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Andersen AM, Kaalund SS, Marner L, Salvesen L, Pakkenberg B, Olesen MV. Quantitative cellular changes in multiple system atrophy brains. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2023; 49:e12941. [PMID: 37812040 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by a combined symptomatology of parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, autonomic failure and corticospinal dysfunction. In brains of MSA patients, the hallmark lesion is the aggregation of misfolded alpha-synuclein in oligodendrocytes. Even though the underlying pathological mechanisms remain poorly understood, the evidence suggests that alpha-synuclein aggregation in oligodendrocytes may contribute to the neurodegeneration seen in MSA. The primary aim of this review is to summarise the published stereological data on the total number of neurons and glial cell subtypes (oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and microglia) and volumes in brains from MSA patients. Thus, we include in this review exclusively the reports of unbiased quantitative data from brain regions including the neocortex, nuclei of the cerebrum, the brainstem and the cerebellum. Furthermore, we compare and discuss the stereological results in the context of imaging findings and MSA symptomatology. In general, the stereological results agree with the common neuropathological findings of neurodegeneration and gliosis in brains from MSA patients and support a major loss of nigrostriatal neurons in MSA patients with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P), as well as olivopontocerebellar atrophy in MSA patients with predominant cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C). Surprisingly, the reports indicate only a minor loss of oligodendrocytes in sub-cortical regions of the cerebrum (glial cells not studied in the cerebellum) and negligible changes in brain volumes. In the past decades, the use of stereological methods has provided a vast amount of accurate information on cell numbers and volumes in the brains of MSA patients. Combining different techniques such as stereology and diagnostic imaging (e.g. MRI, PET and SPECT) with clinical data allows for a more detailed interdisciplinary understanding of the disease and illuminates the relationship between neuropathological changes and MSA symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberte M Andersen
- Centre for Neuroscience and Stereology, Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sanne S Kaalund
- Centre for Neuroscience and Stereology, Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lisbeth Marner
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lisette Salvesen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bente Pakkenberg
- Centre for Neuroscience and Stereology, Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mikkel V Olesen
- Centre for Neuroscience and Stereology, Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Fuhrmann D, Madsen KS, Johansen LB, Baaré WFC, Kievit RA. The midpoint of cortical thinning between late childhood and early adulthood differs between individuals and brain regions: Evidence from longitudinal modelling in a 12-wave neuroimaging sample. Neuroimage 2022; 261:119507. [PMID: 35882270 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Charting human brain maturation between childhood and adulthood is a fundamental prerequisite for understanding the rapid biological and psychological changes during human development. Two barriers have precluded the quantification of maturational trajectories: demands on data and demands on estimation. Using high-temporal resolution neuroimaging data of up to 12-waves in the HUBU cohort (N = 90, aged 7-21 years) we investigate changes in apparent cortical thickness across childhood and adolescence. Fitting a four-parameter logistic nonlinear random effects mixed model, we quantified the characteristic, s-shaped, trajectory of cortical thinning in adolescence. This approach yields biologically meaningful parameters, including the midpoint of cortical thinning (MCT), which corresponds to the age at which the cortex shows most rapid thinning - in our sample occurring, on average, at 14 years of age. These results show that, given suitable data and models, cortical maturation can be quantified with precision for each individual and brain region.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Fuhrmann
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - K S Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Kettegaard Allé 30, DK-2650, Hvidovre, Denmark; Radiography, Department of Technology, University College Copenhagen, Sigurdsgade 26, DK-2200, Copenhagen N., Denmark
| | - L B Johansen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Kettegaard Allé 30, DK-2650, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - W F C Baaré
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Kettegaard Allé 30, DK-2650, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - R A Kievit
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Watson F, Coppi AA, Volk HA, Packer RMA, Tauro A, Rusbridge C. Comparison of volume of the forebrain, subarachnoid space and lateral ventricles between dogs with idiopathic epilepsy and controls using a stereological approach: Cavalieri's principle. Canine Med Genet 2021; 8:3. [PMID: 33691781 PMCID: PMC7944915 DOI: 10.1186/s40575-021-00101-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Canine idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common chronic neurological brain disease in dogs, yet it can only be diagnosed by exclusion of all other potential causes. In people, epilepsy has been associated with a reduction in brain volume. The objective was to estimate the volume of the forebrain (FB), subarachnoid space (SAS) and lateral ventricles (LV) in dogs with IE compared to controls using Cavalieri’s principle. MRI scans of case and control dogs were identified from two neurology referral hospital databases. Eight breeds with increased odds of having IE were included: Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, Border terrier, German Shepherd dog, Parson Jack Russell terrier, Boxer, and Border Collie. Five dogs of each breed with IE and up to five controls were systematically and uniformly randomly sampled (SURS). The volume of the FB, SAS and LV were estimated from MRI scans by one blinded observer using Cavalieri’s principle. Results One hundred-two dogs were identified; 56 were diagnosed with IE and 46 were controls. There was no statistically significant difference in FB, SAS and LV volume between dogs with IE and controls. Dogs with a history of status epilepticus had significantly larger FB than those without (p = 0.05). There was a border-line trend for LV volume to increase with increasing length of seizure history in the IE group (p = 0.055). Conclusion The volumes of the FB, SAS and LV are not different between dogs with IE and controls, so IE remains a diagnosis of exclusion with no specific neuroanatomical biomarkers identified. This is the first time FB and SAS volume has been compared in dogs with IE. Unfortunately, we have shown that the results reporting significantly larger FBs in dogs with status epilepticus and LV volume increase with length of seizure history were likely confounded by breed and should be interpreted cautiously. Whilst these associations are interesting and clinically relevant, further investigation with breed-specific or larger, breed-diverse populations are required to permit strong conclusions. The Cavalieri principle provided an effective estimation of FB, SAS and LV volumes on MRI, but may be too time-intensive for use in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fraje Watson
- Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, UK. .,Present Address: University College London, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, Aspire CREATe, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Brockley Hill, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 4LP, UK.
| | - A Augusto Coppi
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG25 0QF, UK
| | - Holger A Volk
- Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, UK.,Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg, 30559, Hanover, Germany
| | - Rowena M A Packer
- Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Anna Tauro
- Chestergates Veterinary Specialists, Telford Court, Units E and F, Gates Lane, Chester, CH1 6LT, UK
| | - Clare Rusbridge
- Present Address: University College London, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, Aspire CREATe, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Brockley Hill, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 4LP, UK.,School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Healthy & Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Main Academic Building (VSM), Daphne Jackson Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7AL, UK
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Songthawornpong N, Teasdale TW, Olesen MV, Pakkenberg B. Is There a Correlation Between the Number of Brain Cells and IQ? Cereb Cortex 2020; 31:650-657. [PMID: 32939536 PMCID: PMC7727338 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Our access to a unique material of postmortem brains obtained from decades of data collection enabled a stereological analysis of the neuron numbers and correlation of results with individual premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ) data. In our sample of 50 brains from men, we find that IQ does not correlate with the number of brain cells in the human neocortex and was only weakly correlated to brain weight. Our stereological examination extended to measures of several other parameters that might be of relevance to intelligence, including numbers of cerebral glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia) and the volume of key areas in the gray and white matter and of the cerebral ventricles, also showing near-zero nonsignificant correlations to IQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicharatch Songthawornpong
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas W Teasdale
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mikkel V Olesen
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bente Pakkenberg
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Zeinali R, Keshtkar A, Zamani A, Gharehaghaji N. Brain Volume Estimation Enhancement by Morphological Image Processing Tools. J Biomed Phys Eng 2017; 7:379-388. [PMID: 29445714 PMCID: PMC5809931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Volume estimation of brain is important for many neurological applications. It is necessary in measuring brain growth and changes in brain in normal/abnormal patients. Thus, accurate brain volume measurement is very important. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the method of choice for volume quantification due to excellent levels of image resolution and between-tissue contrast. Stereology method is a good method for estimating volume but it requires to segment enough MRI slices and have a good resolution. In this study, it is desired to enhance stereology method for volume estimation of brain using less MRI slices with less resolution. METHODS In this study, a program for calculating volume using stereology method has been introduced. After morphologic method, dilation was applied and the stereology method enhanced. For the evaluation of this method, we used T1-wighted MR images from digital phantom in BrainWeb which had ground truth. RESULTS The volume of 20 normal brain extracted from BrainWeb, was calculated. The volumes of white matter, gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid with given dimension were estimated correctly. Volume calculation from Stereology method in different cases was made. In three cases, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was measured. Case I with T=5, d=5, Case II with T=10, D=10 and Case III with T=20, d=20 (T=slice thickness, d=resolution as stereology parameters). By comparing these results of two methods, it is obvious that RMSE values for our proposed method are smaller than Stereology method. CONCLUSION Using morphological operation, dilation allows to enhance the estimation volume method, Stereology. In the case with less MRI slices and less test points, this method works much better compared to Stereology method.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Zeinali
- M.Sc. Student of Medical Physics, Tabriz University of Medical Science,Tabriz, Iran
| | - A. Keshtkar
- Professor of Medical Physics and Engineering, Medical Physics Department, School of Medicine, Tabriz, Iran
| | - A. Zamani
- Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Dept., Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - N. Gharehaghaji
- Associate Professor of Medical Physics, Radiology Department, School of Paramedical, Tabriz, Iran
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Comparison of automated brain volumetry methods with stereology in children aged 2 to 3 years. Neuroradiology 2016; 58:901-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s00234-016-1714-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Delgado-González JC, Mansilla-Legorburo F, Florensa-Vila J, Insausti AM, Viñuela A, Tuñón-Alvarez T, Cruz M, Mohedano-Moriano A, Insausti R, Artacho-Pérula E. Quantitative Measurements in the Human Hippocampus and Related Areas: Correspondence between Ex-Vivo MRI and Histological Preparations. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130314. [PMID: 26098887 PMCID: PMC4476703 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The decrease of volume estimates in different structures of the medial temporal lobe related to memory correlate with the decline of cognitive functions in neurodegenerative diseases. This study presents data on the association between MRI quantitative parameters of medial temporal lobe structures and their quantitative estimate in microscopic examination. Twelve control cases had ex-vivo MRI, and thereafter, the temporal lobe of both hemispheres was sectioned from the pole as far as the level of the splenium of the corpus callosum. Nissl stain was used to establish anatomical boundaries between structures in the medial temporal lobe. The study included morphometrical and stereological estimates of the amygdaloid complex, hippocampus, and temporal horn of the lateral ventricle, as well as different regions of grey and white matter in the temporal lobe. Data showed a close association between morphometric MRI images values and those based on the histological determination of boundaries. Only values in perimeter and circularity of the piamater were different. This correspondence is also revealed by the stereological study, although irregular compartments resulted in a lesser agreement. Neither age (< 65 yr and > 65 yr) nor hemisphere had any effect. Our results indicate that ex-vivo MRI is highly associated with quantitative information gathered by histological examination, and these data could be used as structural MRI biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Carlos Delgado-González
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory and C.R.I.B., School of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Francisco Mansilla-Legorburo
- Radiology Service, Magnetic Resonance Unit, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete (CHUA), Albacete, Spain
| | - José Florensa-Vila
- Radiodiagnostic Service, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos (HNP), Toledo, Spain
| | - Ana María Insausti
- Department of Health, Physical Therapy School, Public University of Navarra, Tudela, Spain
| | - Antonio Viñuela
- School of Advanced Education, Research and Accreditation, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | | | - Marcos Cruz
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computation, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Alicia Mohedano-Moriano
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory and C.R.I.B., School of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Ricardo Insausti
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory and C.R.I.B., School of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Emilio Artacho-Pérula
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory and C.R.I.B., School of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Cruz-Orive LM, Gelšvartas J, Roberts N. Sampling theory and automated simulations for vertical sections, applied to human brain. J Microsc 2013; 253:119-50. [PMID: 24422975 DOI: 10.1111/jmi.12103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, there have been substantial developments in both magnetic resonance imaging techniques and automatic image analysis software. The purpose of this paper is to develop stereological image sampling theory (i.e. unbiased sampling rules) that can be used by image analysts for estimating geometric quantities such as surface area and volume, and to illustrate its implementation. The methods will ideally be applied automatically on segmented, properly sampled 2D images - although convenient manual application is always an option - and they are of wide applicability in many disciplines. In particular, the vertical sections design to estimate surface area is described in detail and applied to estimate the area of the pial surface and of the boundary between cortex and underlying white matter (i.e. subcortical surface area). For completeness, cortical volume and mean cortical thickness are also estimated. The aforementioned surfaces were triangulated in 3D with the aid of FreeSurfer software, which provided accurate surface area measures that served as gold standards. Furthermore, a software was developed to produce digitized trace curves of the triangulated target surfaces automatically from virtual sections. From such traces, a new method (called the 'lambda method') is presented to estimate surface area automatically. In addition, with the new software, intersections could be counted automatically between the relevant surface traces and a cycloid test grid for the classical design. This capability, together with the aforementioned gold standard, enabled us to thoroughly check the performance and the variability of the different estimators by Monte Carlo simulations for studying the human brain. In particular, new methods are offered to split the total error variance into the orientations, sectioning and cycloid components. The latter prediction was hitherto unavailable--one is proposed here and checked by way of simulations on a given set of digitized vertical sections with automatically superimposed cycloid grids of three different sizes. Concrete and detailed recommendations are given to implement the methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Cruz-Orive
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computation, Faculty of Sciences, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
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