adeyemi E, Clasen LS, Pierpaoli C. Hypoplasia of cerebellar afferent networks in Down syndrome revealed by DTI-driven tensor based morphometry. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5447. [PMID: 32214129 PMCID: PMC7096514 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61799-1] [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: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigations of brain anatomy in children and young adults with Down syndrome (DS) are limited, with no diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies covering that age range. We used DTI-driven tensor based morphometry (DTBM), a novel technique that extracts morphometric information from diffusion data, to investigate brain anatomy in 15 participants with DS and 15 age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) controls, ages 6-24 years (mean age ~17 years). DTBM revealed marked hypoplasia of cerebellar afferent systems in DS, including fronto-pontine (middle cerebellar peduncle) and olivo-cerebellar (inferior cerebellar peduncle) connections. Prominent gray matter hypoplasia was observed in medial frontal regions, the inferior olives, and the cerebellum. Very few abnormalities were detected by classical diffusion MRI metrics, such as fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity. Our results highlight the potential importance of cerebro-cerebellar networks in the clinical manifestations of DS and suggest a role for DTBM in the investigation of other brain disorders involving white matter hypoplasia or atrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Raitano Lee
- Drexel University, Department of Psychology, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Amritha Nayak
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH, Quantitative Medical Imaging Section, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - M Okan Irfanoglu
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH, Quantitative Medical Imaging Section, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Neda Sadeghi
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH, Quantitative Medical Imaging Section, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | | | | | - Liv S Clasen
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Carlo Pierpaoli
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH, Quantitative Medical Imaging Section, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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19
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Martínez Cué C, Dierssen M. Plasticity as a therapeutic target for improving cognition and behavior in Down syndrome. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2020; 251:269-302. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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20
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Patkee PA, Baburamani AA, Kyriakopoulou V, Davidson A, Avini E, Dimitrova R, Allsop J, Hughes E, Kangas J, McAlonan G, Rutherford MA. Early alterations in cortical and cerebellar regional brain growth in Down Syndrome: An in vivo fetal and neonatal MRI assessment. Neuroimage Clin 2020; 25:102139. [PMID: 31887718 DOI: 10.1101/683656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Down Syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability with a wide spectrum of neurodevelopmental outcomes. At present, the relationship between structural brain morphology and the spectrum of cognitive phenotypes in DS, is not well understood. This study aimed to quantify the development of the fetal and neonatal brain in DS participants, with and without a congenital cardiac defect compared with a control population using dedicated, optimised and motion-corrected in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We detected deviations in development and altered regional brain growth in the fetus with DS from 21 weeks' gestation, when compared to age-matched controls. Reduced cerebellar volume was apparent in the second trimester with significant alteration in cortical growth becoming evident during the third trimester. Developmental abnormalities in the cortex and cerebellum are likely substrates for later neurocognitive impairment, and ongoing studies will allow us to confirm the role of antenatal MRI as an early biomarker for subsequent cognitive ability in DS. In the era of rapidly developing technologies, we believe that the results of this study will assist counselling for prospective parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prachi A Patkee
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Ana A Baburamani
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Vanessa Kyriakopoulou
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Alice Davidson
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Elhaam Avini
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Ralica Dimitrova
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom; Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AB, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Allsop
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Emer Hughes
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Johanna Kangas
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AB, United Kingdom
| | - Grainne McAlonan
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AB, United Kingdom
| | - Mary A Rutherford
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom.
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21
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Patkee PA, Baburamani AA, Kyriakopoulou V, Davidson A, Avini E, Dimitrova R, Allsop J, Hughes E, Kangas J, McAlonan G, Rutherford MA. Early alterations in cortical and cerebellar regional brain growth in Down Syndrome: An in vivo fetal and neonatal MRI assessment. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 25:102139. [PMID: 31887718 PMCID: PMC6938981 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Down Syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability with a wide spectrum of neurodevelopmental outcomes. At present, the relationship between structural brain morphology and the spectrum of cognitive phenotypes in DS, is not well understood. This study aimed to quantify the development of the fetal and neonatal brain in DS participants, with and without a congenital cardiac defect compared with a control population using dedicated, optimised and motion-corrected in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We detected deviations in development and altered regional brain growth in the fetus with DS from 21 weeks' gestation, when compared to age-matched controls. Reduced cerebellar volume was apparent in the second trimester with significant alteration in cortical growth becoming evident during the third trimester. Developmental abnormalities in the cortex and cerebellum are likely substrates for later neurocognitive impairment, and ongoing studies will allow us to confirm the role of antenatal MRI as an early biomarker for subsequent cognitive ability in DS. In the era of rapidly developing technologies, we believe that the results of this study will assist counselling for prospective parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prachi A Patkee
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Ana A Baburamani
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Vanessa Kyriakopoulou
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Alice Davidson
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Elhaam Avini
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Ralica Dimitrova
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom; Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AB, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Allsop
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Emer Hughes
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Johanna Kangas
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AB, United Kingdom
| | - Grainne McAlonan
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AB, United Kingdom
| | - Mary A Rutherford
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom.
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22
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Pelleri MC, Cicchini E, Petersen MB, Tranebjærg L, Mattina T, Magini P, Antonaros F, Caracausi M, Vitale L, Locatelli C, Seri M, Strippoli P, Piovesan A, Cocchi G. Partial trisomy 21 map: Ten cases further supporting the highly restricted Down syndrome critical region (HR-DSCR) on human chromosome 21. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2019; 7:e797. [PMID: 31237416 PMCID: PMC6687668 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Down syndrome (DS) is characterized by the presence of an extra full or partial human chromosome 21 (Hsa21). An invaluable model to define genotype-phenotype correlations in DS is the study of the extremely rare cases of partial (segmental) trisomy 21 (PT21), the duplication of only a delimited region of Hsa21 associated or not to DS. A systematic retrospective reanalysis of 125 PT21 cases described up to 2015 allowed the creation of the most comprehensive PT21 map and the identification of a 34-kb highly restricted DS critical region (HR-DSCR) as the minimal region whose duplication is shared by all PT21 subjects diagnosed with DS. We reanalyzed at higher resolution three cases previously published and we accurately searched for any new PT21 reports in order to verify whether HR-DSCR limits could prospectively be confirmed and possibly refined. METHODS Hsa21 partial duplications of three PT21 subjects were refined by adding array-based comparative genomic hybridization data. Seven newly described PT21 cases fulfilling stringent cytogenetic and clinical criteria have been incorporated into the PT21 integrated map. RESULTS The PT21 map now integrates fine structure of Hsa21 sequence intervals of 132 subjects onto a common framework fully consistent with the presence of a duplicated HR-DSCR, on distal 21q22.13 sub-band, only in DS subjects and not in non-DS individuals. No documented exception to the HR-DSCR model was found. CONCLUSIONS The findings presented here further support the association of the HR-DSCR with the diagnosis of DS, representing an unbiased validation of the original model. Further studies are needed to identify and characterize genetic determinants presumably located in the HR-DSCR and functionally associated to the critical manifestations of DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chiara Pelleri
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied BiologyUniversity of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
| | - Elena Cicchini
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied BiologyUniversity of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
| | - Michael B. Petersen
- Department of GeneticsAalborg University HospitalAalborgDenmark
- Department of Clinical GeneticsAalborg UniversityAalborgDenmark
| | - Lisbeth Tranebjærg
- Department of Clinical Genetics/RigshospitaletThe Kennedy CentreGlostrupDenmark
- University of Copenhagen, Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Panum InstituteCopenhagen NDenmark
| | - Teresa Mattina
- Department of PediatricsMedical Genetics University of CataniaItaly
| | - Pamela Magini
- Medical Genetics UnitSt. Orsola‐Malpighi PolyclinicBologna (BO)Italy
| | - Francesca Antonaros
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied BiologyUniversity of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
| | - Maria Caracausi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied BiologyUniversity of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
| | - Lorenza Vitale
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied BiologyUniversity of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
| | | | - Marco Seri
- Medical Genetics Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC)St. Orsola‐Malpighi Polyclinic, University of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
| | - Pierluigi Strippoli
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied BiologyUniversity of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
| | - Allison Piovesan
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied BiologyUniversity of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
| | - Guido Cocchi
- Neonatology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC)St. Orsola‐Malpighi Polyclinic, University of BolognaBologna (BO)Italy
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23
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Bernard Paulais MA, Mazetto C, Thiébaut E, Nassif MC, Costa Coelho De Souza MT, Stefani AP, Blanc R, Gattegno MP, Aïad F, Sam N, Belal L, Fekih L, Kaye K, Contejean Y, Wendland J, Barthélémy C, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Adrien JL. Heterogeneities in Cognitive and Socio-Emotional Development in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Severe Intellectual Disability as a Comorbidity. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:508. [PMID: 31396112 PMCID: PMC6662559 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Intellectual disability (ID) is frequently associated as a comorbidity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study investigated a) how similar the heterogeneity in the cognitive and socio-emotional developmental profiles was for children with ASD and ID, b) the difference between the subjects' profiles and those of typically developing children (TD) matched for developmental levels, c) the skills existing with the lowest and highest developmental levels, and d) the relationship between developmental profiles in ASD and the severity of autism, ID, and the overall developmental level. Participants: The sample was comprised of 119 children (101 boys and 18 girls) who ranged in chronological age (CA) from 21 months to 14 years (M = 5 years 2 months; SD = 2 years 6 months) with developmental levels lower than 24 months. They came from three countries (France = 40, Brazil = 40, and Algeria = 39). The control group was comprised of 40 TD children from these same countries who ranged in CA from 4 to 24 months (M = 1 year 3 months; SD = 5 months). The ASD diagnosis was carried out according to International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-10th Edition (ICD-10), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th ed (DSM-5) criteria and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Measures: Children were tested using the Social Cognitive Evaluation Battery (SCEB; Adrien, 2007) by trained psychologists from public and private institutions specialized in the diagnosis of autism and interventions in this field. The SCEB explores 16 functional abilities, in both cognitive and socio-emotional areas, and allows the calculation of domain and area developmental levels and heterogeneity indices for the global, cognitive, and socio-emotional areas. Results: Children with ASD developmental profiles show very high heterogeneity as opposed to TD children. Regardless of the country of origin, there are similarities between the heterogeneous cognitive and socio-emotional developmental profiles of the children with ASD, whose profiles are characterized by lower developmental levels of language and vocal imitation skills, and a relationship between these developmental heterogeneities and the degree of severity of autistic symptomatology, intellectual disability, and overall development level. The implications of this study are presented for clinical assessment and intervention purposes in ASD and ID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Anna Bernard Paulais
- Laboratory of Psychopathology and Health Processes (EA n°4057), Institute of Psychology, University of Paris, Paris, France.,Psychology Office ESPAS-IDDEES, Pont-Ste-Maxence and Bordeaux, France
| | - Camilla Mazetto
- Laboratory of Psychopathology and Health Processes (EA n°4057), Institute of Psychology, University of Paris, Paris, France.,CARI Psichology and Education, São Paulo, Brazil.,Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eric Thiébaut
- Lorrain Laboratory of Psychology and Neurosciences of Behaviors' Dynamics (2LPN), University of Lorraine, Nancy, France
| | | | | | | | - Romuald Blanc
- Laboratory of Psychopathology and Health Processes (EA n°4057), Institute of Psychology, University of Paris, Paris, France.,UMR 1253, iBrain, University of Tours, INSERM, Tours, France
| | - Maria Pilar Gattegno
- Laboratory of Psychopathology and Health Processes (EA n°4057), Institute of Psychology, University of Paris, Paris, France.,Psychology Office ESPAS-IDDEES, Bordeaux, France
| | - Fethia Aïad
- Language, Cognition and Interaction Laboratory, University of Blida 2 Lounici Ali, Blida, Algeria
| | - Nadia Sam
- Language, Cognition and Interaction Laboratory, University of Blida 2 Lounici Ali, Blida, Algeria
| | - Lina Belal
- Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University Abdelhamid Ibn Badis, Mostaganem, Algeria
| | - Laid Fekih
- Laboratory of Psychometric and Its Applications, University Abou Beker Belkaid, Tlemcen, Algeria
| | - Kelley Kaye
- Child Psychiatry Department of Sainte Anne Hospital, CREDAT, Paris, France
| | - Yves Contejean
- Child Psychiatry Department of Sainte Anne Hospital, CREDAT, Paris, France
| | - Jaqueline Wendland
- Laboratory of Psychopathology and Health Processes (EA n°4057), Institute of Psychology, University of Paris, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Jean-Louis Adrien
- Laboratory of Psychopathology and Health Processes (EA n°4057), Institute of Psychology, University of Paris, Paris, France
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24
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Sakhon S, Edwards K, Luongo A, Murphy M, Edgin J. Small Sets of Novel Words Are Fully Retained After 1-Week in Typically Developing Children and Down Syndrome: A Fast Mapping Study. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2018; 24:955-965. [PMID: 30375315 PMCID: PMC6211816 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617718000450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Down syndrome (DS) is a population with known hippocampal impairment, with studies showing that individuals with DS display difficulties in spatial navigation and remembering arbitrary bindings. Recent research has also demonstrated the importance of the hippocampus for novel word-learning. Based on these data, we aimed to determine whether individuals with DS show deficits in learning new labels and if they may benefit from encoding conditions thought to be less reliant on hippocampal function (i.e., through fast mapping). METHODS In the current study, we examined immediate, 5-min, and 1-week delayed word-learning across two learning conditions (e.g., explicit encoding vs. fast mapping). These conditions were examined across groups (twenty-six 3- to 5-year-old typically developing children and twenty-six 11- to 28-year-old individuals with DS with comparable verbal and nonverbal scores on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test - second edition) and in reference to sleep quality. RESULTS Both individuals with and without DS showed retention after a 1-week delay, and the current study found no benefit of the fast mapping condition in either group contrary to our expectations. Eye tracking data showed that preferential eye movements to target words were not present immediately but emerged after 1-week in both groups. Furthermore, sleep measures collected via actigraphy did not relate to retention in either group. CONCLUSIONS This study presents novel data on long-term knowledge retention in reference to sleep patterns in DS and adds to a body of knowledge helping us to understand the processes of word-learning in typical and atypically developing populations. (JINS, 2018, 24, 955-965).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Sakhon
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson,
Arizona
| | - Kelly Edwards
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson,
Arizona
| | - Alison Luongo
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson,
Arizona
| | - Melanie Murphy
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson,
Arizona
| | - Jamie Edgin
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson,
Arizona
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25
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES As surprisingly little is known about the developing brain studied in vivo in youth with Down syndrome (DS), the current review summarizes the small DS pediatric structural neuroimaging literature and begins to contextualize existing research within a developmental framework. METHODS A systematic review of the literature was completed, effect sizes from published studies were reviewed, and results are presented with respect to the DS cognitive behavioral phenotype and typical brain development. RESULTS The majority of DS structural neuroimaging studies describe gross differences in brain morphometry and do not use advanced neuroimaging methods to provide nuanced descriptions of the brain. There is evidence for smaller total brain volume (TBV), total gray matter (GM) and white matter, cortical lobar, hippocampal, and cerebellar volumes. When reductions in TBV are accounted for, specific reductions are noted in subregions of the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, cerebellum, and hippocampus. A review of cortical lobar effect sizes reveals mostly large effect sizes from early childhood through adolescence. However, deviance is smaller in adolescence. Despite these smaller effects, frontal GM continues to be largely deviant in adolescence. An examination of age-frontal GM relations using effect sizes from published studies and data from Lee et al. (2016) reveals that while there is a strong inverse relationship between age and frontal GM volume in controls across childhood and adolescence, this is not observed in DS. CONCLUSIONS Further developmentally focused research, ideally using longitudinal neuroimaging, is needed to elucidate the nature of the DS neuroanatomic phenotype during childhood and adolescence. (JINS, 2018, 24, 966-976).
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26
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Vásquez-Navarrete J, Martínez AD, Ory S, Baéz-Matus X, González-Jamett AM, Brauchi S, Caviedes P, Cárdenas AM. RCAN1 Knockdown Reverts Defects in the Number of Calcium-Induced Exocytotic Events in a Cellular Model of Down Syndrome. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:189. [PMID: 30034324 PMCID: PMC6043644 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, Down Syndrome (DS) is a condition caused by partial or full trisomy of chromosome 21. Genes present in the DS critical region can result in excess gene dosage, which at least partially can account for DS phenotype. Although regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1) belongs to this region and its ectopic overexpression in neurons impairs transmitter release, synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, the relative contribution of RCAN1 in a context of DS has yet to be clarified. In the present work, we utilized an in vitro model of DS, the CTb neuronal cell line derived from the brain cortex of a trisomy 16 (Ts16) fetal mouse, which reportedly exhibits acetylcholine release impairments compared to CNh cells (a neuronal cell line established from a normal littermate). We analyzed single exocytotic events by using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter fused to the pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein (VAChT-pHluorin) as a reporter. Our analyses showed that, compared with control CNh cells, the trisomic CTb cells overexpress RCAN1, and they display a reduced number of Ca2+-induced exocytotic events. Remarkably, RCAN1 knockdown increases the extent of exocytosis at levels comparable to those of CNh cells. These results support a critical contribution of RCAN1 to the exocytosis process in the trisomic condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Vásquez-Navarrete
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Agustín D Martínez
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Stéphane Ory
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS UPR 3212), Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives (INCI), Strasbourg, France
| | - Ximena Baéz-Matus
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Arlek M González-Jamett
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Sebastián Brauchi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Pablo Caviedes
- Programa de Farmacología Molecular y Clínica, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Centro de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería (CeBiB), Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Biotecnología y Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ana M Cárdenas
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
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27
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de Knegt NC, Lobbezoo F, Schuengel C, Evenhuis HM, Scherder EJA. Self-Reported Presence and Experience of Pain in Adults with Down Syndrome. PAIN MEDICINE 2018; 18:1247-1263. [PMID: 27694149 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnw226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Objective The aim was to examine whether the presence of pain (based on physical conditions and participants' report) and self-reported pain experience in adults with Down syndrome (DS) differ from general population controls. Design Cross-sectional study of 224 adults with DS (mean age = 38.1 years, mild-severe intellectual disabilities) and 142 age-matched controls (median age = 40.5 years, mean estimated IQ = 105.7) in the Netherlands. Methods File-based medical information was evaluated. Self-reported presence and experience of pain were assessed in rest and after movement during a test session (affect with facial affective scale (FAS: 0.04-0.97), intensity assessed with numeric rating scale (NRS: 0-10). Results Compared with controls, more DS participants had physical conditions that may cause pain and/or discomfort ( p = .004, 50% vs 35%), but fewer DS participants reported pain during the test session ( p = .003, 58% vs 73%). Of the participants who indicated pain and comprehended self-reporting scales ( n = 198 FAS, n = 161 NRS), the DS group reported a higher pain affect and intensity than the controls ( p < .001, FAS: 0.75-0.85 vs 0.50-0.59, NRS: 6.00-7.94 vs 2.00-3.73). Conclusions Not all adults with DS and painful/discomforting physical conditions reported pain. Those who did indicated a higher pain experience than adults from the general population. Research into spontaneous self-report of pain, repeated pain assessment, and acute pain is needed in people with DS for more insight into pain experience and mismatches between self-report and medical information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanda C de Knegt
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Frank Lobbezoo
- Department of Oral Kinesiology, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Carlo Schuengel
- Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies and EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research
| | - Heleen M Evenhuis
- Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Erik J A Scherder
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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28
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Intelligence and specific cognitive functions in intellectual disability: implications for assessment and classification. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2018; 31:88-95. [PMID: 29206685 DOI: 10.1097/yco.0000000000000387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Current diagnostic criteria for intellectual disability categorize ability as measured by IQ tests. However, this does not suit the new conceptualization of intellectual disability, which refers to a range of neuropsychiatric syndromes that have in common early onset, cognitive impairments, and consequent deficits in learning and adaptive functioning. A literature review was undertaken on the concept of intelligence and whether it encompasses a range of specific cognitive functions to solve problems, which might be better reported as a profile, instead of an IQ, with implications for diagnosis and classification of intellectual disability. RECENT FINDINGS Data support a model of intelligence consisting of distinct but related processes. Persons with intellectual disability with the same IQ level have different cognitive profiles, based on varying factors involved in aetiopathogenesis. Limitations of functioning and many biopsychological factors associated with intellectual disability are more highly correlated with impairments of specific cognitive functions than with overall IQ. SUMMARY The current model of intelligence, based on IQ, is of limited utility for intellectual disability, given the wide range and variability of cognitive functions and adaptive capacities. Assessing level of individual impairment in executive and specific cognitive functions may be a more useful alternative. This has considerable implications for the revision of the International Classification of Diseases and for the cultural attitude towards intellectual disability in general.
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29
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Godfrey M, Lee NR. Memory profiles in Down syndrome across development: a review of memory abilities through the lifespan. J Neurodev Disord 2018; 10:5. [PMID: 29378508 PMCID: PMC5789527 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-017-9220-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is associated with a variety of cognitive impairments, notably memory impairments. Due to the high prevalence rates of early-onset dementia associated with DS, it is imperative to understand the comprehensive development of memory impairments beginning in childhood and into adulthood, as this may help researchers identify precursors of dementia at earlier stages of development and pinpoint targets for memory intervention. The current paper provides a systematic, developmentally focused review of the nature of memory difficulties in DS across the lifespan. Specifically, this review summarizes what is known about long-term, short-term, and working memory abilities (distinguishing between verbal and nonverbal modalities) in DS, compared to both mental age-matched typically developing peers and individuals with other forms of intellectual disability (ID) at three developmental stages (i.e., preschool, adolescence, and adulthood). Additionally, this review examines the degree of impairment reported relative to typically developing mental age-matched peers in the existing literature by examining effect size data across memory domains as a function of age. With few exceptions, memory abilities were impaired across the lifespan compared to mental age-matched typically developing peers. Relative to other groups with ID, research findings are mixed. Our review of the literature identified a scarcity of memory studies in early childhood, particularly for STM and WM. In adulthood, research was limited in the LTM and WM domains and very little research has compared memory abilities in older adults with DS to those with typical development. Looking to the future, longitudinal studies could provide a better understanding of the developmental trajectory of memory abilities in DS, and the possible associations between memory abilities and real-world functioning. This research could ultimately inform interventions to improve independence and overall quality of life for those with DS and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Godfrey
- Department of Psychology, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Stratton 119, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Nancy Raitano Lee
- Department of Psychology, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Stratton 119, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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30
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Stagni F, Giacomini A, Emili M, Guidi S, Bartesaghi R. Neurogenesis impairment: An early developmental defect in Down syndrome. Free Radic Biol Med 2018; 114:15-32. [PMID: 28756311 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is characterized by brain hypotrophy and intellectual disability starting from early life stages. Accumulating evidence shows that the phenotypic features of the DS brain can be traced back to the fetal period since the DS brain exhibits proliferation potency reduction starting from the critical time window of fetal neurogenesis. This defect is worsened by the fact that neural progenitor cells exhibit reduced acquisition of a neuronal phenotype and an increase in the acquisition of an astrocytic phenotype. Consequently, the DS brain has fewer neurons in comparison with the typical brain. Although apoptotic cell death may be increased in DS, this does not seem to be the major cause of brain hypocellularity. Evidence obtained in brains of individuals with DS, DS-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and DS mouse models has provided some insight into the mechanisms underlying the developmental defects due to the trisomic condition. Although many triplicated genes may be involved, in the light of the studies reviewed here, DYRK1A, APP, RCAN1 and OLIG1/2 appear to be particularly important determinants of many neurodevelopmental alterations that characterize DS because their triplication affects both the proliferation and fate of neural precursor cells as well as apoptotic cell death. Based on the evidence reviewed here, pathways downstream to these genes may represent strategic targets, for the design of possible interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorenza Stagni
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Giacomini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Emili
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sandra Guidi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Renata Bartesaghi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
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Foti F, Menghini D, Alfieri P, Costanzo F, Mandolesi L, Petrosini L, Vicari S. Learning by observation and learning by doing in Down and Williams syndromes. Dev Sci 2017; 21:e12642. [PMID: 29280247 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
New skills may be learned by active experience (experiential learning or learning by doing) or by observation of others' experience (learning by observation). In general, learning by observation reduces the time and the attempts needed to learn complex actions and behaviors. The present research aimed to compare learning by observation and learning by doing in two clinical populations with different etiology of intellectual disability (ID), as individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and individuals with Williams syndrome (WS), with the hypothesis that specific profiles of learning may be found in each syndrome. To this end, we used a mixture of new and existing data to compare the performances of 24 individuals with DS, 24 individuals with WS and 24 typically developing children on computerized tasks of learning by observation or learning by doing. The main result was that the two groups with ID exhibited distinct patterns of learning by observation. Thus, individuals with DS were impaired in reproducing the previously observed visuo-motor sequence, while they were as efficient as TD children in the experiential learning task. On the other hand, individuals with WS benefited from the observational training while they were severely impaired in detecting the visuo-motor sequence in the experiential learning task (when presented first). The present findings reinforce the syndrome-specific hypothesis and the view of ID as a variety of conditions in which some cognitive functions are more disrupted than others because of the differences in genetic profile and brain morphology and functionality. These findings have important implications for clinicians, who should take into account the genetic etiology of ID in developing learning programs for treatment and education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Foti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.,Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Deny Menghini
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Neuroscience Department, Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Alfieri
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Neuroscience Department, Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Floriana Costanzo
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Neuroscience Department, Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Mandolesi
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Motor Science and Wellness, University Parthenope, Naples, Italy
| | - Laura Petrosini
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Vicari
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Neuroscience Department, Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
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32
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de Knegt NC, Lobbezoo F, Schuengel C, Evenhuis HM, Scherder EJA. Pain and Cognitive Functioning in Adults with Down Syndrome. PAIN MEDICINE 2017; 18:1264-1277. [PMID: 28034975 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnw280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Objective The aim of the present study was to examine whether cognitive functioning (i.e., memory and executive functioning) is related to self-reported presence of pain (i.e., affirmative answer to the question whether the individual feels pain) and experience of pain (i.e., intensity and affect) in adults with Down syndrome (DS). Design, Setting, and Subjects Cross-sectional study of 224 adults with DS (mean age = 38.1 years, mild-severe intellectual disabilities) in the Netherlands. Methods File-based medical information was evaluated. Self-reported presence and experience of pain were assessed during a test session, both in rest and after movement (affect with the facial affective scale [FAS], intensity with the numeric rating scale [NRS]). Neuropsychological tests for memory and executive functioning were used. Results Participants with lower memory scores were more likely to report the presence of pain, while controlling for age, gender, physical conditions that may cause pain, language comprehension, and vocabulary ( p = .030, 58.4% classification rate, N = 154). No statistically significant associations were found between executive functioning and self-reported presence of pain or between cognitive functioning and self-reported pain experience. Conclusions Memory seems to be related to the self-reported presence of pain in adults with DS after explicit inquiry, although the clinical use of this model is yet limited. Therefore, further research is needed for insight into the role of cognitive processes in self-report (e.g., involving aspects such as acquiescence and repeated measurements) to evaluate whether neuropsychological examination could contribute to pain assessment in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanda C de Knegt
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Frank Lobbezoo
- MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam.,Department of Oral Kinesiology, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Carlo Schuengel
- Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies.,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Heleen M Evenhuis
- Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Erik J A Scherder
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Roubertoux PL, Baril N, Cau P, Scajola C, Ghata A, Bartoli C, Bourgeois P, Christofaro JD, Tordjman S, Carlier M. Differential Brain, Cognitive and Motor Profiles Associated with Partial Trisomy. Modeling Down Syndrome in Mice. Behav Genet 2017; 47:305-322. [PMID: 28204906 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-017-9835-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We hypothesize that the trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) is the additive and interactive outcome of the triple copy of different regions of HSA21. Because of the small number of patients with partial trisomy 21, we addressed the question in the Mouse in which three chromosomal regions located on MMU10, MMU17 and MMU16 carries almost all the HSA21 homologs. Male mice from four segmental trisomic strains covering the D21S17-ETS2 (syntenic to MMU16) were examined with an exhaustive battery of cognitive tests, motor tasks and MRI and compared with TS65Dn that encompasses D21S17-ETS2. None of the four strains gather all the impairments (measured by the effect size) of TS65Dn strain. The 152F7 strain was close to TS65Dn for motor behavior and reference memory and the three other strains 230E8, 141G6 and 285E6 for working memory. Episodic memory was impaired only in strain 285E6. The hippocampus and cerebellum reduced sizes that were seen in all the strains indicate that trisomy 21 is not only a hippocampus syndrome but that it results from abnormal interactions between the two structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre L Roubertoux
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
| | - Nathalie Baril
- Department 3C, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Pierre Cau
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.,Department of Medical Genetics, AP-HM, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France.,Service de Biologie Cellulaire, AP-HM, Hôpital La Timone, 13385, Marseille Cedex 5, France
| | - Christophe Scajola
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Adeline Ghata
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Catherine Bartoli
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Patrice Bourgeois
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.,Department of Medical Genetics, AP-HM, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France
| | | | - Sylvie Tordjman
- Paris Descartes University, CNRS, LPP, Paris, France.,Rennes 1 University, PHUPEA, Rennes, France
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Annus T, Wilson LR, Acosta-Cabronero J, Cardenas-Blanco A, Hong YT, Fryer TD, Coles JP, Menon DK, Zaman SH, Holland AJ, Nestor PJ. The Down syndrome brain in the presence and absence of fibrillar β-amyloidosis. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 53:11-19. [PMID: 28192686 PMCID: PMC5391869 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Revised: 01/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
People with Down syndrome (DS) have a neurodevelopmentally distinct brain and invariably developed amyloid neuropathology by age 50. This cross-sectional study aimed to provide a detailed account of DS brain morphology and the changes occuring with amyloid neuropathology. Forty-six adults with DS underwent structural and amyloid imaging—the latter using Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) to stratify the cohort into PIB-positive (n = 19) and PIB-negative (n = 27). Age-matched controls (n = 30) underwent structural imaging. Group differences in deep gray matter volumetry and cortical thickness were studied. PIB-negative people with DS have neurodevelopmentally atypical brain, characterized by disproportionately thicker frontal and occipitoparietal cortex and thinner motor cortex and temporal pole with larger putamina and smaller hippocampi than controls. In the presence of amyloid neuropathology, the DS brains demonstrated a strikingly similar pattern of posterior dominant cortical thinning and subcortical atrophy in the hippocampus, thalamus, and striatum, to that observed in non-DS Alzheimer's disease. Care must be taken to avoid underestimating amyloid-associated morphologic changes in DS due to disproportionate size of some subcortical structures and thickness of the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiina Annus
- Cambridge Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Liam R Wilson
- Cambridge Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julio Acosta-Cabronero
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Young T Hong
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tim D Fryer
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jonathan P Coles
- Division of Anaesthesia, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - David K Menon
- Division of Anaesthesia, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shahid H Zaman
- Cambridge Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, Cambridge, UK; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Hospital, Fulbourn, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anthony J Holland
- Cambridge Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, Cambridge, UK; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Hospital, Fulbourn, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peter J Nestor
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
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35
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Gunbey HP, Bilgici MC, Aslan K, Has AC, Ogur MG, Alhan A, Incesu L. Structural brain alterations of Down's syndrome in early childhood evaluation by DTI and volumetric analyses. Eur Radiol 2016; 27:3013-3021. [PMID: 27798752 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-016-4626-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2016] [Revised: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To provide an initial assessment of white matter (WM) integrity with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and the accompanying volumetric changes in WM and grey matter (GM) through volumetric analyses of young children with Down's syndrome (DS). METHODS Ten children with DS and eight healthy control subjects were included in the study. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used in the DTI study for whole-brain voxelwise analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of WM. Volumetric analyses were performed with an automated segmentation method to obtain regional measurements of cortical volumes. RESULTS Children with DS showed significantly reduced FA in association tracts of the fronto-temporo-occipital regions as well as the corpus callosum (CC) and anterior limb of the internal capsule (p < 0.05). Volumetric reductions included total cortical GM, cerebellar GM and WM volume, basal ganglia, thalamus, brainstem and CC in DS compared with controls (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION These preliminary results suggest that DTI and volumetric analyses may reflect the earliest complementary changes of the neurodevelopmental delay in children with DS and can serve as surrogate biomarkers of the specific elements of WM and GM integrity for cognitive development. KEY POINTS • DS is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. • WM and GM structural alterations represent the neurological features of DS. • DTI may identify the earliest aging process changes. • DTI-volumetric analyses can serve as surrogate biomarkers of neurodevelopment in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hediye Pınar Gunbey
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Neuroradiology Section, 55139, Kurupelit, Samsun, Turkey.
| | - Meltem Ceyhan Bilgici
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Neuroradiology Section, 55139, Kurupelit, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Kerim Aslan
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Neuroradiology Section, 55139, Kurupelit, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Arzu Ceylan Has
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Aslıhan Alhan
- Department of Statistics, Ufuk University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Lutfi Incesu
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Neuroradiology Section, 55139, Kurupelit, Samsun, Turkey
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36
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Lee NR, Adeyemi EI, Lin A, Clasen LS, Lalonde FM, Condon E, Driver DI, Shaw P, Gogtay N, Raznahan A, Giedd JN. Dissociations in Cortical Morphometry in Youth with Down Syndrome: Evidence for Reduced Surface Area but Increased Thickness. Cereb Cortex 2016; 26:2982-90. [PMID: 26088974 PMCID: PMC4898663 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Detailed descriptions of cortical anatomy in youth with Down syndrome (DS), the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID), are scant. Thus, the current study examined deviations in cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA), at high spatial resolution, in youth with DS, to identify focal differences relative to typically developing (TD) youth. Participants included 31 youth with DS and 45 age- and sex-matched TD controls (mean age ∼16 years; range = 5-24 years). All participants completed T1-weighted ASSET-calibrated magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo scans on a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Replicating prior investigations, cortical volume was reduced in DS compared with controls. However, a novel dissociation for SA and CT was found-namely, SA was reduced (predominantly in frontal and temporal regions) while CT was increased (notably in several regions thought to belong to the default mode network; DMN). These findings suggest that reductions in SA rather than CT are driving the cortical volume reductions reported in prior investigations of DS. Moreover, given the link between DMN functionality and Alzheimer's symptomatology in chromosomally typical populations, future DS studies may benefit from focusing on the cortex in DMN regions, as such investigations may provide clues to the precocious onset of Alzheimer's disease in this at-risk group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Raitano Lee
- Child Psychiatry Branch
- Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Ellen Condon
- Functional MRI Core Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Philip Shaw
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | | | - Jay N. Giedd
- Child Psychiatry Branch
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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37
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Pelleri MC, Cicchini E, Locatelli C, Vitale L, Caracausi M, Piovesan A, Rocca A, Poletti G, Seri M, Strippoli P, Cocchi G. Systematic reanalysis of partial trisomy 21 cases with or without Down syndrome suggests a small region on 21q22.13 as critical to the phenotype. Hum Mol Genet 2016; 25:2525-2538. [PMID: 27106104 PMCID: PMC5181629 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Revised: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A 'Down Syndrome critical region' (DSCR) sufficient to induce the most constant phenotypes of Down syndrome (DS) had been identified by studying partial (segmental) trisomy 21 (PT21) as an interval of 0.6-8.3 Mb within human chromosome 21 (Hsa21), although its existence was later questioned. We propose an innovative, systematic reanalysis of all described PT21 cases (from 1973 to 2015). In particular, we built an integrated, comparative map from 125 cases with or without DS fulfilling stringent cytogenetic and clinical criteria. The map allowed to define or exclude as candidates for DS fine Hsa21 sequence intervals, also integrating duplication copy number variants (CNVs) data. A highly restricted DSCR (HR-DSCR) of only 34 kb on distal 21q22.13 has been identified as the minimal region whose duplication is shared by all DS subjects and is absent in all non-DS subjects. Also being spared by any duplication CNV in healthy subjects, HR-DSCR is proposed as a candidate for the typical DS features, the intellectual disability and some facial phenotypes. HR-DSCR contains no known gene and has relevant homology only to the chimpanzee genome. Searching for HR-DSCR functional loci might become a priority for understanding the fundamental genotype-phenotype relationships in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chiara Pelleri
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8, 40126 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Elena Cicchini
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8, 40126 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Chiara Locatelli
- Neonatology Unit, St. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Lorenza Vitale
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8, 40126 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Maria Caracausi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8, 40126 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Allison Piovesan
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8, 40126 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rocca
- Neonatology Unit, St. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Giulia Poletti
- Neonatology Unit, St. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | | | - Pierluigi Strippoli
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8, 40126 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Guido Cocchi
- Neonatology Unit, St. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, BO, Italy
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38
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Cramer NP, Xu X, F Haydar T, Galdzicki Z. Altered intrinsic and network properties of neocortical neurons in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome. Physiol Rep 2015; 3:3/12/e12655. [PMID: 26702072 PMCID: PMC4760451 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.12655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
All individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a varying but significant degree of cognitive disability. Although hippocampal deficits clearly play an important role, behavioral studies also suggest that deficits within the neocortex contribute to somatosensory deficits and impaired cognition in DS. Using thalamocortical slices from the Ts65Dn mouse model of DS, we investigated the intrinsic and network properties of regular spiking neurons within layer 4 of the somatosensory cortex. In these neurons, the membrane capacitance was increased and specific membrane resistance decreased in slices from Ts65Dn mice. Examination of combined active and passive membrane properties suggests that trisomic layer 4 neurons are less excitable than those from euploid mice. The frequencies of excitatory and inhibitory spontaneous synaptic activities were also reduced in Ts65Dn neurons. With respect to network activity, spontaneous network oscillations (Up states) were shorter and less numerous in the neocortex from Ts65Dn mice when compared to euploid. Up states evoked by electrical stimulation of the ventrobasal nucleus (VBN) of the thalamus were similarly affected in Ts65Dn mice. Additionally, monosynaptic EPSCs and polysynaptic IPSCs evoked by VBN stimulation were significantly delayed in layer 4 regular spiking neurons from Ts65Dn mice. These results indicate that, in the Ts65Dn model of DS, the overall electrophysiological properties of neocortical neurons are altered leading to aberrant network activity within the neocortex. Similar changes in DS individuals may contribute to sensory and cognitive dysfunction and therefore may implicate new targets for cognitive therapies in this developmental disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan P Cramer
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine and Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Xiufen Xu
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine and Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Tarik F Haydar
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Zygmunt Galdzicki
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine and Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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39
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Adeyemi EI, Giedd JN, Lee NR. A case study of brain morphometry in triplets discordant for Down syndrome. Am J Med Genet A 2015; 167A:1107-10. [PMID: 25820455 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.36820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Down syndrome, the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability, offers the opportunity to explore the associations between genetics and both neuroanatomic and neuropsychological phenotypes. This case report summarizes the findings of a neuroimaging and neuropsychology study of two adolescent females with Down syndrome and their same-sex discordant triplet siblings (one from each family; n = 4). Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and surface based morphometric approaches, we offer the first in vivo report of cortical surface area reductions and increases in the thickness of the cortical sheet in youth with Down syndrome relative to their typically developing same-sex triplet siblings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth I Adeyemi
- Section on Brain Imaging, Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
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40
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Lavenex PB, Bostelmann M, Brandner C, Costanzo F, Fragnière E, Klencklen G, Lavenex P, Menghini D, Vicari S. Allocentric spatial learning and memory deficits in Down syndrome. Front Psychol 2015; 6:62. [PMID: 25762946 PMCID: PMC4329802 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies have shown that persons with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit relatively poor language capacities, and impaired verbal and visuoperceptual memory, whereas their visuospatial memory capacities appear comparatively spared. Individuals with DS recall better where an object was previously seen than what object was previously seen. However, most of the evidence concerning preserved visuospatial memory comes from tabletop or computerized experiments which are biased toward testing egocentric (viewpoint-dependent) spatial representations. Accordingly, allocentric (viewpoint-independent) spatial learning and memory capacities may not be necessary to perform these tasks. Thus, in order to more fully characterize the spatial capacities of individuals with DS, allocentric processes underlying real-world navigation must also be investigated. We tested 20 participants with DS and 16 mental age-matched, typically developing (TD) children in a real-world, allocentric spatial (AS) memory task. During local cue (LC) trials, participants had to locate three rewards marked by local color cues, among 12 locations distributed in a 4 m × 4 m arena. During AS trials, participants had to locate the same three rewards, in absence of LCs, based on their relations to distal environmental cues. All TD participants chose rewarded locations in LC and AS trials at above chance level. In contrast, although all but one of the participants with DS exhibited a preference for the rewarded locations in LC trials, only 50% of participants with DS chose the rewarded locations at above chance level in AS trials. As a group, participants with DS performed worse than TD children on all measures of task performance. These findings demonstrate that individuals with DS are impaired at using an AS representation to learn and remember discrete locations in a controlled environment, suggesting persistent and pervasive deficits in hippocampus-dependent memory in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Banta Lavenex
- Laboratory for Experimental Research on Behavior, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mathilde Bostelmann
- Laboratory for Experimental Research on Behavior, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Brandner
- Laboratory for Experimental Research on Behavior, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Floriana Costanzo
- Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital Rome, Italy
| | - Emilie Fragnière
- Laboratory for Experimental Research on Behavior, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giuliana Klencklen
- Laboratory for Experimental Research on Behavior, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Lavenex
- Laboratory for Experimental Research on Behavior, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Deny Menghini
- Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Vicari
- Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital Rome, Italy
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41
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Wan YT, Chiang CS, Chen SCJ, Wang CC, Wuang YP. Profiles of visual perceptual functions in Down syndrome. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2015; 37:112-118. [PMID: 25460225 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2014.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the visual perceptual functions measured by the Test of Visual Perceptual Skill-Third Edition (TVPS-3) in Down syndrome (DS). Seventy individuals with DS, seventy with typical development (TD), and forty mental-age-matched participants with intellectual disabilities (ID) were recruited for the assessment session. Significant between-group differences in TVPS-3 were observed between either DS or ID and TD groups. There was no significant difference on TVPS-3 between DS and ID groups. Implications for clinical professionals and recommendations for further research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ting Wan
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Sui Chiang
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Sharon Chia-Ju Chen
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chung Wang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yee-Pay Wuang
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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Fernandez F, Reeves RH. Assessing cognitive improvement in people with Down syndrome: important considerations for drug-efficacy trials. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2015; 228:335-80. [PMID: 25977089 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-16522-6_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Experimental research over just the past decade has raised the possibility that learning deficits connected to Down syndrome (DS) might be effectively managed by medication. In the current chapter, we touch on some of the work that paved the way for these advances and discuss the challenges associated with translating them. In particular, we highlight sources of phenotypic variability in the DS population that are likely to impact performance assessments. Throughout, suggestions are made on how to detect meaningful changes in cognitive-adaptive function in people with DS during drug treatment. The importance of within-subjects evaluation is emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Fernandez
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA,
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Jacola LM, Byars AW, Hickey F, Vannest J, Holland SK, Schapiro MB. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of story listening in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome: evidence for atypical neurodevelopment. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH : JIDR 2014; 58:892-902. [PMID: 23962356 DOI: 10.1111/jir.12089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have documented differences in neural activation during language processing in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) in comparison with typically developing individuals matched for chronological age. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare activation during language processing in young adults with DS to typically developing comparison groups matched for chronological age or mental age. We hypothesised that the pattern of neural activation in the DS cohort would differ when compared with both typically developing cohorts. METHOD Eleven persons with DS (mean chronological age = 18.3; developmental age range = 4-6 years) and two groups of typically developing individuals matched for chronological (n = 13; mean age = 18.3 years) and developmental (mental) age (n = 12; chronological age range = 4-6 years) completed fMRI scanning during a passive story listening paradigm. Random effects group comparisons were conducted on individual maps of the contrast between activation (story listening) and rest (tone presentation) conditions. RESULTS Robust activation was seen in typically developing groups in regions associated with processing auditory information, including bilateral superior and middle temporal lobe gyri. In contrast, the DS cohort demonstrated atypical spatial distribution of activation in midline frontal and posterior cingulate regions when compared with both typically developing control groups. Random effects group analyses documented reduced magnitude of activation in the DS cohort when compared with both control groups. CONCLUSIONS Activation in the DS group differed significantly in magnitude and spatial extent when compared with chronological and mental age-matched typically developing control groups during a story listening task. Results provide additional support for an atypical pattern of functional organisation for language processing in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Jacola
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
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Yang Y, Conners FA, Merrill EC. Visuo-spatial ability in individuals with Down syndrome: is it really a strength? RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2014; 35:1473-500. [PMID: 24755229 PMCID: PMC4041586 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2014.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 03/26/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is associated with extreme difficulty in verbal skills and relatively better visuo-spatial skills. Indeed, visuo-spatial ability is often considered a strength in DS. However, it is not clear whether this strength is only relative to the poor verbal skills, or, more impressively, relative to cognitive ability in general. To answer this question, we conducted an extensive literature review of studies on visuo-spatial abilities in people with Down syndrome from January 1987 to May 2013. Based on a general taxonomy of spatial abilities patterned after Lohman, Pellegrino, Alderton, and Regian (1987) and Carroll (1993) and existing studies of DS, we included five different domains of spatial abilities - visuo-spatial memory, visuo-spatial construction, mental rotation, closure, and wayfinding. We evaluated a total of 49 studies including 127 different comparisons. Most comparisons involved a group with DS vs. a group with typical development matched on mental age and compared on a task measuring one of the five visuo-spatial abilities. Although further research is needed for firm conclusions on some visuo-spatial abilities, there was no evidence that visuo-spatial ability is a strength in DS relative to general cognitive ability. Rather, the review suggests an uneven profile of visuo-spatial abilities in DS in which some abilities are commensurate with general cognitive ability level, and others are below.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Yang
- Department of Psychology, Box 870348, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, United States.
| | - Frances A Conners
- Department of Psychology, Box 870348, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, United States
| | - Edward C Merrill
- Department of Psychology, Box 870348, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, United States
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Hocking DR, Menant JC, Kirk HE, Lord S, Porter MA. Gait profiles as indicators of domain-specific impairments in executive control across neurodevelopmental disorders. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2014; 35:203-214. [PMID: 24176260 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Revised: 10/02/2013] [Accepted: 10/02/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In neurodevelopmental disorders, unique profiles of executive control and attention appear to co-occur with poor motor coordination. However, less is known about how syndrome-specific cognitive profiles interact with motor control and impact behavioural outcomes in neurodevelopmental disorders such as Williams syndrome (WS) and Down syndrome (DS). Here we aimed to examine the extent to which specific components of executive function interact with gait control when performing cognitive dual-tasks (verbal fluency, digit span) in WS and DS. Spatiotemporal gait characteristics and intra-individual variability of gait were assessed in individuals with WS who were matched on spatial ability to individuals with DS, and chronologically age (CA) matched controls. During the concurrent verbal fluency task, the WS group had greater dual-task costs on spatiotemporal gait parameters and variability than CA controls. Conversely, individuals with DS had selective gait interference during the concurrent digit span task when compared to CA controls, but only under increased demands on cognitive control where there was greater variability in step timing in DS. The interrelationships between cognitive-motor interference and behavioural measures of executive functioning appeared to differentiate between WS and DS, and emphasise the importance of task modality in unpacking the executive control profile in these neurodevelopmental disorders. These findings support the notion that associated cerebellar-cortico abnormalities may produce quite distinct profiles of executive control across cognitive and motor domains that impact on behavioural outcomes in neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren R Hocking
- School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Melbourne, Australia; Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia.
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Neurodevelopmental and psychiatric issues in Down's syndrome: assessment and intervention. Psychiatr Genet 2013; 23:95-107. [PMID: 23492931 DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0b013e32835fe426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Down's syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability and patients with DS show significant psychopathology (18-23%). Moreover, individuals with DS often show a cognitive decline associated with ageing characterized by a deterioration in memory, language and cognitive functioning. According to these relevant findings, an overview is presented of state-of-the-art knowledge of the neurocognitive, neurobiological and psychopathological profile, assessment and treatment of patients with DS. The linguistic characteristics of DS develop differently along distinct developmental trajectories. Thus, for example, morphosyntax deficit, especially in production, is more evident in adolescence than in early childhood and lexicon is usually better preserved in all ages (at least in comprehension). So far, rehabilitation is the only effective approach for improving cognitive and linguistic abilities. However, ongoing preliminary reports on other approaches such as transmagnetic stimulation or drugs suggest alternative or integrative treatment for the future. Individuals with DS show typical organization of brain structures related to some cognitive abilities, such as reduced volume in frontal and prefrontal areas, which is related to poor executive and linguistic abilities. They also frequently show psychiatric disorders such as externalizing disorders as well as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Nevertheless, as for other genetic syndrome with intellectual disability, there is a significant lack of research specifically focused on treatments of psychiatric and behavioural problems in DS. This is true both for psychosocial and for pharmacological interventions.
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Anderson JS, Nielsen JA, Ferguson MA, Burback MC, Cox ET, Dai L, Gerig G, Edgin JO, Korenberg JR. Abnormal brain synchrony in Down Syndrome. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2013; 2:703-15. [PMID: 24179822 PMCID: PMC3778249 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2013.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2013] [Revised: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Down Syndrome is the most common genetic cause for intellectual disability, yet the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in Down Syndrome is unknown. We compared fMRI scans of 15 individuals with Down Syndrome to 14 typically developing control subjects while they viewed 50 min of cartoon video clips. There was widespread increased synchrony between brain regions, with only a small subset of strong, distant connections showing underconnectivity in Down Syndrome. Brain regions showing negative correlations were less anticorrelated and were among the most strongly affected connections in the brain. Increased correlation was observed between all of the distributed brain networks studied, with the strongest internetwork correlation in subjects with the lowest performance IQ. A functional parcellation of the brain showed simplified network structure in Down Syndrome organized by local connectivity. Despite increased interregional synchrony, intersubject correlation to the cartoon stimuli was lower in Down Syndrome, indicating that increased synchrony had a temporal pattern that was not in response to environmental stimuli, but idiosyncratic to each Down Syndrome subject. Short-range, increased synchrony was not observed in a comparison sample of 447 autism vs. 517 control subjects from the Autism Brain Imaging Exchange (ABIDE) collection of resting state fMRI data, and increased internetwork synchrony was only observed between the default mode and attentional networks in autism. These findings suggest immature development of connectivity in Down Syndrome with impaired ability to integrate information from distant brain regions into coherent distributed networks. Adjacent brain regions are more synchronized in Down Syndrome. Distant brain regions show less synchronization in Down Syndrome. Negatively correlated brain regions are less anticorrelated in Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome subjects show simplified brain network architecture. Increased brain synchrony does not reflect a response to environmental stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Anderson
- Division of Neuroradiology, University of Utah, USA ; Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, USA ; The Brain Institute at the University of Utah, USA ; Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, USA
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Ahmadlou M, Gharib M, Hemmati S, Vameghi R, Sajedi F. Disrupted small-world brain network in children with Down Syndrome. Clin Neurophysiol 2013; 124:1755-64. [PMID: 23583023 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2013.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2012] [Revised: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore how the global organization or topology of the functional brain connectivity (FBC) is affected in Down Syndrome (DS). METHODS As the brain is a highly complex network including numerous nonlinearly interacted neuronal areas, the FBCs of typically developing (TD) children and DS patients were computed using a nonlinear synchronization method. Then the differences in global organization of the obtained FBCs of the two groups were analyzed, in all electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency bands, in the framework of Small-Worldness Network (a network with optimum balance between segregation and integration of information). RESULTS The topology of the functional connectivity of DS patients is disrupted in the whole brain in alpha and theta bands, and especially in the left intra-hemispheric brain networks in upper alpha band. CONCLUSIONS The global organization of the DS brain does not resemble a Small-World network, but it works as a random network. SIGNIFICANCE It is the first study on global organization of the FBC in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehran Ahmadlou
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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49
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Thurman AJ, Mervis CB. The regulatory function of social referencing in preschoolers with Down syndrome or Williams syndrome. J Neurodev Disord 2013; 5:2. [PMID: 23406787 PMCID: PMC3579739 DOI: 10.1186/1866-1955-5-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED BACKGROUND An important developmental task is to learn to recognize another person as a source of information and to utilize this information as a method of learning about the surrounding world. This socially guided form of learning, referred to as social referencing, is critical for the development of children's understanding of other people, themselves and their surrounding world. In the present project, the regulatory function of social referencing was examined in two genetic disorders that are characterized by differing patterns of socio-cognitive development: Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS). METHODS Participants were 20 children with DS and 20 children with WS aged 42 to 71 months, matched on chronological age and gender. Each child participated in four studies: one study in which we examined performance in a social referencing paradigm and three studies in which we considered performance on tasks designed to tap each of three component abilities (initiating eye contact, gaze following and emotional responsivity) important for success in social referencing. RESULTS The majority of children in both groups demonstrated positive behavioral responses regarding the stimulus in the Social Referencing task when the adult communicated a joyful message but did not regulate their own behavior in accordance with the adult's expression of fear. Between-group differences were observed in both conditions, with most differences indicating more advanced socio-communicative competence for children with DS than for children with WS even though the overall intellectual abilities and receptive language abilities of the children with WS were significantly higher than were those of the children with DS. The results of follow-up studies indicated that children with DS were more likely to initiate eye contact (unsolicited) and to follow another person's gaze in triadic situations than were children with WS. Neither group regulated their behavior in response to expressions of fear. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide new insight into the development of the social cognitive phenotypes associated with DS and WS. These social cognitive differences found during the preschool years likely contribute to the differing phenotypes observed later in life between individuals with DS and individuals with WS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela John Thurman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, UC Davis, 2825 50th Street, Room 2101, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Carolyn B Mervis
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
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Edgin JO. Cognition in Down syndrome: a developmental cognitive neuroscience perspective. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2013; 4:307-317. [PMID: 26304208 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic form of intellectual disability. DS results in a characteristic profile of cognitive and neurological dysfunction. The predominant theory of the pattern of neural deficits in this syndrome suggests that DS affects 'late-developing' neural systems, including the function of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. In order to evaluate the validity of this theory, in this review, I highlight data addressing the neurological and cognitive phenotype in DS across development. In particular, I address the evidence suggesting that DS may impact late-developing neural systems and end with the conclusion that some cognitive difficulties in DS must result from poor communication between late-developing regions. Analogous to recent theories of cognitive processing in autism, cognitive deficits in DS may be substantially impacted by less efficient interregional communication. Finally, I discuss some ways in which understanding the impact of altered neurodevelopment in DS has the potential to inform our understanding of species-typical trajectories of cognitive development. WIREs Cogn Sci 2013, 4:307-317. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1221 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie O Edgin
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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