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Slomianka L. Basic quantitative morphological methods applied to the central nervous system. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:694-756. [PMID: 32639600 PMCID: PMC7818269 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Generating numbers has become an almost inevitable task associated with studies of the morphology of the nervous system. Numbers serve a desire for clarity and objectivity in the presentation of results and are a prerequisite for the statistical evaluation of experimental outcomes. Clarity, objectivity, and statistics make demands on the quality of the numbers that are not met by many methods. This review provides a refresher of problems associated with generating numbers that describe the nervous system in terms of the volumes, surfaces, lengths, and numbers of its components. An important aim is to provide comprehensible descriptions of the methods that address these problems. Collectively known as design-based stereology, these methods share two features critical to their application. First, they are firmly based in mathematics and its proofs. Second and critically underemphasized, an understanding of their mathematical background is not necessary for their informed and productive application. Understanding and applying estimators of volume, surface, length or number does not require more of an organizational mastermind than an immunohistochemical protocol. And when it comes to calculations, square roots are the gravest challenges to overcome. Sampling strategies that are combined with stereological probes are efficient and allow a rational assessment if the numbers that have been generated are "good enough." Much may be unfamiliar, but very little is difficult. These methods can no longer be scapegoats for discrepant results but faithfully produce numbers on the material that is assessed. They also faithfully reflect problems that associated with the histological material and the anatomically informed decisions needed to generate numbers that are not only valid in theory. It is within reach to generate practically useful numbers that must integrate with qualitative knowledge to understand the function of neural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lutz Slomianka
- University of Zürich, Institute of AnatomyZürichSwitzerland
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2
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Comparison of automated brain volumetry methods with stereology in children aged 2 to 3 years. Neuroradiology 2016; 58:901-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s00234-016-1714-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Wang X, Xie H, Cotton AS, Brickman KR, Lewis TJ, Wall JT, Tamburrino MB, Bauer WR, Law K, McLean SA, Liberzon I. Early Changes in Cortical Emotion Processing Circuits after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury from Motor Vehicle Collision. J Neurotrauma 2016; 34:273-280. [PMID: 27169480 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2015.4392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients frequently experience emotion dysregulation symptoms, including post-traumatic stress. Although mTBI likely affects cortical activation and structure, resulting in cognitive symptoms after mTBI, early effects of mTBI on cortical emotion processing circuits have rarely been examined. To assess early mTBI effects on cortical functional and structural components of emotion processing, we assessed cortical activation to fearful faces within the first 2 weeks after motor vehicle collision (MVC) in survivors who did and did not experience mTBI. We also examined the thicknesses of cortical regions with altered activation. MVC survivors with mTBI (n = 21) had significantly less activation in left superior parietal gyrus (SPG) (-5.9, -81.8, 33.8; p = 10-3.623), left medial orbitofrontal gyrus (mOFG) (-4.7, 36.1, -19.3; p = 10-3.231), and left and right lateral orbitofrontal gyri (lOFG) (left: -16.0, 41.4, -16.6; p = 10-2.573; right: 18.7, 22.7, -17.7; p = 10-2.764) than MVC survivors without mTBI (n = 23). SPG activation in mTBI survivors within 2 weeks after MVC was negatively correlated with subsequent post-traumatic stress symptom severity at 3 months (r = -0.68, p = 0.03). Finally, the SPG region was thinner in the mTBI survivors than in the non-mTBI survivors (F = 11.07, p = 0.002). These results suggest that early differences in activation and structure in cortical emotion processing circuits in trauma survivors who sustain mTBI may contribute to the development of emotion-related symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio.,2 Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio.,3 Department of Radiology, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio
| | - Hong Xie
- 2 Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio
| | - Andrew S Cotton
- 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio
| | | | | | - John T Wall
- 2 Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio
| | | | - William R Bauer
- 2 Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio
| | - Kenny Law
- 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio
| | - Samuel A McLean
- 5 Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Israel Liberzon
- 6 Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Golub VM, Brewer J, Wu X, Kuruba R, Short J, Manchi M, Swonke M, Younus I, Reddy DS. Neurostereology protocol for unbiased quantification of neuronal injury and neurodegeneration. Front Aging Neurosci 2015; 7:196. [PMID: 26582988 PMCID: PMC4628120 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal injury and neurodegeneration are the hallmark pathologies in a variety of neurological conditions such as epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Quantification of absolute neuron and interneuron counts in various brain regions is essential to understand the impact of neurological insults or neurodegenerative disease progression in animal models. However, conventional qualitative scoring-based protocols are superficial and less reliable for use in studies of neuroprotection evaluations. Here, we describe an optimized stereology protocol for quantification of neuronal injury and neurodegeneration by unbiased counting of neurons and interneurons. Every 20th section in each series of 20 sections was processed for NeuN(+) total neuron and parvalbumin(+) interneuron immunostaining. The sections that contain the hippocampus were then delineated into five reliably predefined subregions. Each region was separately analyzed with a microscope driven by the stereology software. Regional tissue volume was determined by using the Cavalieri estimator, as well as cell density and cell number were determined by using the optical disector and optical fractionator. This protocol yielded an estimate of 1.5 million total neurons and 0.05 million PV(+) interneurons within the rat hippocampus. The protocol has greater predictive power for absolute counts as it is based on 3D features rather than 2D images. The total neuron counts were consistent with literature values from sophisticated systems, which are more expensive than our stereology system. This unbiased stereology protocol allows for sensitive, medium-throughput counting of total neurons in any brain region, and thus provides a quantitative tool for studies of neuronal injury and neurodegeneration in a variety of acute brain injury and chronic neurological models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M. Golub
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
| | - Jonathan Brewer
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
| | - Xin Wu
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
| | - Ramkumar Kuruba
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
| | - Jenessa Short
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
| | - Maunica Manchi
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
| | - Megan Swonke
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
| | - Iyan Younus
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
| | - Doodipala Samba Reddy
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of MedicineBryan, TX, USA
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Delgado-González JC, Mansilla-Legorburo F, Florensa-Vila J, Insausti AM, Viñuela A, Tuñón-Alvarez T, Cruz M, Mohedano-Moriano A, Insausti R, Artacho-Pérula E. Quantitative Measurements in the Human Hippocampus and Related Areas: Correspondence between Ex-Vivo MRI and Histological Preparations. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130314. [PMID: 26098887 PMCID: PMC4476703 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The decrease of volume estimates in different structures of the medial temporal lobe related to memory correlate with the decline of cognitive functions in neurodegenerative diseases. This study presents data on the association between MRI quantitative parameters of medial temporal lobe structures and their quantitative estimate in microscopic examination. Twelve control cases had ex-vivo MRI, and thereafter, the temporal lobe of both hemispheres was sectioned from the pole as far as the level of the splenium of the corpus callosum. Nissl stain was used to establish anatomical boundaries between structures in the medial temporal lobe. The study included morphometrical and stereological estimates of the amygdaloid complex, hippocampus, and temporal horn of the lateral ventricle, as well as different regions of grey and white matter in the temporal lobe. Data showed a close association between morphometric MRI images values and those based on the histological determination of boundaries. Only values in perimeter and circularity of the piamater were different. This correspondence is also revealed by the stereological study, although irregular compartments resulted in a lesser agreement. Neither age (< 65 yr and > 65 yr) nor hemisphere had any effect. Our results indicate that ex-vivo MRI is highly associated with quantitative information gathered by histological examination, and these data could be used as structural MRI biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Carlos Delgado-González
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory and C.R.I.B., School of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Francisco Mansilla-Legorburo
- Radiology Service, Magnetic Resonance Unit, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete (CHUA), Albacete, Spain
| | - José Florensa-Vila
- Radiodiagnostic Service, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos (HNP), Toledo, Spain
| | - Ana María Insausti
- Department of Health, Physical Therapy School, Public University of Navarra, Tudela, Spain
| | - Antonio Viñuela
- School of Advanced Education, Research and Accreditation, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | | | - Marcos Cruz
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computation, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Alicia Mohedano-Moriano
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory and C.R.I.B., School of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Ricardo Insausti
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory and C.R.I.B., School of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Emilio Artacho-Pérula
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory and C.R.I.B., School of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Wang X, Xie H, Cotton AS, Tamburrino MB, Brickman KR, Lewis TJ, McLean SA, Liberzon I. Early cortical thickness change after mild traumatic brain injury following motor vehicle collision. J Neurotrauma 2015; 32:455-63. [PMID: 25118568 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2014.3492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In a motor vehicle collision (MVC), survivors often receive mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI). Although there have been some reports of early white matter changes after an mTBI, much less is known about early cortical structural changes. To investigate early cortical changes within a few days after an MVC, we compared cortical thickness of mTBI survivors with non-mTBI survivors, then reexamined cortical thickness in the same survivors 3 months later. MVC survivors were categorized as mTBI or non-mTBI based on concussive symptoms documented in emergency departments (EDs). Cortical thickness was measured from MRI images using FreeSurfer within a few days and again at 3 months after MVC. Post-traumatic stress symptoms and physical conditions were also assessed. Compared with the non-mTBI group (n = 23), the mTBI group (n = 21) had thicker cortex in the left rostral middle frontal (rMFG) and right precuneus gyri, but thinner cortex in the left posterior middle temporal gyrus at 7.2 ± 3.1 days after MVC. After 3 months, cortical thickness had decreased in left rMFG in the mTBI group but not in the non-mTBI group. The cortical thickness of the right precuneus region in the initial scans was positively correlated with acute traumatic stress symptoms for all survivors and with the number of reduced activity days for mTBI survivors who completed the follow-up. The preliminary results suggest that alterations in cortical thickness may occur at an early stage of mTBI and that frontal cortex structure may change dynamically over the initial 3 months after mTBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio
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