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Mandl S, Kienast P, Kollndorfer K, Kasprian G, Weber M, Seidl R, Bartha-Doering L. Larger corpus callosum volume is favorable for theory of mind development in healthy children. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:11197-11205. [PMID: 37823275 PMCID: PMC10690855 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad353] [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: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
While previous research has demonstrated a link between the corpus callosum (CC) and theory of mind (ToM) abilities in individuals with corpus callosum agenesis (ACC), the relationship between CC volume and ToM remains unclear in healthy children. The present study examined whether CC volume influences children's performance on ToM tasks that assess their understanding of pretense, emotion recognition, and false beliefs. Forty children aged 6-12 years underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a cognitive test battery. We found that larger mid-anterior and central subsections of the CC significantly correlated with better ToM abilities. We could also demonstrate age- and sex-related effects, as the CC-ToM relationship differed between younger (6-8 years) and older (9-12 years) children, and between female and male participants. Importantly, the older children drove the association between the CC mid-anterior and central subsection volumes and ToM abilities. This study is the first to demonstrate that CC size is associated with ToM abilities in healthy children, underlining the idea that the CC plays a vital role in their socio-cognitive development. CC subsection volumes may thus not only serve as a measure of heterogeneity in neurodevelopmental populations known to exhibit socio-cognitive deficits, but also in typically developing children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Mandl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Patric Kienast
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Kathrin Kollndorfer
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Gregor Kasprian
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Michael Weber
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Rainer Seidl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Lisa Bartha-Doering
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
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Corpus callosum organization and its implication to core and co-occurring symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:775-785. [PMID: 36867240 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02617-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by social interaction and communication deficits, repetitive behavior and often by co-occurring conditions such as language and non-verbal IQ development delays. Previous studies reported that those behavioral abnormalities can be associated with corpus callosum organization. However, little is known about the specific differences in white matter structure of the corpus callosum parts in children with ASD and TD peers and their relationships to core and co-occurring symptoms of ASD. The aim of the study was to investigate the volumetric and microstructural characteristics of the corpus callosum parts crucially involved in social, language, and non-verbal IQ behavior in primary-school-aged children with ASD and to assess the relationships between these characteristics and behavioral measures. 38 children (19 with ASD and 19 typically developing (TD) controls) were scanned using diffusion-weighted MRI and assessed with behavioral tests. The tractography of the corpus callosum parts were performed using Quantitative Imaging Toolkit software; diffusivity and volumetric measurements were extracted for the analysis. In the ASD group, fractional anisotropy (FA) was decreased across the supplementary motor area and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and axial diffusivity (AD) was reduced across each of the corpus callosum parts in comparison to the TD group. Importantly, the AD decrease was related to worse language skills and more severe autistic traits in individuals with ASD. The microstructure of the corpus callosum parts differs between children with and without ASD. Abnormalities in white matter organization of the corpus callosum parts are associated with core and co-occurring symptoms of ASD.
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Sultan S. Translating neuroimaging changes to neuro-endophenotypes of autistic spectrum disorder: a narrative review. THE EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROSURGERY 2022. [DOI: 10.1186/s41983-022-00578-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Autism-spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder with heterogeneity in etiopathogenesis and clinical presentation. Neuroanatomical and neurophysiological abnormalities may represent neural endophenotypes for autism spectrum disorders which may help identify subgroups of patients seemingly similar in clinical presentation yet different in their pathophysiological underpinnings. Furthermore, a thorough understanding of the pathophysiology of disease can pave the way to effective treatments, prevention, and prognostic predictions. The aim of this review is to identify the predominant neural endophenotypes in autism-spectrum disorder. The evidence was researched at the following electronic databases: Pubmed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE.
Results
Enlarged brain, especially frontotemporal cortices have been consistently reported by structural neuroimaging, whereas functional neuroimaging has revealed frontotemporal dysconnectivity.
Conclusions
Regrettably, many of these findings have not been consistent. Therefore, translating these findings into neural endophenotype is by far an attempt in its budding stage. The structural and functional neuroimaging changes may represent neural endophenotypes unique to autism-spectrum disorder. Despite inconsistent results, a clinically meaningful finding may require combined efforts of autism-spectrum-disorder researchers focused on different aspects of basic, genetic, neuroimaging, and clinical research.
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Park HR, Kim IH, Kang H, Lee DS, Kim BN, Kim DG, Paek SH. Nucleus accumbens deep brain stimulation for a patient with self-injurious behavior and autism spectrum disorder: functional and structural changes of the brain: report of a case and review of literature. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2017; 159:137-143. [PMID: 27807672 DOI: 10.1007/s00701-016-3002-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this report was to investigate the clinical outcome of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the functional and structural changes in the brain after DBS. We present a 14-year-old boy with ASD and self-injurious behavior (SIB) refractory with medical and behavioral therapy. He was treated by bilateral nucleus accumbens (NAc) DBS. Remarkable clinical improvement was observed following NAc DBS. Brain fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetric studies revealed that the metabolism in the prefrontal and the frontal cortex as well as the occipital cortex was markedly decreased in association with the decreased cortical volumes in those areas 2 years after NAc DBS. The therapeutic potential of NAc DBS is suggested for the clinical improvement of patients with ASD and SIB with structural and functional changes after DBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Ran Park
- Department of Neurosurgery, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - In Hyang Kim
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyejin Kang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Dong Soo Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Bung-Nyun Kim
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Dong Gyu Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Ha Paek
- Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
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Gottfried C, Bambini-Junior V, Francis F, Riesgo R, Savino W. The Impact of Neuroimmune Alterations in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2015; 6:121. [PMID: 26441683 PMCID: PMC4563148 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves a complex interplay of both genetic and environmental risk factors, with immune alterations and synaptic connection deficiency in early life. In the past decade, studies of ASD have substantially increased, in both humans and animal models. Immunological imbalance (including autoimmunity) has been proposed as a major etiological component in ASD, taking into account increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines observed in postmortem brain from patients, as well as autoantibody production. Also, epidemiological studies have established a correlation of ASD with family history of autoimmune diseases; associations with major histocompatibility complex haplotypes and abnormal levels of immunological markers in the blood. Moreover, the use of animal models to study ASD is providing increasing information on the relationship between the immune system and the pathophysiology of ASD. Herein, we will discuss the accumulating literature for ASD, giving special attention to the relevant aspects of factors that may be related to the neuroimmune interface in the development of ASD, including changes in neuroplasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmem Gottfried
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorder (GETTEA), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Research Group in Neuroglial Plasticity, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Victorio Bambini-Junior
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorder (GETTEA), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Research Group in Neuroglial Plasticity, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fiona Francis
- Sorbonne Université, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- INSERM UMR-S 839, Paris, France
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, Paris, France
| | - Rudimar Riesgo
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorder (GETTEA), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Child Neurology Unit, Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Wilson Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that has a strong genetic basis, and is heterogeneous in its etiopathogenesis and clinical presentation. Neuroimaging studies, in concert with neuropathological and clinical research, have been instrumental in delineating trajectories of development in children with ASD. Structural neuroimaging has revealed ASD to be a disorder with general and regional brain enlargement, especially in the frontotemporal cortices, while functional neuroimaging studies have highlighted diminished connectivity, especially between frontal-posterior regions. The diverse and specific neuroimaging findings may represent potential neuroendophenotypes, and may offer opportunities to further understand the etiopathogenesis of ASD, predict treatment response, and lead to the development of new therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajneesh Mahajan
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research (CNIR), Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Stewart H. Mostofsky
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research (CNIR), Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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7
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Bridgman MW, Brown WS, Spezio ML, Leonard MK, Adolphs R, Paul LK. Facial emotion recognition in agenesis of the corpus callosum. J Neurodev Disord 2014; 6:32. [PMID: 25705318 PMCID: PMC4335392 DOI: 10.1186/1866-1955-6-32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impaired social functioning is a common symptom of individuals with developmental disruptions in callosal connectivity. Among these developmental conditions, agenesis of the corpus callosum provides the most extreme and clearly identifiable example of callosal disconnection. To date, deficits in nonliteral language comprehension, humor, theory of mind, and social reasoning have been documented in agenesis of the corpus callosum. Here, we examined a basic social ability as yet not investigated in this population: recognition of facial emotion and its association with social gaze. METHODS Nine individuals with callosal agenesis and nine matched controls completed four tasks involving emotional faces: emotion recognition from upright and inverted faces, gender recognition, and passive viewing. Eye-tracking data were collected concurrently on all four tasks and analyzed according to designated facial regions of interest. RESULTS Individuals with callosal agenesis exhibited impairments in recognizing emotions from upright faces, in particular lower accuracy for fear and anger, and these impairments were directly associated with diminished attention to the eye region. The callosal agenesis group exhibited greater consistency in emotion recognition across conditions (upright vs. inverted), with poorest performance for fear identification in both conditions. The callosal agenesis group also had atypical facial scanning (lower fractional dwell time in the eye region) during gender naming and passive viewing of faces, but they did not differ from controls on gender naming performance. The pattern of results did not differ when taking into account full-scale intelligence quotient or presence of autism spectrum symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Agenesis of the corpus callosum results in a pattern of atypical facial scanning characterized by diminished attention to the eyes. This pattern suggests that reduced callosal connectivity may contribute to the development and maintenance of emotion processing deficits involving reduced attention to others' eyes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Warren S Brown
- Travis Research Institute, Fuller Theological Seminary, 91101 Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Michael L Spezio
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Caltech, 91125 Pasadena, CA, USA ; Scripps College, 91711 Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Matthew K Leonard
- Neurological Surgery, University of California, 94117-1080 San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ralph Adolphs
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Caltech, 91125 Pasadena, CA, USA ; Division of Biology, Caltech, 91125 Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Lynn K Paul
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Caltech, 91125 Pasadena, CA, USA
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8
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Paul LK, Corsello C, Kennedy DP, Adolphs R. Agenesis of the corpus callosum and autism: a comprehensive comparison. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 137:1813-29. [PMID: 24771497 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awu070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The corpus callosum, with its ∼200 million axons, remains enigmatic in its contribution to cognition and behaviour. Agenesis of the corpus callosum is a congenital condition in which the corpus callosum fails to develop; such individuals exhibit localized deficits in non-literal language comprehension, humour, theory of mind and social reasoning. These findings together with parent reports suggest that behavioural and cognitive impairments in subjects with callosal agenesis may overlap with the profile of autism spectrum disorders, particularly with respect to impairments in social interaction and communication. To provide a comprehensive test of this hypothesis, we directly compared a group of 26 adults with callosal agenesis to a group of 28 adults with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder but no neurological abnormality. All participants had full-scale intelligence quotient scores >78 and groups were matched on age, handedness, and gender ratio. Using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule together with current clinical presentation to assess autistic symptomatology, we found that 8/26 (about a third) of agenesis subjects presented with autism. However, more formal diagnosis additionally involving recollective parent-report measures regarding childhood behaviour showed that only 3/22 met complete formal criteria for an autism spectrum disorder (parent reports were unavailable for four subjects). We found no relationship between intelligence quotient and autism symptomatology in callosal agenesis, nor evidence that the presence of any residual corpus callosum differentiated those who exhibited current autism spectrum symptoms from those who did not. Relative to the autism spectrum comparison group, parent ratings of childhood behaviour indicated children with agenesis were less likely to meet diagnostic criteria for autism, even for those who met autism spectrum criteria as adults, and even though there was no group difference in parent report of current behaviours. The findings suggest two broad conclusions. First, they support the hypothesis that congenital disruption of the corpus callosum constitutes a major risk factor for developing autism. Second, they quantify specific features that distinguish autistic behaviour associated with callosal agenesis from autism more generally. Taken together, these two findings also leverage specific questions for future investigation: what are the distal causes (genetic and environmental) determining both callosal agenesis and its autistic features, and what are the proximal mechanisms by which absence of the callosum might generate autistic symptomatology?
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn K Paul
- 1 California Institute of Technology, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Daniel P Kennedy
- 1 California Institute of Technology, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pasadena, CA, USA3 Indiana University, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Ralph Adolphs
- 1 California Institute of Technology, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pasadena, CA, USA4 California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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9
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de Lacy N, King BH. Revisiting the relationship between autism and schizophrenia: toward an integrated neurobiology. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2013; 9:555-87. [PMID: 23537488 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia and autism have been linked since their earliest descriptions. Both are disorders of cerebral specialization originating in the embryonic period. Genetic, molecular, and cytologic research highlights a variety of shared contributory mechanisms that may lead to patterns of abnormal connectivity arising from altered development and topology. Overt behavioral pathology likely emerges during or after neurosensitive periods in which resource demands overwhelm system resources and the individual's ability to compensate using interregional activation fails. We are at the threshold of being able to chart autism and schizophrenia from the inside out. In so doing, the door is opened to the consideration of new therapeutics that are developed based upon molecular, synaptic, and systems targets common to both disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina de Lacy
- University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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10
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Lee SH, Yu D, Bachman AH, Lim J, Ardekani BA. Application of fused lasso logistic regression to the study of corpus callosum thickness in early Alzheimer's disease. J Neurosci Methods 2013; 221:78-84. [PMID: 24121089 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2013.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We propose a fused lasso logistic regression to analyze callosal thickness profiles. The fused lasso regression imposes penalties on both the l1-norm of the model coefficients and their successive differences, and finds only a small number of non-zero coefficients which are locally constant. An iterative method of solving logistic regression with fused lasso regularization is proposed to make this a practical procedure. In this study we analyzed callosal thickness profiles sampled at 100 equal intervals between the rostrum and the splenium. The method was applied to corpora callosa of elderly normal controls (NCs) and patients with very mild or mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) from the Open Access Series of Imaging Studies (OASIS) database. We found specific locations in the genu and splenium of AD patients that are proportionally thinner than those of NCs. Callosal thickness in these regions combined with the Mini Mental State Examination scores differentiated AD from NC with 84% accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang H Lee
- The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
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11
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Szalkowski CE, Fiondella CF, Truong DT, Rosen GD, LoTurco JJ, Fitch RH. The effects of Kiaa0319 knockdown on cortical and subcortical anatomy in male rats. Int J Dev Neurosci 2013; 31:116-22. [PMID: 23220223 PMCID: PMC3689304 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2012.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Revised: 11/20/2012] [Accepted: 11/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a disorder characterized by a specific deficit in reading despite adequate overall intelligence and educational resources. The neurological substrate underlying these significant behavioral impairments is not known. Studies of post mortem brain tissue from male and female dyslexic individuals revealed focal disruptions of neuronal migration concentrated in the left hemisphere, along with aberrant symmetry of the right and left the planum temporale, and changes in cell size distribution within the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (Galaburda et al., 1985; Humphreys et al., 1990). More recent neuroimaging studies have identified several changes in the brains of dyslexic individuals, including regional changes in gray matter, changes in white matter, and changes in patterns of functional activation. In a further effort to elucidate the etiology of dyslexia, epidemiological and genetic studies have identified several candidate dyslexia susceptibility genes. Some recent work has investigated associations between some of these genetic variants and structural changes in the brain. Variants of one candidate dyslexia susceptibility gene, KIAA0319, have been linked to morphological changes in the cerebellum and functional activational changes in the superior temporal sulcus (Jamadar et al., 2011; Pinel et al., 2012). Animal models have been used to create a knockdown of Kiaa0319 (the rodent homolog of the human gene) via in utero RNA interference in order to study the gene's effects on brain development and behavior. Studies using this animal model have demonstrated that knocking down the gene leads to focal disruptions of neuronal migration in the form of ectopias and heterotopias, similar to those observed in the brains of human dyslexics. However, further changes to the structure of the brain have not been studied following this genetic disruption. The current study sought to determine the effects of embryonic Kiaa0319 knockdown on volume of the cortex and hippocampus, as well as midsagittal area of the corpus callosum in male rats. Results demonstrate that Kiaa0319 knockdown did not change the volume of the cortex or hippocampus, but did result in a significant reduction in the midsagittal area of the corpus callosum. Taken in the context of previous reports of behavioral deficits following Kiaa0319 knockdown (Szalkowski et al., 2012), and reports that reductions of corpus callosum size are related to processing deficits in humans (Paul, 2011), these results suggest that Kiaa0319 has a specific involvement in neural systems important for temporal processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin E Szalkowski
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Connecticut, Storrs, 06269, United States.
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12
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Prigge MBD, Lange N, Bigler ED, Merkley TL, Neeley ES, Abildskov TJ, Froehlich AL, Nielsen JA, Cooperrider JR, Cariello AN, Ravichandran C, Alexander AL, Lainhart JE. Corpus Callosum Area in Children and Adults with Autism. RESEARCH IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS 2012; 7:221-234. [PMID: 23130086 PMCID: PMC3487714 DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2012.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite repeated findings of abnormal corpus callosum structure in autism, the developmental trajectories of corpus callosum growth in the disorder have not yet been reported. In this study, we examined corpus callosum size from a developmental perspective across a 30-year age range in a large cross-sectional sample of individuals with autism compared to a typically developing sample. Midsagittal corpus callosum area and the 7 Witelson subregions were examined in 68 males with autism (mean age 14.1 years; range 3-36 years) and 47 males with typical development (mean age 15.3 years; range 4-29 years). Controlling for total brain volume, increased variability in total corpus callosum area was found in autism. In autism, increased midsagittal areas were associated with reduced severity of autism behaviors, higher intelligence, and faster speed of processing (p=0.003, p=0.011, p=0.013, respectively). A trend toward group differences in isthmus development was found (p=0.029, uncorrected). These results suggest that individuals with autism benefit functionally from increased corpus callosum area. Our cross-sectional examination also shows potential maturational abnormalities in autism, a finding that should be examined further with longitudinal datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly B. D. Prigge
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Nicholas Lange
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Neurostatistics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Erin D. Bigler
- The Brain Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | | | | | - Tracy J. Abildskov
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Alyson L. Froehlich
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jared A. Nielsen
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jason R. Cooperrider
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Annahir N. Cariello
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | - Andrew L. Alexander
- Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Janet E. Lainhart
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- The Brain Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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13
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Travers BG, Adluru N, Ennis C, Tromp DPM, Destiche D, Doran S, Bigler ED, Lange N, Lainhart JE, Alexander AL. Diffusion tensor imaging in autism spectrum disorder: a review. Autism Res 2012; 5:289-313. [PMID: 22786754 PMCID: PMC3474893 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 297] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2012] [Accepted: 06/04/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
White matter tracts of the brain allow neurons and neuronal networks to communicate and function with high efficiency. The aim of this review is to briefly introduce diffusion tensor imaging methods that examine white matter tracts and then to give an overview of the studies that have investigated white matter integrity in the brains of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). From the 48 studies we reviewed, persons with ASD tended to have decreased fractional anisotropy and increased mean diffusivity in white matter tracts spanning many regions of the brain but most consistently in regions such as the corpus callosum, cingulum, and aspects of the temporal lobe. This decrease in fractional anisotropy was often accompanied by increased radial diffusivity. Additionally, the review suggests possible atypical lateralization in some white matter tracts of the brain and a possible atypical developmental trajectory of white matter microstructure in persons with ASD. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany G Travers
- Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, USA.
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Brown WS, Anderson LB, Symington MF, Paul LK. Decision-Making in Individuals with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum: Expectancy-Valence in the Iowa Gambling Task. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2012; 27:532-44. [DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acs052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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15
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Soumiya H, Fukumitsu H, Furukawa S. Prenatal immune challenge compromises development of upper-layer but not deeper-layer neurons of the mouse cerebral cortex. J Neurosci Res 2011; 89:1342-50. [DOI: 10.1002/jnr.22636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2010] [Revised: 02/01/2011] [Accepted: 02/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Paul LK. Developmental malformation of the corpus callosum: a review of typical callosal development and examples of developmental disorders with callosal involvement. J Neurodev Disord 2011; 3:3-27. [PMID: 21484594 PMCID: PMC3163989 DOI: 10.1007/s11689-010-9059-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2010] [Accepted: 08/13/2010] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This review provides an overview of the involvement of the corpus callosum (CC) in a variety of developmental disorders that are currently defined exclusively by genetics, developmental insult, and/or behavior. I begin with a general review of CC development, connectivity, and function, followed by discussion of the research methods typically utilized to study the callosum. The bulk of the review concentrates on specific developmental disorders, beginning with agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC)-the only condition diagnosed exclusively by callosal anatomy. This is followed by a review of several genetic disorders that commonly result in social impairments and/or psychopathology similar to AgCC (neurofibromatosis-1, Turner syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, Williams yndrome, and fragile X) and two forms of prenatal injury (premature birth, fetal alcohol syndrome) known to impact callosal development. Finally, I examine callosal involvement in several common developmental disorders defined exclusively by behavioral patterns (developmental language delay, dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and Tourette syndrome).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn K Paul
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, HSS 228-77, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA,
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David N, Rose M, Schneider TR, Vogeley K, Engel AK. Brief report: altered horizontal binding of single dots to coherent motion in autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2011; 40:1549-51. [PMID: 20361244 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1008-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with autism often show a fragmented way of perceiving their environment, suggesting a disorder of information integration, possibly due to disrupted communication between brain areas. We investigated thirteen individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) and thirteen healthy controls using the metastable motion quartet, a stimulus consisting of two dots alternately presented at four locations of a hypothetical square, thereby inducing an apparent motion percept. This percept is vertical or horizontal, the latter requiring binding of motion signals across cerebral hemispheres. Decreasing the horizontal distance between dots could facilitate horizontal percepts. We found evidence for altered horizontal binding in HFA: Individuals with HFA needed stronger facilitation to experience horizontal motion. These data are interpreted in light of reduced cross-hemispheric communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole David
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, Hamburg, Germany.
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18
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Weinberg SM, Andreasen NC, Nopoulos P. Three-dimensional morphometric analysis of brain shape in nonsyndromic orofacial clefting. J Anat 2010; 214:926-36. [PMID: 19538636 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2009.01084.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies report structural brain differences in individuals with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOFC) compared with healthy controls. These changes involve non-uniform shifts in tissue volume within the cerebral cortex and cerebellum, suggesting that the shape of the brain may be altered in cleft-affected individuals. To test this hypothesis, a landmark-based morphometric approach was utilized to quantify and compare brain shape in a sample of 31 adult males with cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P), 14 adult males with cleft palate only (CPO) and 41 matched healthy controls. Fifteen midline and surface landmarks were collected from MRI brain scans and the resulting 3D coordinates were subjected to statistical shape analysis. First, a geometric morphometric analysis was performed in three steps: Procrustes superimposition of raw landmark coordinates, omnibus testing for group difference in shape, followed by canonical variates analysis (CVA) of shape coordinates. Secondly, Euclidean distance matrix analysis (EDMA) was carried out on scaled inter-landmark distances to identify localized shape differences throughout the brain. The geometric morphometric analysis revealed significant differences in brain shape among all three groups (P < 0.001). From CVA, the major brain shape changes associated with clefting included selective enlargement of the anterior cerebrum coupled with a relative reduction in posterior and/or inferior cerebral portions, changes in the medio-lateral position of the cerebral poles, posterior displacement of the corpus callosum, and reorientation of the cerebellum. EDMA revealed largely similar brain shape changes. Thus, compared with controls, major brain shape differences were present in adult males with CL/P and CPO. These results both confirm and expand previous findings from traditional volumetric studies of the brain in clefting and provide further evidence that the neuroanatomical phenotype in individuals with NSOFC is a primary manifestation of the defect and not a secondarily acquired characteristic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth M Weinberg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, USA.
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Hughes JR. Update on autism: a review of 1300 reports published in 2008. Epilepsy Behav 2009; 16:569-89. [PMID: 19896907 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2009.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2009] [Accepted: 09/28/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This publication, by reviewing 1300 studies published on autism in 2008, represents an update on this topic. Results include possible parental influences, maternal conditions, and studies on genes and chromosomes. Possible etiological factors involve the "extreme male brain," defects in the mirror neuron system, vaccines, underconnectivity, disorders of central coherence, and many other more specific etiologies. Assessments or tests for autism are also reviewed. Characteristics of autistic individuals include repetitive behavior, language disorders, sleep disturbances, social problems, joint attention disorders, seizures, allergic reactions, and various behavioral changes. Cognitive changes involve IQ, reasoning, and verbal and language disorders. The savant syndrome is a fascinating phenomenon, at times seen in autistic individuals. Neurophysiological and neuroanatomical changes are also reviewed, as are comorbid conditions. Finally, treatment involves various medications including risperidone, ziprasidone, and antipsychotic drugs, as well as different procedures such as magnetic stimulation, acupuncture, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. As mentioned in the 2007 survey, nearly every conceivable problem that a child can have may be found in these unfortunate children and nearly every conceivable etiology has been mentioned to account for this serious disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Hughes
- Department of Neurology, University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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Abdul-Kareem IA, Stancak A, Parkes LM, Sluming V. Regional corpus callosum morphometry: effect of field strength and pulse sequence. J Magn Reson Imaging 2009; 30:1184-90. [PMID: 19856453 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.21932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate whether scanning at different field strengths and pulse sequences would influence reproducibility of corpus callosum (CC) morphometric measurements as variations in scanning parameters may result in differences in contrast properties between resulting images that are independent of the underlying tissue but rather reflect the physics of the imaging process. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten subjects were scanned twice at 3T using magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo imaging (MPRAGE) and modified driven equilibrium Fourier transform (MDEFT) sequences and once at 1.5T using MPRAGE. Cross-sectional area measurements of four callosal regions were performed on midsagittal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sections. RESULTS Repeated measures analysis of variance with four regions as dependent variables and three scanning protocols (1.5T MPRAGE, 3T MPRAGE and 3T MDEFT) as independent variables revealed no significant region by protocol interaction: F(6,54) = 0.69, P = 0.52. Reliability measures for (3T MPRAGE/3T MDEFT) and (1.5T MPRAGE/3T MPRAGE; 1.5T MPRAGE/3T MDEFT) comparisons were high, ranging between 0.90 and 0.97. CONCLUSION Based on our results, combining and comparing CC morphometric data obtained at different field strengths and/or with different pulse sequences appears possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ihssan A Abdul-Kareem
- Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Centre, School of Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
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Yang M, Clarke AM, Crawley JN. Postnatal lesion evidence against a primary role for the corpus callosum in mouse sociability. Eur J Neurosci 2009; 29:1663-77. [PMID: 19419429 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06714.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The BTBR T+tf/J (BTBR) strain is an inbred strain of mice that displays prominent social deficits and repetitive behaviors analogous to the defining symptoms of autism, along with complete congenital agenesis of the corpus callosum (CC). The BTBR strain is genetically distant from the widely used C57BL/6J (B6) strain, which exhibits high levels of sociability, a low level of repetitive behaviors, and an intact CC. Emerging evidence implicates compromised interhemispherical connectivity in some cases of autism. We investigated the hypothesis that the disconnection of CC fiber tracts contributes to behavioral traits in mice that are relevant to the behavioral symptoms of autism. Surgical lesion of the CC in B6 mice at postnatal day 7 had no effect on juvenile play and adult social approaches, and did not elevate repetitive self-grooming. In addition, LP/J, the strain that is genetically closest to the BTBR strain but has an intact CC, displayed juvenile play deficits and repetitive self-grooming similar to those seen in BTBR mice. These corroborative results offer evidence against the hypothesis that the CC disconnection is a primary cause of low sociability and a high level of repetitive behaviors in inbred mice. Our findings indicate that genes mediating other aspects of neurodevelopment, including those whose mutations underlie more subtle disruptions in white matter pathways and connectivity, are more likely to contribute to the aberrant behavioral phenotypes in the BTBR mouse model of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu Yang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH Building 35, Room 1C-909, Mail Code 3730, Bethesda, MD 20892-3730, USA.
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Exaggerated responses to stress in the BTBR T+tf/J mouse: an unusual behavioral phenotype. Behav Brain Res 2008; 197:462-5. [PMID: 18977396 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.09.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2008] [Revised: 09/22/2008] [Accepted: 09/26/2008] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
This study shows that the BTBR T+tf/J mouse, a model for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has increased levels of the stress hormone corticosterone, when compared to C57BL/6J mice. In addition, we have shown that tail suspension of the BTBR produces a heightened anxiety response in the elevated plus maze. These results suggest that the BTBR mouse is stressor-reactive exhibiting hormone responses that might predispose it to ASD.
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