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Moser C, Spencer-Smith MM, Anderson PJ, McIlroy A, Wood AG, Leventer RJ, Anderson VA, Siffredi V. Language and communication functioning in children and adolescents with agenesis of the corpus callosum. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 255:105448. [PMID: 39083998 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
The corpus callosum, the largest white matter inter-hemispheric pathway, is involved in language and communication. In a cohort of 15 children and adolescents (8-15 years) with developmental absence of the corpus callosum (AgCC), this study aimed to describe language and everyday communication functioning, and explored the role of anatomical factors, social risk, and non-verbal IQ in these outcomes. Standardised measures of language and everyday communication functioning, intellectual ability and social risk were used. AgCC classification and anterior commissure volume, a potential alternative pathway, were extracted from T1-weighted images. Participants with AgCC showed reduced receptive and expressive language compared with test norms, and high rates of language and communication impairments. Complete AgCC, higher social risk and lower non-verbal IQ were associated with communication difficulties. Anterior commissure volume was not associated with language and communication. Recognising heterogeneity in language and communication functioning enhances our understanding and suggests specific focuses for potential interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Megan M Spencer-Smith
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter J Anderson
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alissandra McIlroy
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Amanda G Wood
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia; Aston Institute for Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
| | - Richard J Leventer
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Neurology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Vicki A Anderson
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Vanessa Siffredi
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Szczupak D, Lent R, Tovar-Moll F, Silva AC. Heterotopic connectivity of callosal dysgenesis in mice and humans. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1191859. [PMID: 37274193 PMCID: PMC10232863 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1191859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The corpus callosum (CC), the largest brain commissure and the primary white matter pathway for interhemispheric cortical connectivity, was traditionally viewed as a predominantly homotopic structure, connecting mirror areas of the cortex. However, new studies verified that most callosal commissural fibers are heterotopic. Recently, we reported that ~75% of the callosal connections in the brains of mice, marmosets, and humans are heterotopic, having an essential role in determining the global properties of brain networks. In the present study, we leveraged high-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging and graph network modeling to investigate the relationship between heterotopic and homotopic callosal fibers in human subjects and in a spontaneous mouse model of Corpus Callosum Dysgenesis (CCD), a congenital developmental CC malformation that leads to widespread whole-brain reorganization. Our results show that the CCD brain is more heterotopic than the normotypical brain, with both mouse and human CCD subjects displaying highly variable heterotopicity maps. CCD mice have a clear heterotopicity cluster in the anterior CC, while hypoplasic humans have strongly variable patterns. Graph network-based connectivity profile showed a direct impact of heterotopic connections on CCD brains altering several network-based statistics. Our collective results show that CCD directly alters heterotopic connections and brain connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Szczupak
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- D’Or Institute Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Afonso C. Silva
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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Ferreira Furtado LM, Bernardes HM, de Souza Félix Nunes FA, Gonçalves CA, Da Costa Val Filho JA, de Miranda AS. The Role of Neuroplasticity in Improving the Decision-Making Quality of Individuals With Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum: A Systematic Review. Cureus 2022; 14:e26082. [PMID: 35747104 PMCID: PMC9206817 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.26082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although individuals with agenesis of corpus callosum (ACC) possess intelligence coefficients within regular parameters, current studies have demonstrated decision-making compromise and potential negative social consequences. Furthermore, alternative pathways regarding brain connectivity in acallosal patients combined with cognitive therapy that would potentially mitigate such difficulties. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the current state of the art regarding brain foundations in the role of neuroplasticity by improving the decision-making quality in ACC. A systematic revision of literature was performed including studies conducted on non-syndromic ACC individuals and analyzing the impact of the potential role of neuroplasticity on the decision-making published to date. Studies with patients who underwent callosotomy were excluded. Experimental studies performed on animal models were included. During this period, 849 studies were identified; among them, 11 were eligible for qualitative analysis. Despite the paucity of evidence on this matter, patients with ACC present considerable decision-making difficulties mainly due to the functional connectivity impairment in the frontal lobes. Moreover, neuroplasticity was characterized by increased anterior commissure width as compared with controls. Notwithstanding, no studies were conducted on cognitive therapists managing this type of disease. Although the reorganization of inter-hemispheric bundles on anterior commissure has demonstrated the main natural neuroanatomic strategy in ACC, further evidence will be needed to clarify whether cognitive stimulus could improve the decision-making quality.
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Siffredi V, Farouj Y, Tarun A, Anderson V, Wood AG, McIlroy A, Leventer RJ, Spencer-Smith MM, Ville DVD. Large-scale functional network dynamics in human callosal agenesis: Increased subcortical involvement and preserved laterality. Neuroimage 2021; 243:118471. [PMID: 34455063 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the human brain, the corpus callosum is the major white-matter commissural tract enabling the transmission of sensory-motor, and higher level cognitive information between homotopic regions of the two cerebral hemispheres. Despite developmental absence (i.e., agenesis) of the corpus callosum (AgCC), functional connectivity is preserved, including interhemispheric connectivity. Subcortical structures have been hypothesised to provide alternative pathways to enable this preservation. To test this hypothesis, we used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) recordings in children with AgCC and typically developing children, and a time-resolved approach to retrieve temporal characteristics of whole-brain functional networks. We observed an increased engagement of the cerebellum and amygdala/hippocampus networks in children with AgCC compared to typically developing children. There was little evidence that laterality of activation networks was affected in AgCC. Our findings support the hypothesis that subcortical structures play an essential role in the functional reconfiguration of the brain in the absence of a corpus callosum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Siffredi
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Division of Development and Growth, Department of Woman, Child and Adolescent, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Younes Farouj
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anjali Tarun
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vicki Anderson
- Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Neuroscience Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Psychology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Amanda G Wood
- Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Life and Health Sciences & Aston Neuroscience Institute, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK; School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Melbourne Burwood Campus, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alissandra McIlroy
- Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Richard J Leventer
- Neuroscience Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Neurology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Megan M Spencer-Smith
- Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Dimitri Van De Ville
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Shi M, Freitas LGA, Spencer-Smith MM, Kebets V, Anderson V, McIlroy A, Wood AG, Leventer RJ, Van De Ville D, Siffredi V. Intra- and inter-hemispheric structural connectome in agenesis of the corpus callosum. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 31:102709. [PMID: 34130191 PMCID: PMC8209843 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) is a congenital brain malformation characterized by the complete or partial failure to develop the corpus callosum. Despite missing the largest white matter bundle connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain, studies have shown preserved inter-hemispheric communication in individuals with AgCC. It is likely that plasticity provides mechanisms for the brain to adjust in the context of AgCC, as the malformation disrupts programmed developmental brain processes very early on. A proposed candidate for neuroplastic response in individuals with AgCC is strengthening of intra-hemispheric structural connections. In the present study, we explore this hypothesis using a graph-based approach of the structural connectome, which enables intra- and inter-hemispheric analyses at multiple resolutions and quantification of structural characteristics through graph metrics. Structural graph metrics of 19 children with AgCC (13 with complete, 6 with partial AgCC) were compared to those of 29 typically developing controls (TDC). Associations between structural graph metrics and a wide range of neurobehavioral outcomes were examined using a multivariate data-driven approach (Partial Least Squares Correlation, PLSC). Our results provide new evidence suggesting structural strengthening of intra-hemispheric pathways as a neuroplastic response in the acallosal brain, and highlight regional variability in structural connectivity in children with AgCC compared to TDC. There was little evidence that structural graph properties in children with AgCC were associated with neurobehavioral outcomes. To our knowledge, this is the first report leveraging graph theory tools to explicitly characterize whole-brain intra- and inter-hemispheric structural connectivity in AgCC, opening avenues for future research on neuroplastic responses in AgCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Shi
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lorena G A Freitas
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Megan M Spencer-Smith
- Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Valeria Kebets
- Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Clinical Imaging Research Centre, N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vicki Anderson
- Neuroscience Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Psychology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alissandra McIlroy
- Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Amanda G Wood
- Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Life and Health Sciences Aston Neuroscience Institute, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK; School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Melbourne Burwood Campus, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard J Leventer
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Neurology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Neuroscience Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Dimitri Van De Ville
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vanessa Siffredi
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
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