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Mohammad SA, Nashaat NH, Okba AAMB, Kilany A, Abdel-Rahman AS, Abd-Elhamed AM, Abdelraouf ER. Asymmetry Matters: Diffusion Tensor Tractography of the Uncinate Fasciculus in Children with Verbal Memory Deficits. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2022; 43:1042-1047. [PMID: 35680160 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a7535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Verbal declarative memory performance relies on frontotemporal connectivity. The uncinate fasciculus is a major association tract connecting the frontal and temporal lobes. Hemispheric asymmetries contribute to various cognitive and neurobehavioral abilities. Here we investigated microstructural alterations and hemispheric asymmetry of the uncinate fasciculus and their possible correlation to memory performance of children with learning disorders attributed to verbal memory deficits. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two groups of right-handed children with learning disorders attributed to verbal memory deficits and typically developing children (n = 20 and 22, respectively) underwent DTI on a 1.5T scanner. Tractography of the uncinate fasciculus in both hemispheres was performed, and fractional anisotropy and diffusivity indices (radial diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and trace) were obtained. The asymmetry index was calculated. Verbal memory was assessed using subsets of the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale, 4th edition, a dyslexia assessment test, and the Illinois test of Psycholinguistic Abilities. Correlation between diffusion metrics and verbal memory performance was investigated in the learning disorders group. Also, hemispheric differences in each group were tested, and between-group comparisons were performed. RESULTS Children with learning disorders showed absence of the normal left-greater-than-right asymmetry of fractional anisotropy and the normal right-greater-than-left asymmetry of radial diffusivity seen in typically developing children. Correlation with verbal memory subsets revealed that the higher the fractional anisotropy and asymmetry index, the better the rapid naming performance (P <.05) was. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrated microstructural aberrations with reduction of hemispheric asymmetry of the uncinate fasciculus, which could disrupt the normal frontotemporal connectivity in children with learning disorders attributed to verbal memory deficits. This outcome gives more understanding of pathologic mechanisms underlying this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Mohammad
- From the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Molecular Imaging (S.A.M., A.A.M.B.O., A.S.A.-R., A.M.A.-E.), Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - N H Nashaat
- Research on Children with Special Needs Department (N.H.N., A.K., E.R.A.), Medical Research Division, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - A A M B Okba
- From the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Molecular Imaging (S.A.M., A.A.M.B.O., A.S.A.-R., A.M.A.-E.), Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - A Kilany
- Research on Children with Special Needs Department (N.H.N., A.K., E.R.A.), Medical Research Division, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - A S Abdel-Rahman
- From the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Molecular Imaging (S.A.M., A.A.M.B.O., A.S.A.-R., A.M.A.-E.), Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - A M Abd-Elhamed
- From the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Molecular Imaging (S.A.M., A.A.M.B.O., A.S.A.-R., A.M.A.-E.), Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - E R Abdelraouf
- Research on Children with Special Needs Department (N.H.N., A.K., E.R.A.), Medical Research Division, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
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Waszczuk K, Rek-Owodziń K, Tyburski E, Mak M, Misiak B, Samochowiec J. Disturbances in White Matter Integrity in the Ultra-High-Risk Psychosis State-A Systematic Review. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10112515. [PMID: 34204171 PMCID: PMC8201371 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10112515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling mental illness whose etiology still remains unclear. The available literature indicates that there exist white matter (WM) abnormalities in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Recent developments in modern neuroimaging methods have enabled the identification of the structure, morphology, and function of the underlying WM fibers in vivo. The purpose of this paper is to review the existing evidence about WM abnormalities in individuals at ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR) with the use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information PubMed (Medline) and Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition databases. Of 358 relevant articles identified, 25 papers published in the years 2008–2020 were ultimately included in the review. Most of them supported the presence of subtle aberrations in WM in UHR individuals, especially in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF). These alterations may therefore be considered a promising neurobiological marker for the risk of psychosis. However, due to methodological discrepancies and the relative scarcity of evidence, further investigation is called for, especially into connectome analysis in UHR patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Waszczuk
- Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Broniewskiego 26 Street, 71-460 Szczecin, Poland;
- Correspondence: ; Tel./Fax: +48-91-35-11-358
| | - Katarzyna Rek-Owodziń
- Department of Health Psychology, Pomeranian Medical University, Broniewskiego 26 Street, 71-460 Szczecin, Poland; (K.R.-O.); (M.M.)
| | - Ernest Tyburski
- Institute of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Tadeusza Kutrzeby 10 Street, 61-719 Poznan, Poland;
| | - Monika Mak
- Department of Health Psychology, Pomeranian Medical University, Broniewskiego 26 Street, 71-460 Szczecin, Poland; (K.R.-O.); (M.M.)
| | - Błażej Misiak
- Department of Genetics, Wroclaw Medical University, K. Marcinkowskiego 1 Street, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Jerzy Samochowiec
- Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Broniewskiego 26 Street, 71-460 Szczecin, Poland;
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