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Shao ZD, Gong YJ, Ren J, Wang J. Exploring the arcuate fasciculus from a clinical perspective. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1307834. [PMID: 38033540 PMCID: PMC10684764 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1307834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, language function impairment caused by intracranial diseases has gained increasing interest, mainly due to its significant impact on the language and cognitive ability, leading to a serious decline in the quality of life of patients. Consequently, researchers aimed to clarify the quantitative degree of lesions of the arcuate fasciculus and therapeutic targets to promote nerve fiber remodeling. The arcuate fasciculus is extremely prone to damage caused by diseases such as stroke and brain tumor. Hallucinating schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic tinnitus, and other diseases can also lead to changes in the fractional anisotropy value of arcuate fasciculus; however, different studies have different conclusions about how this change occurs. To obtain a better understanding, more clinical studies are required. Owing to various advancements in neuroimaging, a better understanding and identification of vital targets for restoration of neurological function are possible. The arcuate fasciculus is stratified into three substructures, each having unique neurological functions. Both diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) sequences and deterministic monitoring techniques render it possible to visually and quantitatively analyze the substructure in three parts. In this review, we examined the progress of the arcuate fasciculus and quantitative DTI technology in recent years.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ji Wang
- Second Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui, China
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2
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Li M, Wang Y, Tachibana M, Rahman S, Kagitani-Shimono K. Atypical structural connectivity of language networks in autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies. Autism Res 2022; 15:1585-1602. [PMID: 35962721 PMCID: PMC9546367 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show pervasive and complex language impairments that are closely associated with aberrant structural connectivity of language networks. However, the characteristics of white matter connectivity in ASD have remained inconclusive in previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies. The current meta‐analysis aimed to comprehensively elucidate the abnormality in language‐related white matter connectivity in individuals with ASD. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline databases to identify relevant studies. The standardized mean difference was calculated to measure the pooled difference in DTI metrics in each tract between the ASD and typically developing (TD) groups. The moderating effects of age, sex, language ability, and symptom severity were investigated using subgroup and meta‐regression analysis. Thirty‐three DTI studies involving 831 individuals with ASD and 836 TD controls were included in the meta‐analysis. ASD subjects showed significantly lower fractional anisotropy or higher mean diffusivity across language‐associated tracts than TD controls. These abnormalities tended to be more prominent in the left language networks than in the right. In addition, children with ASD exhibit more pronounced and pervasive disturbances in white matter connectivity than adults. These results support the under‐connectivity hypothesis and demonstrate the widespread abnormal microstructure of language‐related tracts in patients with ASD. Otherwise, white matter abnormalities in the autistic brain could vary depending on the developmental stage and hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Li
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yide Wang
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaya Tachibana
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shafiur Rahman
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.,Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Kuriko Kagitani-Shimono
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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Irene Díez García-Prieto I, Lopez-Martín S, Albert J, Jiménez de la Peña M, Fernández-Mayoralas DM, Calleja-Pérez B, Gómez Fernández MT, Álvarez S, Pihlajaniemi T, Izzi V, Fernández-Jaén A. Mutations in the COL18A1 gen associated with knobloch syndrome and structural brain anomalies: a novel case report and literature review of neuroimaging findings. Neurocase 2022; 28:11-18. [PMID: 35253627 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2021.1928228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
. COL18A1 gene mutations have been associated with Knobloch syndrome, which is characterized by ocular and brain abnormalities. Here we report a 4.5 years-old male child with autism and two novel COL18A1 mutations (NM_030582.4: c.1883_1891dup and c.1787C>T). Hypermetropic astigmatism, but not brain migration disorders, was observed. However, an asymmetric pattern of cerebellar perfusion and a smaller arcuate fascicle were found. Low levels of collagen XVIII were also observed in the patient´s serum. Thus, biallelic loss-of-function mutations in COL18A1 may be a new cause of autism without the brain malformations typically reported in patients with Knobloch syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Lopez-Martín
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma De Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Neuromottiva, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jacobo Albert
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mar Jiménez de la Peña
- Department of Radiology, Neuroimaging. Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Sara Álvarez
- Genomics and Medicine, NIMGenetics, Madrid, Spain
| | - Taina Pihlajaniemi
- Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Oulu Center for Cell-Matrix Research and Biocenter, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Valerio Izzi
- Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Oulu Center for Cell-Matrix Research and Biocenter, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Alberto Fernández-Jaén
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud, Madrid, Spain.,School of Medicine, Universidad Europea De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Imagination in Autism: A Chance to Improve Early Language Therapy. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9010063. [PMID: 33440627 PMCID: PMC7826637 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9010063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with autism often have difficulties in imaginative play, Theory of Mind, and playing out different scenarios in their minds. Research shows that the root of these problems may be the voluntary imagination network that involves the lateral prefrontal cortex and its long frontoposterior connections to the temporal-parietal-occipital area. Previously disconnected visuospatial issues (stimulus overselectivity and tunnel vision) and language issues (lack of comprehension of spatial prepositions and complex recursive sentences) may be explained by the same voluntary imagination deficit. This review highlights the new insights into the mechanism of voluntary imagination, its difference from involuntary imagination, and its unusually strong critical period. Clearer developmental terminology and a better understanding of voluntary imagination have the potential to facilitate communication between therapists and parents, and improve therapy outcomes in children.
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The value of diffusion tensor imaging for differentiating autism spectrum disorder with language delay from developmental language disorder among toddlers: Erratum. Medicine (Baltimore) 2020; 99:e23796. [PMID: 33371152 PMCID: PMC7748307 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000023796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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Barbeau EB, Klein D, Soulières I, Petrides M, Bernhardt B, Mottron L. Age of Speech Onset in Autism Relates to Structural Connectivity in the Language Network. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa077. [PMID: 34296136 PMCID: PMC8152885 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech onset delays (SOD) and language atypicalities are central aspects of the autism spectrum (AS), despite not being included in the categorical diagnosis of AS. Previous studies separating participants according to speech onset history have shown distinct patterns of brain organization and activation in perceptual tasks. One major white matter tract, the arcuate fasciculus (AF), connects the posterior temporal and left frontal language regions. Here, we used anatomical brain imaging to investigate the properties of the AF in adolescent and adult autistic individuals with typical levels of intelligence who differed by age of speech onset. The left AF of the AS group showed a significantly smaller volume than that of the nonautistic group. Such a reduction in volume was only present in the younger group. This result was driven by the autistic group without SOD (SOD−), despite their typical age of speech onset. The autistic group with SOD (SOD+) showed a more typical AF as adults relative to matched controls. This suggests that, along with multiple studies in AS-SOD+ individuals, atypical brain reorganization is observable in the 2 major AS subgroups and that such reorganization applies mostly to the language regions in SOD− and perceptual regions in SOD+ individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise B Barbeau
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Denise Klein
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Isabelle Soulières
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montreal, Montreal, QC H2X 3P2, Canada
| | - Michael Petrides
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- Neurology and Neurosurgery Department, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Laurent Mottron
- Département de Psychiatrie et d'addictologie, de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
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Thompson A, Shahidiani A, Fritz A, O’Muircheartaigh J, Walker L, D’Almeida V, Murphy C, Daly E, Murphy D, Williams S, Deoni S, Ecker C. Age-related differences in white matter diffusion measures in autism spectrum condition. Mol Autism 2020; 11:36. [PMID: 32423424 PMCID: PMC7236504 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00325-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum condition (ASC) is accompanied by developmental differences in brain anatomy and connectivity. White matter differences in ASC have been widely studied with diffusion imaging but results are heterogeneous and vary across the age range of study participants and varying methodological approaches. To characterize the neurodevelopmental trajectory of white matter maturation, it is necessary to examine a broad age range of individuals on the autism spectrum and typically developing controls, and investigate age × group interactions. METHODS Here, we employed a spatially unbiased tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) approach to examine age-related differences in white matter connectivity in a sample of 41 individuals with ASC, and 41 matched controls between 7-17 years of age. RESULTS We found significant age-related differences between the ASC and control group in widespread brain regions. This included age-related differences in the uncinate fasciculus, corticospinal tract, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus and forceps major. Measures of fractional anisotropy (FA) were significantly positively associated with age in both groups. However, this relationship was significantly stronger in the ASC group relative to controls. Measures of radial diffusivity (RD) were significantly negatively associated with age in both groups, but this relationship was significantly stronger in the ASC group relative to controls. LIMITATIONS The generalisability of our findings is limited by the restriction of the sample to right-handed males with an IQ > 70. Furthermore, a longitudinal design would be required to fully investigate maturational processes across this age group. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our findings suggest that autistic males have an altered trajectory of white matter maturation relative to controls. Future longitudinal analyses are required to further characterize the extent and time course of these differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Thompson
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Developmental Change & Plasticity Lab, Department of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, Bloomsbury, London, WC1H 0AP UK
| | - Asal Shahidiani
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Anne Fritz
- The Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), Psychology and Human Development, UCL, London, UK
| | - Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, St. Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Lindsay Walker
- Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, Hasbro Childrens Hospital, Providence, RI USA
- Pediatrics and Radiology, Warren Alpert medical school, Brown University, Providence, USA
| | - Vera D’Almeida
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Clodagh Murphy
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Eileen Daly
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Declan Murphy
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Steve Williams
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Sean Deoni
- Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, Hasbro Childrens Hospital, Providence, RI USA
- Pediatrics and Radiology, Warren Alpert medical school, Brown University, Providence, USA
- Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Discovery & Tools at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, USA
| | - Christine Ecker
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Deutschordenstrasse 50, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Liu J, Tsang T, Jackson L, Ponting C, Jeste SS, Bookheimer SY, Dapretto M. Altered lateralization of dorsal language tracts in 6-week-old infants at risk for autism. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12768. [PMID: 30372577 PMCID: PMC6470045 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Altered structural connectivity has been identified as a possible biomarker of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in the developing brain. Core features of ASD include impaired social communication and early language delay. Thus, examining white matter tracts associated with language may lend further insight into early signs of ASD risk and the mechanisms that underlie language impairments associated with the disorder. Evidence of altered structural connectivity has previously been detected in 6-month-old infants at high familial risk for developing ASD. However, as language processing begins in utero, differences in structural connectivity between language regions may be present in the early infant brain shortly after birth. Here we investigated key white matter pathways of the dorsal language network in 6-week-old infants at high (HR) and low (LR) risk for ASD to identify atypicalities in structural connectivity that may predict altered developmental trajectories prior to overt language delays and the onset of ASD symptomatology. Compared to HR infants, LR infants showed higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF); in contrast, in the right SLF, HR infants showed higher FA than LR infants. Additionally, HR infants showed more rightward lateralization of the SLF. Across both groups, measures of FA and lateralization of these pathways at 6 weeks of age were related to later language development at 18 months of age as well as ASD symptomatology at 36 months of age. These findings indicate that early differences in the structure of language pathways may provide an early predictor of future language development and ASD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle Liu
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tawny Tsang
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lisa Jackson
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn Ponting
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shafali S. Jeste
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Susan Y. Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neurosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mirella Dapretto
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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