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Simpson LN, Schneble EJ, Griffin ED, Obayashi JT, Setran PA, Ross DA, Pettersson DR, Pollock JM. Morphological changes of the dorsal contour of the corpus callosum during the first two years of life. Pediatr Radiol 2020; 50:543-549. [PMID: 31840188 DOI: 10.1007/s00247-019-04585-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the medicolegal literature, focal concavities or notching of the corpus callosum has been thought to be associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Recent work suggests corpus callosum notching is a dynamic and normal anatomical feature, although it has not yet been defined in early life or infancy. OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to characterize the dorsal contour of the corpus callosum during the first 2 years of life by defining the prevalence, onset and trajectory of notching on midsagittal T1-weighted images. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed retrospectively 1,157 consecutive patients between birth and 2 years of age. Corpus callosum morphology was evaluated and described. A notch was defined as a dorsal concavity of at least 1 mm in depth along the dorsal surface of the corpus callosum. Patient age as well as notch depth, location, number and presence of the pericallosal artery in the notch were noted. RESULTS Two hundred thirty-three notches were identified in 549 patients: 36 anterior, 194 posterior and 3 patients with undulations. A statistically significant (R2=0.53, Beta=0.021, P=0.002) positive correlation between posterior notch prevalence and age in months was noted. A positive correlation between age and depth of the posterior notch was also statistically significant (r=0.32, n=179, P≤0.001). A trend for increased anterior notch prevalence with age was identified with significant correlation between visualized pericallosal artery indentation and anterior notching (r=0.20, n=138, P=0.016). Sub-analysis of the first month of life showed corpus callosum notching was not present. CONCLUSION The presence of posterior notching increased significantly with age and was more frequent than that of anterior notching. Corpus callosum notching was absent in the first week of life, building on prior studies suggesting corpus callosum notching is acquired. This study provides baseline data on normative corpus callosum notching trajectories by age group during early life, a helpful correlate when associating corpus callosum morphology with disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren N Simpson
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Erika J Schneble
- Department of Radiology, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., CR 135, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Elena D Griffin
- Department of Radiology, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., CR 135, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - James T Obayashi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Phillip A Setran
- Department of Radiology, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., CR 135, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Donald A Ross
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA.,Operative Care Division, Portland Veterans Administration Hospital, Portland, OR, USA
| | - David R Pettersson
- Department of Radiology, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., CR 135, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Pollock
- Department of Radiology, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., CR 135, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
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Chien YL, Chen YJ, Hsu YC, Tseng WYI, Gau SSF. Altered white-matter integrity in unaffected siblings of probands with autism spectrum disorders. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:6053-6067. [PMID: 28940697 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the evidence of altered white-matter tract property in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known about their unaffected siblings. This study aimed to investigate white-matter integrity in unaffected siblings of ASD probands. Thirty-nine unaffected siblings (mean age 15.6 ± 6.0 years; 27 males, 69.2%) and 39 typically developing controls (TDC) (14.2 ± 5.6 years; 26 males, 66.7%) were assessed with diffusion spectrum images and neuropsychological tests. Using the tract-based automatic analysis and the threshold-free cluster weighted (TFCW) scores, we searched for the segments among 76 tracts with the largest difference over the entire brain compared to TDC. Tract integrity was quantified by calculating the mean generalized fractional anisotropy (mGFA) values of the segments with the largest difference in TFCW scores. Unaffected siblings showed reduced mGFA in the bilateral frontal aslant tracts, the right superior longitudinal fasciculus 2 (SLF2), the frontostriatal tracts from the right dorsolateral and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortices, the thalamic radiations of the left ventral and the right dorsal thalamus, the callosal fibers of the splenium, and the increased mGFA of the callosal fibers of the precuneus and the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Among these, reduced right SLF2 mGFA was associated with social awareness deficits; impaired frontostriatal tract was associated with internalizing problems, while right frontal aslant tract integrity was associated with visual memory deficits. In conclusion, unaffected siblings showed the aberrant integrity of several white-matter tracts, which were correlated with clinical symptoms and neurocognitive dysfunction. The altered tract integrity could be further examined in the probands with ASD. Hum Brain Mapp 38:6053-6067, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ling Chien
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jen Chen
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Chin Hsu
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Yih Isaac Tseng
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Susan Shur-Fen Gau
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Meissner TW, Friedrich P, Ocklenburg S, Genç E, Weigelt S. Tracking the Functional Development of the Corpus Callosum in Children Using Behavioral and Evoked Potential Interhemispheric Transfer Times. Dev Neuropsychol 2017; 42:172-186. [PMID: 28498015 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2017.1315582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Visual functions requiring interhemispheric transfer exhibit a long developmental trajectory up to age 12, which might be constrained by corpus callosum maturation. Here, we use electrophysiological and behavioral crossed-uncrossed differences (CUDs) in a visual Poffenberger paradigm to estimate the interhemispheric transfer time (IHTT)-a measure of corpus callosum maturation-in 7-year-old children and adults. Adults' electrophysiological CUDs were faster than 7-year-olds'. Behavioral CUDs did not differ and proved to be unreliable in a 6-month follow-up test. These findings suggest that the corpus callosum still undergoes development at the age of 7 that can only reliably be traced with neuroscientific methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias W Meissner
- a Department of Psychology, Developmental Neuropsychology , Ruhr-Universität Bochum , Bochum , Germany
| | - Patrick Friedrich
- b Department of Psychology, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience , Biopsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum , Bochum , Germany
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- b Department of Psychology, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience , Biopsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum , Bochum , Germany
| | - Erhan Genç
- b Department of Psychology, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience , Biopsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum , Bochum , Germany
| | - Sarah Weigelt
- a Department of Psychology, Developmental Neuropsychology , Ruhr-Universität Bochum , Bochum , Germany
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett I. Cohen
- Director of Research, ED Laboratories 89 Leuning Street S. Hackensack, New Jersey 07606 USA
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Travers BG, Tromp DPM, Adluru N, Lange N, Destiche D, Ennis C, Nielsen JA, Froehlich AL, Prigge MBD, Fletcher PT, Anderson JS, Zielinski BA, Bigler ED, Lainhart JE, Alexander AL. Atypical development of white matter microstructure of the corpus callosum in males with autism: a longitudinal investigation. Mol Autism 2015; 6:15. [PMID: 25774283 PMCID: PMC4359536 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The corpus callosum is the largest white matter structure in the brain, and it is the most consistently reported to be atypical in diffusion tensor imaging studies of autism spectrum disorder. In individuals with typical development, the corpus callosum is known to undergo a protracted development from childhood through young adulthood. However, no study has longitudinally examined the developmental trajectory of corpus callosum in autism past early childhood. METHODS The present study used a cohort sequential design over 9 years to examine age-related changes of the corpus callosum in 100 males with autism and 56 age-matched males with typical development from early childhood (when autism can first be reliably diagnosed) to mid-adulthood (after development of the corpus callosum has been completed) (3 to 41 years of age). RESULTS The group with autism demonstrated a different developmental trajectory of white matter microstructure in the anterior corpus callosum's (genu and body) fractional anisotropy, which suggests atypical brain maturation in these regions in autism. When analyses were broken down by age group, atypical developmental trajectories were present only in the youngest participants (10 years of age and younger). Significant main effects for group were found in terms of decreased fractional anisotropy across all three subregions of the corpus callosum (genu, body, and splenium) and increased mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity in the posterior corpus callosum. CONCLUSIONS These longitudinal results suggest atypical early childhood development of the corpus callosum microstructure in autism that transitions into sustained group differences in adolescence and adulthood. This pattern of results provides longitudinal evidence consistent with a growing number of published studies and hypotheses regarding abnormal brain connectivity across the life span in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany G Travers
- />Occupational Therapy Program, Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
- />Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Do P M Tromp
- />Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 USA
- />Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | - Nagesh Adluru
- />Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Nicholas Lange
- />Department of Psychiatry, Harvard School of Medicine, Boston, MA USA
- />Neurostatistics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA USA
| | - Dan Destiche
- />Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Chad Ennis
- />Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Jared A Nielsen
- />Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - Alyson L Froehlich
- />Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - Molly B D Prigge
- />Department of Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
- />Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah and Primary Children’s Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - P Thomas Fletcher
- />Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
- />School of Computing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - Jeffrey S Anderson
- />Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
- />Department of Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - Brandon A Zielinski
- />Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah and Primary Children’s Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT USA
- />Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - Erin D Bigler
- />Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT USA
- />Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 USA
| | - Janet E Lainhart
- />Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 USA
- />Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | - Andrew L Alexander
- />Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 USA
- />Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
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Kilian S, Brown WS, Hallam BJ, McMahon W, Lu J, Johnson M, Bigler ED, Lainhart J. Regional Callosal Morphology in Autism and Macrocephaly. Dev Neuropsychol 2007; 33:74-99. [DOI: 10.1080/87565640701729821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Rice SA, Bigler ED, Cleavinger HB, Tate DF, Sayer J, McMahon W, Ozonoff S, Lu J, Lainhart JE. Macrocephaly, corpus callosum morphology, and autism. J Child Neurol 2005; 20:34-41. [PMID: 15791921 DOI: 10.1177/08830738050200010601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Although the cause of autism is undetermined, a general consensus has been that some type of early aberrant neural development underlies the disorder. Given the increased prevalence of macrocephaly in autism, one theory of abnormal neural development implicates early brain growth resulting in larger brain and head size in autism. Surface area measurements of the midsagittal section of the corpus callosum can be used as an index of neural development and white-matter integrity because the corpus callosum is the major white-matter structure that interconnects the two cerebral hemispheres. The purpose of this study was to obtain corpus callosum surface area, shape, and contour in a sample of non-mentally retarded autistic subjects with macrocephaly (n = 12) and compare them with those of matched (n = 8), typically developing control subjects with benign macrocephaly. No significant differences were found in surface area, shape, or contour between groups, nor did corpus callosum surface area relate to measures of IQ or picture vocabulary. These findings suggest no unique difference in overall regional corpus callosum surface area in autism with macrocephaly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara A Rice
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
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Belmonte MK, Cook EH, Anderson GM, Rubenstein JLR, Greenough WT, Beckel-Mitchener A, Courchesne E, Boulanger LM, Powell SB, Levitt PR, Perry EK, Jiang YH, DeLorey TM, Tierney E. Autism as a disorder of neural information processing: directions for research and targets for therapy. Mol Psychiatry 2004; 9:646-63. [PMID: 15037868 DOI: 10.1038/sj.mp.4001499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The broad variation in phenotypes and severities within autism spectrum disorders suggests the involvement of multiple predisposing factors, interacting in complex ways with normal developmental courses and gradients. Identification of these factors, and the common developmental path into which they feed, is hampered by the large degrees of convergence from causal factors to altered brain development, and divergence from abnormal brain development into altered cognition and behaviour. Genetic, neurochemical, neuroimaging, and behavioural findings on autism, as well as studies of normal development and of genetic syndromes that share symptoms with autism, offer hypotheses as to the nature of causal factors and their possible effects on the structure and dynamics of neural systems. Such alterations in neural properties may in turn perturb activity-dependent development, giving rise to a complex behavioural syndrome many steps removed from the root causes. Animal models based on genetic, neurochemical, neurophysiological, and behavioural manipulations offer the possibility of exploring these developmental processes in detail, as do human studies addressing endophenotypes beyond the diagnosis itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- M K Belmonte
- Autism Research Centre, Departments of Psychiatry and Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18b Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 2AH, UK.
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Hagelthorn KM, Brown WS, Amano S, Asarnow R. Normal development of bilateral field advantage and evoked potential interhemispheric transmission time. Dev Neuropsychol 2001; 18:11-31. [PMID: 11143801 DOI: 10.1207/s15326942dn1801_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Implications of the developmental progression of myelination of the corpus callosum were studied using evoked potential interhemispheric transmission time (EP-IHTT) and the bilateral field advantage (BFA) in letter matching. Forty-two normal children aged 7 to 17 years were asked to respond regarding whether 2 letters matched when presented either unilaterally (both in the same visual field) or bilaterally (1 letter in each field). Evoked potentials were recorded with bilateral midparietal electrodes during unilateral presentations of the letter-matching task. Age-related changes were found for both EP-IHTT and BFA. BFA in reaction time in the visual letter-matching task increased significantly with age. Decreasing EP-IHTT with age was also evident (although only in a statistical trend). These findings lend support to the hypothesis that increased callosal myelination during late childhood has functional significance. Callosal maturation appears to result in faster interhemispheric transfer and increasing ability to integrate information across the midline.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Hagelthorn
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
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Rumsey JM, Ernst M. Functional neuroimaging of autistic disorders. MENTAL RETARDATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEWS 2000; 6:171-9. [PMID: 10982494 DOI: 10.1002/1098-2779(2000)6:3<171::aid-mrdd4>3.0.co;2-n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging methods hold promise for elucidating the neurobiology of autistic disorders, yet they present difficult practical and scientific challenges when applied to these complex and heterogeneous syndromes. Single-state studies of brain metabolism and blood flow thus far have failed to yield consistent findings, but suggest considerable variability in regional patterns of cerebral synaptic activity. Patients with idiopathic autism are less likely to show abnormalities than are patients with comorbid illness or epilepsy. Activation studies have begun to suggest alterations in brain organization for language and cognition. Neurotransmitter studies using positron emission tomography (PET) suggest abnormalities of serotonergic and dopaminergic function. Studies using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) have begun to document metabolic deficits in the frontal cortex and cerebellum. A single study using magnetoencephalography suggests a high incidence of epileptiform activity in children with autistic regression. Research needs include well-controlled developmental studies, particularly of young subjects and relatively homogeneous subgroups, which balance scientific rigor with ethical constraints. Investigations of the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems, limbic-based memory and emotional systems, and the role of epileptiform activity in autism represent priorities for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Rumsey
- Clinical Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
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Mac Master FP, Keshavan MS, Dick EL, Rosenberg DR. Corpus callosal signal intensity in treatment-naive pediatric obsessive compulsive disorders. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 1999; 23:601-12. [PMID: 10390719 DOI: 10.1016/s0278-5846(99)00019-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
1. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is increasingly recognized as a severe, highly prevalent and chronically disabling disorder, emerging during childhood in as many as 80% of cases. The authors previously found significant abnormalities in the region of the corpus callosum (CC) connecting ventral prefrontal cortex and striatum in pediatric OCD patients compared to controls that correlated significantly with OCD symptom severity. We speculated that this abnormality might reflect aberrant myelinization in OCD patients. 2. In order to better characterize the abnormality, the authors examined CC signal intensity (SI), believed to be a reliable index of myelinization of the CC. Lower numbers would indicate a greater concentration of white matter, while higher numbers indicate higher concentrations of gray matter. We compared the SI from midsagittal magnetic resonance images of 21 treatment-naive OCD patients, 7.2-17.7 years, and 21 case-matched healthy controls to examine regional CC signal intensity of the anterior, middle and posterior genu, body, isthmus, and the anterior, middle and the posterior splenii. 3. Mean total genu SI for the patient group (.993 + .006) was significantly less than the total genu SI of controls (.994 + .006) at F(1,37) = 4.73; p = .036. This abnormality in SI was localized to the CC region connecting ventral PFC and striatum, the anterior genu for the OCD group (.991 + .007) which was also less than control (.995 + .007) at F(1,37) = 5.47; p = .025., with no abnormality observed in middle or posterior genu regions. Genu SI was also inversely correlated with OCD symptom severity (r = -.55, p = .013) but not illness duration. Genu SI also correlated positively with genu area (r = .52, p = .020) in OCD patients but not controls. 4. Developmental abnormalities in genu size may arise from abnormalities in myelination in early onset OCD patients. The increased genu myelination observed in OCD patients may alter signal transduction and function of VPFC-striatal association circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- F P Mac Master
- Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
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Pfefferbaum A, Lim KO, Desmond JE, Sullivan EV. Thinning of the corpus callosum in older alcoholic men: a magnetic resonance imaging study. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1996; 20:752-7. [PMID: 8800395 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1996.tb01682.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
A brain image averaging technique was applied to three-dimensional magnetic resonance images to identify visually detectable brain volume abnormalities in chronically alcoholic men, compared with healthy control men. This technique, which was based on pixel-by-pixel statistical probability mapping, revealed a dramatic reduction in the area of the corpus callosum in older alcoholics (age 45 years or older), relative to age-matched controls. Subsequent analysis used anatomical landmarks to outline the borders of midsagittal sections of the corpus callosum in a larger group of alcoholics and controls, who spanned the adult age range from 23 to 71 years. This analysis revealed significant reduction, most prominent in the genu and body, of total callosal area in the alcoholic group relative to the control group; the results were the same whether raw area measures or head size plus age adjusted measure were analyzed. Significant thinning of the callosal body in alcoholics is usually attributed to the relatively rare, nutritional-deficient condition, Marchiafava-Bignami disease. However, callosal thinning was present in vivo in chronic alcoholics without clinical symptoms of severe liver disease, amnesia, or alcoholic dementia. These data suggest that chronic alcoholism can be characterized by a continuum of graded brain dysmorphology, rather than classical alcoholic-related subsyndromes, such as Marchiafava-Bignami disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Pfefferbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA
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