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Masse O, Brumfield O, Ahmad E, Velasco-Annis C, Zhang J, Rollins CK, Connolly S, Barnewolt C, Shamshirsaz AA, Qaderi S, Javinani A, Warfield SK, Yang E, Gholipour A, Feldman HA, Grant PE, Mulliken JB, Pierotich L, Estroff J. Divergent growth of the transient brain compartments in fetuses with nonsyndromic isolated clefts involving the primary and secondary palate. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae024. [PMID: 38365268 PMCID: PMC10872676 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae024] [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: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Cleft lip/palate is a common orofacial malformation that often leads to speech/language difficulties as well as developmental delays in affected children, despite surgical repair. Our understanding of brain development in these children is limited. This study aimed to analyze prenatal brain development in fetuses with cleft lip/palate and controls. We examined in utero MRIs of 30 controls and 42 cleft lip/palate fetal cases and measured regional brain volumes. Cleft lip/palate was categorized into groups A (cleft lip or alveolus) and B (any combination of clefts involving the primary and secondary palates). Using a repeated-measures regression model with relative brain hemisphere volumes (%), and after adjusting for multiple comparisons, we did not identify significant differences in regional brain growth between group A and controls. Group B clefts had significantly slower weekly cerebellar growth compared with controls. We also observed divergent brain growth in transient brain structures (cortical plate, subplate, ganglionic eminence) within group B clefts, depending on severity (unilateral or bilateral) and defect location (hemisphere ipsilateral or contralateral to the defect). Further research is needed to explore the association between regional fetal brain growth and cleft lip/palate severity, with the potential to inform early neurodevelopmental biomarkers and personalized diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Masse
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Olivia Brumfield
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Esha Ahmad
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Clemente Velasco-Annis
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Jennings Zhang
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Caitlin K Rollins
- Department of Neurology Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Susan Connolly
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Maternal Fetal Care Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Carol Barnewolt
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Maternal Fetal Care Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Alireza A Shamshirsaz
- Maternal Fetal Care Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Shohra Qaderi
- Maternal Fetal Care Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Ali Javinani
- Maternal Fetal Care Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Simon K Warfield
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Edward Yang
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Ali Gholipour
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Henry A Feldman
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Patricia E Grant
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - John B Mulliken
- Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Lana Pierotich
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Judy Estroff
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Maternal Fetal Care Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
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