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Salomon LJ, Paladini D. Fetal corpus callosal anomalies: from disease of classification to classification of disease. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2024; 64:151-154. [PMID: 38112568 DOI: 10.1002/uog.27564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- L J Salomon
- Médecine, Chirurgie et Imagerie Foetales, Maternité Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) URP 7328 FETUS Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - D Paladini
- Fetal Medicine and Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
- Dipartimento Universitario di Neuroscienze, Scienze Riproduttive e Odontostomatoogiche, University Federico II of Naples, Naples, Italy
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Milos RI, Schmidbauer V, Watzenboeck ML, Stuhr F, Gruber GM, Mitter C, Dovjak GO, Milković-Periša M, Kostovic I, Jovanov-Milošević N, Kasprian G, Prayer D. T1-weighted fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery sequence (T1-FFLAIR) enables the visualization and quantification of fetal brain myelination in utero. Eur Radiol 2024; 34:4573-4584. [PMID: 38019312 PMCID: PMC11213743 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-023-10401-z] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the advantage of T1-weighted fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery MRI sequence without (T1-FFLAIR) and with compressed sensing technology (T1-FFLAIR-CS), which shows improved T1-weighted contrast, over standard used T1-weighted fast field echo (T1-FFE) sequence for the assessment of fetal myelination. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective single-center study included 115 consecutive fetal brain MRI examinations (63 axial and 76 coronal, mean gestational age (GA) 28.56 ± 5.23 weeks, range 19-39 weeks). Two raters, blinded to GA, qualitatively assessed a fetal myelin total score (MTS) on each T1-weighted sequence at five brain regions (medulla oblongata, pons, mesencephalon, thalamus, central region). One rater performed region-of-interest quantitative analysis (n = 61) at the same five brain regions. Pearson correlation analysis was applied for correlation of MTS and of the signal intensity ratios (relative to muscle) with GA on each T1-weighted sequence. Fetal MRI-based results were compared with myelination patterns of postmortem fetal human brains (n = 46; GA 18 to 42), processed by histological and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS MTS positively correlated with GA on all three sequences (all r between 0.802 and 0.908). The signal intensity ratios measured at the five brain regions correlated best with GA on T1-FFLAIR (r between 0.583 and 0.785). T1-FFLAIR demonstrated significantly better correlations with GA than T1-FFE for both qualitative and quantitative analysis (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, T1-FFLAIR enabled the best visualization of myelinated brain structures when compared to histology. CONCLUSION T1-FFLAIR outperforms the standard T1-FFE sequence in the visualization of fetal brain myelination, as demonstrated by qualitative and quantitative methods. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT T1-weighted fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery sequence (T1-FFLAIR) provided best visualization and quantification of myelination in utero that, in addition to the relatively short acquisition time, makes feasible its routine application in fetal MRI for the assessment of brain myelination. KEY POINTS • So far, the assessment of fetal myelination in utero was limited due to the insufficient contrast. • T1-weighted fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery sequence allows a qualitative and quantitative assessment of fetal brain myelination. • T1-weighted fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery sequence outperforms the standard used T1-weighted sequence for visualization and quantification of myelination in utero.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruxandra-Iulia Milos
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Victor Schmidbauer
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin L Watzenboeck
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friedrich Stuhr
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerlinde Maria Gruber
- Department of Anatomy and Biomechanics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500, Krems, Austria
| | - Christian Mitter
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gregor O Dovjak
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marija Milković-Periša
- Department of Pathology and Cytology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Petrova 13, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivica Kostovic
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Nataša Jovanov-Milošević
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gregor Kasprian
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela Prayer
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
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Pogledic I, Bobić‐Rasonja M, Mitter C, Štajduhar A, Schwartz E, Milković‐Periša M, Baltzer PA, Lequin M, Krampl‐Bettelheim E, Kasprian G, Judaš M, Prayer D, Jovanov‐Milosevic N. Fetal indusium griseum is a possible biomarker of the regularity of brain midline development in 3T MR imaging: A retrospective observational study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2024; 103:897-906. [PMID: 38339766 PMCID: PMC11019519 DOI: 10.1111/aogs.14781] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This study aimed to assess the visibility of the indusium griseum (IG) in magnetic resonance (MR) scans of the human fetal brain and to evaluate its reliability as an imaging biomarker of the normality of brain midline development. MATERIAL AND METHODS The retrospective observational study encompassed T2-w 3T MR images from 90 post-mortem fetal brains and immunohistochemical sections from 41 fetal brains (16-40 gestational weeks) without cerebral pathology. Three raters independently inspected and evaluated the visibility of IG in post-mortem and in vivo MR scans. Weighted kappa statistics and regression analysis were used to determine inter- and intra-rater agreement and the type and strength of the association of IG visibility with gestational age. RESULTS The visibility of the IG was the highest between the 25 and 30 gestational week period, with a very good inter-rater variability (kappa 0.623-0.709) and excellent intra-rater variability (kappa 0.81-0.93). The immunochemical analysis of the histoarchitecture of IG discloses the expression of highly hydrated extracellular molecules in IG as the substrate of higher signal intensity and best visibility of IG during the mid-fetal period. CONCLUSIONS The knowledge of developmental brain histology and fetal age allows us to predict the IG-visibility in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and use it as a biomarker to evaluate the morphogenesis of the brain midline. As a biomarker, IG is significant for post-mortem pathological examination by MRI. Therefore, in the clinical in vivo imaging examination, IG should be anticipated when an assessment of the brain midline structures is needed in mid-gestation, including corpus callosum thickness measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Pogledic
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image‐guided Therapy, Allgemeines KrankenhausMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Mihaela Bobić‐Rasonja
- Department of BiologySchool of Medicine, University of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Scientific Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational NeuroscienceSchool of Medicine University of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
| | - Christian Mitter
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image‐guided Therapy, Allgemeines KrankenhausMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Department of Systematic Anatomy, Center for Anatomy and Cell BiologyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Andrija Štajduhar
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Scientific Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational NeuroscienceSchool of Medicine University of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
- School of MedicineSchool of Public Health “Andrija Štampar” University of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
| | - Ernst Schwartz
- Computational Imaging Research Lab, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image‐Guided TherapyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Marija Milković‐Periša
- Department of Pathology and Cytology, School of MedicineUniversity Hospital Center Zagreb, University of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
| | - Pascal A. Baltzer
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image‐guided Therapy, Allgemeines KrankenhausMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Maarten Lequin
- Department of RadiologyUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | - Gregor Kasprian
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image‐guided Therapy, Allgemeines KrankenhausMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Miloš Judaš
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Scientific Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational NeuroscienceSchool of Medicine University of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
| | - Daniela Prayer
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image‐guided Therapy, Allgemeines KrankenhausMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Natasa Jovanov‐Milosevic
- Department of BiologySchool of Medicine, University of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Scientific Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational NeuroscienceSchool of Medicine University of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
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Calixto C, Machado-Rivas F, Cortes-Albornoz MC, Karimi D, Velasco-Annis C, Afacan O, Warfield SK, Gholipour A, Jaimes C. Characterizing microstructural development in the fetal brain using diffusion MRI from 23 to 36 weeks of gestation. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad409. [PMID: 37948665 PMCID: PMC10793585 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad409] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We utilized motion-corrected diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to evaluate microstructural changes in healthy fetal brains during the late second and third trimesters. Data were derived from fetal magnetic resonance imaging scans conducted as part of a prospective study spanning from 2013 March to 2019 May. The study included 44 fetuses between the gestational ages (GAs) of 23 and 36 weeks. We reconstructed fetal brain DTI using a motion-tracked slice-to-volume registration framework. Images were segmented into 14 regions of interest (ROIs) through label propagation using a fetal DTI atlas, with expert refinement. Statistical analysis involved assessing changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) throughout gestation using mixed-effects models, and identifying points of change in trajectory for ROIs with nonlinear trends. Results showed significant GA-related changes in FA and MD in all ROIs except in the thalamus' FA and corpus callosum's MD. Hemispheric asymmetries were found in the FA of the periventricular white matter (pvWM), intermediate zone, and subplate and in the MD of the ganglionic eminence and pvWM. This study provides valuable insight into the normal patterns of development of MD and FA in the fetal brain. These changes are closely linked with cytoarchitectonic changes and display indications of early functional specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo Calixto
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Fedel Machado-Rivas
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Maria C Cortes-Albornoz
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Davood Karimi
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Clemente Velasco-Annis
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Onur Afacan
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Simon K Warfield
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Ali Gholipour
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Camilo Jaimes
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, United States
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Reorganization of the Brain Extracellular Matrix in Hippocampal Sclerosis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158197. [PMID: 35897768 PMCID: PMC9332352 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important regulator of excitability and synaptic plasticity, especially in its highly condensed form, the perineuronal nets (PNN). In patients with drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), hippocampal sclerosis type 1 (HS1) is the most common histopathological finding. This study aimed to evaluate the ECM profile of HS1 in surgically treated drug-resistant patients with MTLE in correlation to clinical findings. Hippocampal sections were immunohistochemically stained for aggrecan, neurocan, versican, chondroitin-sulfate (CS56), fibronectin, Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA), a nuclear neuronal marker (NeuN), parvalbumin (PV), and glial-fibrillary-acidic-protein (GFAP). In HS1, besides the reduced number of neurons and astrogliosis, we found a significantly changed expression pattern of versican, neurocan, aggrecan, WFA-specific glycosylation, and a reduced number of PNNs. Patients with a lower number of epileptic episodes had a less intense diffuse WFA staining in Cornu Ammonis (CA) fields. Our findings suggest that PNN reduction, changed ECM protein, and glycosylation expression pattern in HS1 might be involved in the pathogenesis and persistence of drug-resistant MTLE by contributing to the increase of CA pyramidal neurons’ excitability. This research corroborates the validity of ECM molecules and their modulators as a potential target for the development of new therapeutic approaches to drug-resistant epilepsy.
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Sakharkar M, Rockland KS, Duque A. Complex Neurochemical Microstructure of the Stria Terminalis in Infant and Adult Macaque Monkey. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:891608. [PMID: 35692258 PMCID: PMC9174467 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.891608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The stria terminalis (ST) is a major bidirectional fiber tract anchored in the amygdala and bed nucleus (BNST). Extensive investigations in rodents report a complex arrangement of neurochemically diverse neurons within the ST, but fewer data are available for non-human primates. Given the functional importance of the ST, we investigated its microarchitecture in one newborn, four infant, and two adult macaque brains, by parallel immunocytochemical series for cells or fibers. Main results are as follows: (1) The pan-neuronal marker NeuN shows scattered neurons and small neuronal clusters in both the dorsal and ventral ST, but more numerous dorsally; (2) smaller neuronal subpopulations are labeled by calretinin (CR), neuropeptide Y (NPY), calbindin (CB), and somatostatin (SOM), of which the CR + neurons are the most numerous; (3) the infant brains on average have more neurons in the ST than the adult brains, but across our sample, there is notable individual variability; and (4) fiber architectonics have a complex organization, which can be referenced to myelin-poor or myelin-dense zones. Myelin-poor zones coincide with concentrations of fibers positive for CB, CR, or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Neurons have been reported in other white matter domains (e.g., anterior commissure, corpus callosum, cingulum bundle, and subcortical white matter). Like these, at least some neurons within the ST may give rise to long-distance connections, and/or participate in more local functions, such as vascular regulation or axon guidance/maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathleen S. Rockland
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alvaro Duque
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- *Correspondence: Alvaro Duque,
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Trnski S, Nikolić B, Ilic K, Drlje M, Bobic-Rasonja M, Darmopil S, Petanjek Z, Hranilovic D, Jovanov-Milosevic N. The Signature of Moderate Perinatal Hypoxia on Cortical Organization and Behavior: Altered PNN-Parvalbumin Interneuron Connectivity of the Cingulate Circuitries. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:810980. [PMID: 35295859 PMCID: PMC8919082 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.810980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This study was designed in a rat model to determine the hallmarks of possible permanent behavioral and structural brain alterations after a single moderate hypoxic insult. Eighty-two Wistar Han (RccHan: WIST) rats were randomly subjected to hypoxia (pO2 73 mmHg/2 h) or normoxia at the first postnatal day. The substantially increased blood lactate, a significantly decreased cytochrome-C-oxygenase expression in the brain, and depleted subventricular zone suggested a high vulnerability of subset of cell populations to oxidative stress and consequent tissue response even after a single, moderate, hypoxic event. The results of behavioral tests (open-field, hole-board, social-choice, and T-maze) applied at the 30–45th and 70–85th postnatal days revealed significant hyperactivity and a slower pace of learning in rats subjected to perinatal hypoxia. At 3.5 months after hypoxic insult, the histochemical examination demonstrated a significantly increased number of specific extracellular matrix—perineuronal nets and increased parvalbumin expression in a subpopulation of interneurons in the medial and retrosplenial cingulate cortex of these animals. Conclusively, moderate perinatal hypoxia in rats causes a long-lasting reorganization of the connectivity in the cingulate cortex and consequent alterations of related behavioral and cognitive abilities. This non-invasive hypoxia model in the rat successfully and complementarily models the moderate perinatal hypoxic injury in fetuses and prematurely born human babies and may enhance future research into new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for perinatal medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Trnski
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Barbara Nikolić
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Katarina Ilic
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroimaging, BRAIN Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matea Drlje
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mihaela Bobic-Rasonja
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Sanja Darmopil
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Zdravko Petanjek
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dubravka Hranilovic
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Natasa Jovanov-Milosevic
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- *Correspondence: Natasa Jovanov-Milosevic,
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Constitutive activation of canonical Wnt signaling disrupts choroid plexus epithelial fate. Nat Commun 2022; 13:633. [PMID: 35110543 PMCID: PMC8810795 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27602-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The choroid plexus secretes cerebrospinal fluid and is critical for the development and function of the brain. In the telencephalon, the choroid plexus epithelium arises from the Wnt- expressing cortical hem. Canonical Wnt signaling pathway molecules such as nuclear β-CATENIN are expressed in the mouse and human embryonic choroid plexus epithelium indicating that this pathway is active. Point mutations in human β-CATENIN are known to result in the constitutive activation of canonical Wnt signaling. In a mouse model that recapitulates this perturbation, we report a loss of choroid plexus epithelial identity and an apparent transformation of this tissue to a neuronal identity. Aspects of this phenomenon are recapitulated in human embryonic stem cell derived organoids. The choroid plexus is also disrupted when β-Catenin is conditionally inactivated. Together, our results indicate that canonical Wnt signaling is required in a precise and regulated manner for normal choroid plexus development in the mammalian brain.
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Development of human white matter pathways in utero over the second and third trimester. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2023598118. [PMID: 33972435 PMCID: PMC8157930 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2023598118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
During the second and third trimesters of human gestation, rapid neurodevelopment is underpinned by fundamental processes including neuronal migration, cellular organization, cortical layering, and myelination. In this time, white matter growth and maturation lay the foundation for an efficient network of structural connections. Detailed knowledge about this developmental trajectory in the healthy human fetal brain is limited, in part, due to the inherent challenges of acquiring high-quality MRI data from this population. Here, we use state-of-the-art high-resolution multishell motion-corrected diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI), collected as part of the developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP), to characterize the in utero maturation of white matter microstructure in 113 fetuses aged 22 to 37 wk gestation. We define five major white matter bundles and characterize their microstructural features using both traditional diffusion tensor and multishell multitissue models. We found unique maturational trends in thalamocortical fibers compared with association tracts and identified different maturational trends within specific sections of the corpus callosum. While linear maturational increases in fractional anisotropy were seen in the splenium of the corpus callosum, complex nonlinear trends were seen in the majority of other white matter tracts, with an initial decrease in fractional anisotropy in early gestation followed by a later increase. The latter is of particular interest as it differs markedly from the trends previously described in ex utero preterm infants, suggesting that this normative fetal data can provide significant insights into the abnormalities in connectivity which underlie the neurodevelopmental impairments associated with preterm birth.
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Bobić-Rasonja M, Pogledić I, Mitter C, Štajduhar A, Milković-Periša M, Trnski S, Bettelheim D, Hainfellner JA, Judaš M, Prayer D, Jovanov-Milošević N. Developmental Differences Between the Limbic and Neocortical Telencephalic Wall: An Intrasubject Slice-Matched 3 T MRI-Histological Correlative Study in Humans. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:3536-3550. [PMID: 33704445 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate the interrelation of the signal intensities and thicknesses of the transient developmental zones in the cingulate and neocortical telencephalic wall, using T2-weighted 3 T-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological scans from the same brain hemisphere. The study encompassed 24 postmortem fetal brains (15-35 postconceptional weeks, PCW). The measurements were performed using Fiji and NDP.view2. We found that T2w MR signal-intensity curves show a specific regional and developmental stage profile already at 15 PCW. The MRI-histological correlation reveals that the subventricular-intermediate zone (SVZ-IZ) contributes the most to the regional differences in the MRI-profile and zone thicknesses, growing by a factor of 2.01 in the cingulate, and 1.78 in the neocortical wall. The interrelations of zone or wall thicknesses, obtained by both methods, disclose a different rate and extent of shrinkage per region (highest in neocortical subplate and SVZ-IZ) and stage (highest in the early second half of fetal development), distorting the zones' proportion in histological sections. This intrasubject, slice-matched, 3 T correlative MRI-histological study provides important information about regional development of the cortical wall, critical for the design of MRI criteria for prenatal brain monitoring and early detection of cortical or other brain pathologies in human fetuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela Bobić-Rasonja
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.,Department of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivana Pogledić
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Mitter
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrija Štajduhar
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.,Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marija Milković-Periša
- University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Department of Pathology and Cytology, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Sara Trnski
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dieter Bettelheim
- Division of Obstetrics and Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes A Hainfellner
- Division of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Miloš Judaš
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Daniela Prayer
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nataša Jovanov-Milošević
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.,Department of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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