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Easson K, Khairy M, Rohlicek CV, Gilbert G, Majnemer A, Nguyen K, Luu TM, Couture É, Nuyt A, Deoni SCL, Descoteaux M, Brossard‐Racine M. White matter microstructure is differently associated with executive functioning in youth born with congenital heart disease and youth born preterm. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e3308. [PMID: 37997566 PMCID: PMC10726855 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Executive function deficits and adverse psychological outcomes are common in youth with congenital heart disease (CHD) or born preterm. Association white matter bundles play a critical role in higher order cognitive and emotional functions and alterations to their microstructural organization may result in adverse neuropsychological functioning. This study aimed to examine the relationship of myelination and axon density and orientation alterations within association bundles with executive functioning, psychosocial well-being, and resilience in youth with CHD or born preterm. METHODS Youth aged 16 to 26 years born with complex CHD or preterm at ≤33 weeks of gestational age and healthy controls completed a brain MRI and self-report assessments of executive functioning, psychosocial well-being, and resilience. Multicomponent driven equilibrium single-pulse observation of T1 and T2 and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging were used to calculate average myelin water fraction (MWF), neurite density index (NDI), and orientation dispersion index values for eight bilateral association bundles. The relationships of bundle-average metrics with neuropsychological outcomes were explored with linear regression and mediation analyses. RESULTS In the CHD group, lower MWF in several bundles was associated with poorer working memory and behavioral self-monitoring and mediated self-monitoring deficits relative to controls. In the preterm group, lower NDI in several bundles was associated with poorer emotional control and lower MWF in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus III mediated planning/organizing deficits relative to controls. No significant relationships were observed for psychosocial well-being or resilience. CONCLUSION The findings of this study suggest that microstructural alterations to association bundles, including lower myelination and axon density, have different relationships with executive functioning in youth with CHD and youth born preterm. Future studies should aim to characterize other neurobiological, social, and environmental influences that may interact with white matter microstructure and neuropsychological functioning in these at-risk individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn Easson
- Advances in Brain & Child Development (ABCD) Research LaboratoryResearch Institute of the McGill University Health CentreMontrealQuebecCanada
- Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine & Health SciencesMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - May Khairy
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of NeonatologyMontreal Children's HospitalMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - Charles V. Rohlicek
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of CardiologyMontreal Children's HospitalMontrealQuebecCanada
| | | | - Annette Majnemer
- Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine & Health SciencesMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
- School of Physical & Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine & Health SciencesMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of NeurologyMontreal Children's HospitalMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - Kim‐Anh Nguyen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of NeonatologyJewish General HospitalMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - Thuy Mai Luu
- Department of PediatricsCentre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte‐JustineMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - Élise Couture
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of NeonatologyMontreal Children's HospitalMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - Anne‐Monique Nuyt
- Department of PediatricsCentre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte‐JustineMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - Sean C. L. Deoni
- Advanced Baby Imaging LabBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Maxime Descoteaux
- Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Laboratory (SCIL)Université de SherbrookeSherbrookeQuebecCanada
- Imeka Solutions Inc.SherbrookeQuebecCanada
| | - Marie Brossard‐Racine
- Advances in Brain & Child Development (ABCD) Research LaboratoryResearch Institute of the McGill University Health CentreMontrealQuebecCanada
- Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine & Health SciencesMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of NeonatologyMontreal Children's HospitalMontrealQuebecCanada
- School of Physical & Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine & Health SciencesMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
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Melazzini L, Mazzocchi L, Vecchio A, Paredes A, Mensi MM, Ballante E, Paoletti M, Bastianello S, Balottin U, Borgatti R, Pichiecchio A. Magnetic resonance advanced imaging analysis in adolescents: cortical thickness study to identify attenuated psychosis syndrome. Neuroradiology 2023; 65:1447-1458. [PMID: 37524967 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-023-03200-2] [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: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Psychosis is a symptom common to several mental illnesses and a defining feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, whose onset typically occurs in adolescence. Neuroradiological studies have reported evidence of brain structural abnormalities in patients with overt psychosis. However, early identification of brain structural changes in young subjects at risk for developing psychosis (such as those with Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome -APS) is currently lacking. METHODS Brain 3D T1-weighted and 64 directions diffusion-weighted images were acquired on 55 help-seeking adolescents (12-17 years old) with psychiatric disorders who referred to our Institute. Patients were divided into three groups: non-APS (n = 20), APS (n = 20), and Early-Onset Psychosis (n = 15). Cortical thickness was calculated from T1w images, and Tract-Based Spatial Statistics analysis was performed to study the distribution of white matter fractional anisotropy and all diffusivity metrics. A thorough neuropsychological test battery was adopted to investigate cognitive performance in several domains. RESULTS In patients with Attenuated Psychotic Syndrome, the left superior frontal gyrus was significantly thinner compared to patients with non-APS (p = 0.048), and their right medial orbitofrontal cortex thickness was associated with lower working memory scores (p = 0.0025, r = -0.668 for the working memory index and p = 0.001, r = -0.738 for the digit span). Early-Onset Psychosis patients showed thinner left pars triangularis compared to non-APS individuals (p = 0.024), and their left pars orbitalis was associated with impaired performance at the symbol search test (p = 0.005, r = -0.726). No differences in diffusivity along main tracts were found between sub-groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION This study showed specific associations between structural imaging features and cognitive performance in patients with APS. Characterizing this disorder using neuroimaging could reveal useful information that may aid in the development and evaluation of preventive strategies in these individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Melazzini
- Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Laura Mazzocchi
- Advanced Imaging and Radiomics Center, Neuroradiology Department, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Arianna Vecchio
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alexandra Paredes
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Martina M Mensi
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elena Ballante
- BioData Science Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Matteo Paoletti
- Advanced Imaging and Radiomics Center, Neuroradiology Department, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano Bastianello
- Advanced Imaging and Radiomics Center, Neuroradiology Department, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Umberto Balottin
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Renato Borgatti
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna Pichiecchio
- Advanced Imaging and Radiomics Center, Neuroradiology Department, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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Easson K, Khairy M, Rohlicek CV, Saint-Martin C, Gilbert G, Nguyen KA, Luu TM, Couture É, Nuyt AM, Wintermark P, Deoni SCL, Descoteaux M, Brossard-Racine M. A comparison of altered white matter microstructure in youth born with congenital heart disease or born preterm. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1167026. [PMID: 37251222 PMCID: PMC10213269 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1167026] [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: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Alterations to white matter microstructure as detected by diffusion tensor imaging have been documented in both individuals born with congenital heart disease (CHD) and individuals born preterm. However, it remains unclear if these disturbances are the consequence of similar underlying microstructural disruptions. This study used multicomponent driven equilibrium single pulse observation of T1 and T2 (mcDESPOT) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to characterize and compare alterations to three specific microstructural elements of white matter - myelination, axon density, and axon orientation - in youth born with CHD or born preterm. Methods Participants aged 16 to 26 years with operated CHD or born ≤33 weeks gestational age and a group of healthy peers of the same age underwent a brain MRI including mcDESPOT and high angular resolution diffusion imaging acquisitions. Using tractometry, average values of myelin water fraction (MWF), neurite density index (NDI), and orientation dispersion index (ODI) were first calculated and compared between groups for 30 white matter bundles. Afterwards, bundle profiling was performed to further characterize the topology of the detected microstructural alterations. Results The CHD and preterm groups both presented with widespread bundles and bundle segments with lower MWF, accompanied by some occurrences of lower NDI, relative to controls. While there were no differences in ODI between the CHD and control groups, the preterm group presented with both higher and lower ODI compared to the control group and lower ODI compared to the CHD group. Discussion While youth born with CHD or born preterm both presented with apparent deficits in white matter myelination and axon density, youth born preterm presented with a unique profile of altered axonal organization. Future longitudinal studies should aim to better understand the emergence of these common and distinct microstructural alterations, which could orient the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn Easson
- Advances in Brain and Child Development (ABCD) Research Laboratory, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - May Khairy
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Charles V. Rohlicek
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Christine Saint-Martin
- Department of Medical Imaging, Division of Pediatric Radiology, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Kim-Anh Nguyen
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Thuy Mai Luu
- Department of Pediatrics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Élise Couture
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anne-Monique Nuyt
- Department of Pediatrics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Pia Wintermark
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sean C. L. Deoni
- Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Maxime Descoteaux
- Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Laboratory (SCIL), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Marie Brossard-Racine
- Advances in Brain and Child Development (ABCD) Research Laboratory, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Topologic Efficiency Abnormalities of the Connectome in Asymptomatic Patients with Leukoaraiosis. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060784. [PMID: 35741669 PMCID: PMC9221063 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060784] [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: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Leukoaraiosis (LA) is commonly found in aging healthy people but its pathophysiological mechanism is not entirely known. Furthermore, there is still a lack of effective pathological biomarkers that can be used to identify the early stage of LA. Our aim was to investigate the white matter structural network in asymptomatic patients with the early stage of LA. Tractography data of 35 asymptomatic patients and 20 matched healthy controls (HCs) based on diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) were analysed by using graph theory approaches and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Diffusion parameters measured within the ALAs and HCs were compared. Decreased clustering coefficient and local efficiency values of the overall topological white matter network were observed in the ALAs compared with those of the HCs. Participants in the asymptomatic group also had lower nodal efficiency in the left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, right calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex, right temporal pole of the superior temporal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus compared to the ALAs. Moreover, similar hub distributions were found within participants in the two groups. In this study, our data demonstrated a topologic efficiency abnormalities of the structural network in asymptomatic patients with leukoaraiosis. The structural connectome provides potential connectome-based measures that may be helpful for detecting leukoaraiosis before clinical symptoms evolve.
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