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Lin Q, Jin S, Yin G, Li J, Asgher U, Qiu S, Wang J. Cortical Morphological Networks Differ Between Gyri and Sulci. Neurosci Bull 2024:10.1007/s12264-024-01262-7. [PMID: 39044060 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01262-7] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
This study explored how the human cortical folding pattern composed of convex gyri and concave sulci affected single-subject morphological brain networks, which are becoming an important method for studying the human brain connectome. We found that gyri-gyri networks exhibited higher morphological similarity, lower small-world parameters, and lower long-term test-retest reliability than sulci-sulci networks for cortical thickness- and gyrification index-based networks, while opposite patterns were observed for fractal dimension-based networks. Further behavioral association analysis revealed that gyri-gyri networks and connections between gyral and sulcal regions significantly explained inter-individual variance in Cognition and Motor domains for fractal dimension- and sulcal depth-based networks. Finally, the clinical application showed that only sulci-sulci networks exhibited morphological similarity reductions in major depressive disorder for cortical thickness-, fractal dimension-, and gyrification index-based networks. Taken together, these findings provide novel insights into the constraint of the cortical folding pattern to the network organization of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingchun Lin
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Suhui Jin
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Guole Yin
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Junle Li
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Umer Asgher
- Department of Air Transport, Faculty of Transportation Sciences, Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), Prague, 128 00, Czech Republic
- School of Interdisciplinary Engineering and Sciences (SINES), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Shijun Qiu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510405, China
| | - Jinhui Wang
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
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2
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Odimayo S, Olisah CC, Mohammed K. Structure focused neurodegeneration convolutional neural network for modelling and classification of Alzheimer's disease. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15270. [PMID: 38961114 PMCID: PMC11222499 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60611-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the predominant form of dementia, is a growing global challenge, emphasizing the urgent need for accurate and early diagnosis. Current clinical diagnoses rely on radiologist expert interpretation, which is prone to human error. Deep learning has thus far shown promise for early AD diagnosis. However, existing methods often overlook focal structural atrophy critical for enhanced understanding of the cerebral cortex neurodegeneration. This paper proposes a deep learning framework that includes a novel structure-focused neurodegeneration CNN architecture named SNeurodCNN and an image brightness enhancement preprocessor using gamma correction. The SNeurodCNN architecture takes as input the focal structural atrophy features resulting from segmentation of brain structures captured through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). As a result, the architecture considers only necessary CNN components, which comprises of two downsampling convolutional blocks and two fully connected layers, for achieving the desired classification task, and utilises regularisation techniques to regularise learnable parameters. Leveraging mid-sagittal and para-sagittal brain image viewpoints from the Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) dataset, our framework demonstrated exceptional performance. The para-sagittal viewpoint achieved 97.8% accuracy, 97.0% specificity, and 98.5% sensitivity, while the mid-sagittal viewpoint offered deeper insights with 98.1% accuracy, 97.2% specificity, and 99.0% sensitivity. Model analysis revealed the ability of SNeurodCNN to capture the structural dynamics of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD in the frontal lobe, occipital lobe, cerebellum, temporal, and parietal lobe, suggesting its potential as a brain structural change digi-biomarker for early AD diagnosis. This work can be reproduced using code we made available on GitHub.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simisola Odimayo
- School of Engineering, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
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3
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Maboudian SA, Willbrand EH, Kelly JP, Jagust WJ, Weiner KS. Defining Overlooked Structures Reveals New Associations between the Cortex and Cognition in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1714232024. [PMID: 38383497 PMCID: PMC11026365 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1714-23.2024] [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: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent work suggests that indentations of the cerebral cortex, or sulci, may be uniquely vulnerable to atrophy in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and that the posteromedial cortex (PMC) is particularly vulnerable to atrophy and pathology accumulation. However, these studies did not consider small, shallow, and variable tertiary sulci that are located in association cortices and are often associated with human-specific aspects of cognition. Here, we manually defined 4,362 PMC sulci in 432 hemispheres in 216 human participants (50.5% female) and found that these smaller putative tertiary sulci showed more age- and AD-related thinning than larger, more consistent sulci, with the strongest effects for two newly uncovered sulci. A model-based approach relating sulcal morphology to cognition identified that a subset of these sulci was most associated with memory and executive function scores in older adults. These findings lend support to the retrogenesis hypothesis linking brain development and aging and provide new neuroanatomical targets for future studies of aging and AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira A Maboudian
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
- Department of Neuroscience, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
| | - Ethan H Willbrand
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726
| | - Joseph P Kelly
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - William J Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
- Department of Neuroscience, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720
| | - Kevin S Weiner
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
- Department of Neuroscience, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
- Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
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4
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Chouhan D, Gordián Vélez WJ, Struzyna LA, Adewole DO, Cullen ER, Burrell JC, O’Donnell JC, Cullen DK. Generation of contractile forces by three-dimensional bundled axonal tracts in micro-tissue engineered neural networks. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1346696. [PMID: 38590432 PMCID: PMC10999686 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1346696] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Axonal extension and retraction are ongoing processes that occur throughout all developmental stages of an organism. The ability of axons to produce mechanical forces internally and respond to externally generated forces is crucial for nervous system development, maintenance, and plasticity. Such axonal mechanobiological phenomena have typically been evaluated in vitro at a single-cell level, but these mechanisms have not been studied when axons are present in a bundled three-dimensional (3D) form like in native tissue. In an attempt to emulate native cortico-cortical interactions under in vitro conditions, we present our approach to utilize previously described micro-tissue engineered neural networks (micro-TENNs). Here, micro-TENNs were comprised of discrete populations of rat cortical neurons that were spanned by 3D bundled axonal tracts and physically integrated with each other. We found that these bundled axonal tracts inherently exhibited an ability to generate contractile forces as the microtissue matured. We therefore utilized this micro-TENN testbed to characterize the intrinsic contractile forces generated by the integrated axonal tracts in the absence of any external force. We found that contractile forces generated by bundled axons were dependent on microtubule stability. Moreover, these intra-axonal contractile forces could simultaneously generate tensile forces to induce so-called axonal "stretch-growth" in different axonal tracts within the same microtissue. The culmination of axonal contraction generally occurred with the fusion of both the neuronal somatic regions along the axonal tracts, therefore perhaps showing the innate tendency of cortical neurons to minimize their wiring distance, a phenomenon also perceived during brain morphogenesis. In future applications, this testbed may be used to investigate mechanisms of neuroanatomical development and those underlying certain neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimple Chouhan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration and Restoration, Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Wisberty J. Gordián Vélez
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration and Restoration, Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Laura A. Struzyna
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration and Restoration, Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Dayo O. Adewole
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration and Restoration, Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Erin R. Cullen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration and Restoration, Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Justin C. Burrell
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration and Restoration, Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - John C. O’Donnell
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration and Restoration, Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - D. Kacy Cullen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration and Restoration, Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Ang PS, Zhang DM, Azizi SA, Norton de Matos SA, Brorson JR. The glymphatic system and cerebral small vessel disease. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2024; 33:107557. [PMID: 38198946 DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2024.107557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Cerebral small vessel disease is a group of pathologies in which alterations of the brain's blood vessels contribute to stroke and neurocognitive changes. Recently, a neurotoxic waste clearance system composed of perivascular spaces abutting the brain's blood vessels, termed the glymphatic system, has been identified as a key player in brain homeostasis. Given that small vessel disease and the glymphatic system share anatomical structures, this review aims to reexamine small vessel disease in the context of the glymphatic system and highlight novel aspects of small vessel disease physiology. MATERIALS AND METHODS This review was conducted with an emphasis on studies that examined aspects of small vessel disease and on works characterizing the glymphatic system. We searched PubMed for relevant articles using the following keywords: glymphatics, cerebral small vessel disease, arterial pulsatility, hypertension, blood-brain barrier, endothelial dysfunction, stroke, diabetes. RESULTS Cerebral small vessel disease and glymphatic dysfunction are anatomically connected and significant risk factors are shared between the two. These include hypertension, type 2 diabetes, advanced age, poor sleep, obesity, and neuroinflammation. There is clear evidence that CSVD hinders the effective functioning of glymphatic system. CONCLUSION These shared risk factors, as well as the model of cerebral amyloid angiopathy pathogenesis, hint at the possibility that glymphatic dysfunction could independently contribute to the pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease. However, the current evidence supports a model of cascading dysfunction, wherein concurrent small vessel and glymphatic injury hinder glymphatic-mediated recovery and promote the progression of subclinical to clinical disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip S Ang
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
| | - Douglas M Zhang
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
| | - Saara-Anne Azizi
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
| | | | - James R Brorson
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, United States; Department of Neurology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, United States.
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Merenstein JL, Zhao J, Overson DK, Truong TK, Johnson KG, Song AW, Madden DJ. Depth- and curvature-based quantitative susceptibility mapping analyses of cortical iron in Alzheimer's disease. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad525. [PMID: 38185996 PMCID: PMC10839848 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad525] [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: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
In addition to amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been associated with elevated iron in deep gray matter nuclei using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). However, only a few studies have examined cortical iron, using more macroscopic approaches that cannot assess layer-specific differences. Here, we conducted column-based QSM analyses to assess whether AD-related increases in cortical iron vary in relation to layer-specific differences in the type and density of neurons. We obtained global and regional measures of positive (iron) and negative (myelin, protein aggregation) susceptibility from 22 adults with AD and 22 demographically matched healthy controls. Depth-wise analyses indicated that global susceptibility increased from the pial surface to the gray/white matter boundary, with a larger slope for positive susceptibility in the left hemisphere for adults with AD than controls. Curvature-based analyses indicated larger global susceptibility for adults with AD versus controls; the right hemisphere versus left; and gyri versus sulci. Region-of-interest analyses identified similar depth- and curvature-specific group differences, especially for temporo-parietal regions. Finding that iron accumulates in a topographically heterogenous manner across the cortical mantle may help explain the profound cognitive deterioration that differentiates AD from the slowing of general motor processes in healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna L Merenstein
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
| | - Jiayi Zhao
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
| | - Devon K Overson
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
- Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Trong-Kha Truong
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
- Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Kim G Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
| | - Allen W Song
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
- Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - David J Madden
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
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7
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Demirci N, Hoffman ME, Holland MA. Systematic cortical thickness and curvature patterns in primates. Neuroimage 2023; 278:120283. [PMID: 37516374 PMCID: PMC10443624 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are known to have significant and consistent differences in thickness throughout the cortex, with thick outer gyral folds and thin inner sulcal folds. Our previous work has suggested a mechanical basis for this thickness pattern, with the forces generated during cortical folding leading to thick gyri and thin sulci, and shown that cortical thickness varies along a gyral-sulcal spectrum in humans. While other primate species are expected to exhibit similar patterns of cortical thickness, it is currently unknown how these patterns scale across different sizes, forms, and foldedness. Among primates, brains vary enormously from roughly the size of a grape to the size of a grapefruit, and from nearly smooth to dramatically folded; of these, human brains are the largest and most folded. These variations in size and form make comparative neuroanatomy a rich resource for investigating common trends that transcend differences between species. In this study, we examine 12 primate species in order to cover a wide range of sizes and forms, and investigate the scaling of their cortical thickness relative to the surface geometry. The 12 species were selected due to the public availability of either reconstructed surfaces and/or population templates. After obtaining or reconstructing 3D surfaces from publicly available neuroimaging data, we used our surface-based computational pipeline (https://github.com/mholla/curveball) to analyze patterns of cortical thickness and folding with respect to size (total surface area), geometry (i.e. curvature, shape, and sulcal depth), and foldedness (gyrification). In all 12 species, we found consistent cortical thickness variations along a gyral-sulcal spectrum, with convex shapes thicker than concave shapes and saddle shapes in between. Furthermore, we saw an increasing thickness difference between gyri and sulci as brain size increases. Our results suggest a systematic folding mechanism relating local cortical thickness to geometry. Finally, all of our reconstructed surfaces and morphometry data are available for future research in comparative neuroanatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nagehan Demirci
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Mia E Hoffman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Maria A Holland
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA; Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
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Maboudian SA, Willbrand EH, Jagust WJ, Weiner KS. Defining overlooked structures reveals new associations between cortex and cognition in aging and Alzheimer's disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.29.546558. [PMID: 37425904 PMCID: PMC10327001 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.29.546558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent work suggests that indentations of the cerebral cortex, or sulci, may be uniquely vulnerable to atrophy in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and that posteromedial cortex (PMC) is particularly vulnerable to atrophy and pathology accumulation. However, these studies did not consider small, shallow, and variable tertiary sulci that are located in association cortices and are often associated with human-specific aspects of cognition. Here, we first manually defined 4,362 PMC sulci in 432 hemispheres in 216 participants. Tertiary sulci showed more age- and AD-related thinning than non-tertiary sulci, with the strongest effects for two newly uncovered tertiary sulci. A model-based approach relating sulcal morphology to cognition identified that a subset of these sulci were most associated with memory and executive function scores in older adults. These findings support the retrogenesis hypothesis linking brain development and aging, and provide new neuroanatomical targets for future studies of aging and AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira A. Maboudian
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA
| | - Ethan H. Willbrand
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA
| | - William J. Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720
| | - Kevin S. Weiner
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA
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Fettrow T, Hupfeld K, Hass C, Pasternak O, Seidler R. Neural correlates of gait adaptation in younger and older adults. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3842. [PMID: 36890163 PMCID: PMC9995534 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30766-x] [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: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Mobility decline is a major concern for older adults. A key component of maintaining mobility with advancing age is the ability to learn and adapt to the environment. The split-belt treadmill paradigm is an experimental protocol that tests the ability to adapt to a dynamic environment. Here we examined the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) derived structural neural correlates of individual differences in adaptation to split-belt walking for younger and older adults. We have previously shown that younger adults adopt an asymmetric walking pattern during split-belt walking, particularly in the medial-lateral (ML) direction, but older adults do not. We collected T[Formula: see text]-weighted and diffusion-weighted MRI scans to quantify brain morphological characteristics (i.e. in the gray matter and white matter) on these same participants. We investigated two distinct questions: (1) Are there structural brain metrics that are associated with the ability to adopt asymmetry during split-belt walking; and (2) Are there different brain-behavior relationships for younger and older adults? Given the growing evidence that indicates the brain has a critical role in the maintenance of gait and balance, we hypothesized that brain areas commonly associated with locomotion (i.e. basal ganglia, sensorimotor cortex, cerebellum) would be associated with ML asymmetry and that older adults would show more associations between split-belt walking and prefrontal brain areas. We identified multiple brain-behavior associations. More gray matter volume in the superior frontal gyrus and cerebellar lobules VIIB and VIII, more sulcal depth in the insula, more gyrification in the pre/post central gyri, and more fractional anisotropy in the corticospinal tract and inferior longitudinal fasciculus corresponded to more gait asymmetry. These associations did not differ between younger and older adults. This work progresses our understanding of how brain structure is associated with balance during walking, particularly during adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Fettrow
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA.
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA.
| | - Kathleen Hupfeld
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
| | - Chris Hass
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
| | - Ofer Pasternak
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rachael Seidler
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
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10
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Kornelsen J, Fredborg BK, Smith SD. Structural differences in the cortex of individuals who experience the autonomous sensory meridian response. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e2894. [PMID: 36692975 PMCID: PMC9927840 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a multimodal perceptual phenomenon in which specific sensory triggers evoke tingling sensations on the scalp, neck, and shoulders; these sensations are accompanied by a positive and calming affective state. Previous functional neuroimaging research has shown that ASMR experiences involve medial prefrontal and sensorimotor brain areas. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether there are structural differences in the cortex of individuals who experience ASMR. METHODS Seventeen individuals with ASMR and 17 matched control participants completed an MPRAGE structural MRI scan. These data were analyzed to determine if group differences were present for measures of cortical thickness, cortical complexity, sulcal depth, and gyrification. RESULTS ASMR was associated with reduced cortical thickness in a number of regions including the left precuneus, precentral gyrus, and insula, and the right orbitofrontal cortex, superior frontal cortex, and paracentral lobule. Reduced thickness was observed bilaterally in the supramarginal gyrus. Individuals with ASMR also showed less cortical complexity in the pars opercularis and pars triangularis. CONCLUSIONS The differences in cortical thickness and complexity were in brain areas whose functions relate to the ASMR experience. These differences include neural regions related to phonological processing, sensorimotor functions, and attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Kornelsen
- Department of Radiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Beverley K Fredborg
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen D Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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11
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Almgren H, Hanganu A, Camacho M, Kibreab M, Camicioli R, Ismail Z, Forkert ND, Monchi O. Motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease are related to the interplay between cortical curvature and thickness. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103300. [PMID: 36580712 PMCID: PMC9827056 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Brain atrophy in Parkinson's disease occurs to varying degrees in different brain regions, even at the early stage of the disease. While cortical morphological features are often considered independently in structural brain imaging studies, research on the co-progression of different cortical morphological measurements could provide new insights regarding the progression of PD. This study's aim was to examine the interplay between cortical curvature and thickness as a function of PD diagnosis, motor symptoms, and cognitive performance. METHODS A total of 359 de novo PD patients and 159 healthy controls (HC) from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database were included in this study. Additionally, an independent cohort from four databases (182 PD, 132 HC) with longer disease durations was included to assess the effects of PD diagnosis in more advanced cases. Pearson correlation was used to determine subject-specific associations between cortical curvature and thickness estimated from T1-weighted MRI images. General linear modeling (GLM) was then used to assess the effect of PD diagnosis, motor symptoms, and cognitive performance on the curvature-thickness association. Next, longitudinal changes in the curvature-thickness correlation as well as the predictive effect of the cortical curvature-thickness association on changes in motor symptoms and cognitive performance across four years were investigated. Finally, Akaike information criterion (AIC) was used to build a GLM to model PD motor symptom severity cross-sectionally. RESULTS A significant interaction effect between PD motor symptoms and age on the curvature-thickness correlation was found (βstandardized = 0.11; t(350) = 2.12; p = 0.03). This interaction effect showed that motor symptoms in older patients were related to an attenuated curvature-thickness association. No significant effect of PD diagnosis was observed for the PPMI database (β = 0.03; t(510) = 0.35; p = 0.72). However, in patients with a longer disease duration, a significant effect of diagnosis on the curvature-thickness association was found (βstandardized = 0.31; t(306.7) = 3.49; p = 0.0006). Moreover, rigidity, but not tremor, in PD was significantly related to the curvature-thickness correlation (βstandardized = 0.11, t(350) = 2.24, p = 0.03; βstandardized = -0.03, t(350) = -0.58, p = 0.56, respectively). The curvature-thickness association was attenuated over time in both PD and HC, but the two groups did not show a significantly different effect (βstandardized = 0.03, t(184.7) = 0.78, p = 0.44). No predictive effects of the CC-CT correlation on longitudinal changes in cognitive performance or motor symptoms were observed (all p-values > 0.05). The best cross-sectional model for PD motor symptoms included the curvature-thickness correlation, cognitive performance, and putamen dopamine transporter (DAT) binding, which together explained 14 % of variance. CONCLUSION The association between cortical curvature and thickness is related to PD motor symptoms and age. This research shows the potential of modeling the curvature-thickness interplay in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Almgren
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Alexandru Hanganu
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin, 90 Vincent d'Indy Ave, Montréal, QC H2V 2S9, Canada; Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Chemin Queen Mary, Montréal, QC H3W 1W5, Canada
| | - Milton Camacho
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Mekale Kibreab
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Richard Camicioli
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, and Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, 7-112 Clinical Sciences Building 11350 83(rd) Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, AB T6G 2G3, Canada
| | - Zahinoor Ismail
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada
| | - Nils D Forkert
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Heritage Medical Research Building, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Oury Monchi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Chemin Queen Mary, Montréal, QC H3W 1W5, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Département de radiologie, radio-oncologie et médecine nucléaire, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, 2900 boulevard, Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, QC H3T 1A4, Canada.
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Morrison KE, Stenson AF, Marx-Rattner R, Carter S, Michopoulos V, Gillespie CF, Powers A, Huang W, Kane MA, Jovanovic T, Bale TL. Developmental Timing of Trauma in Women Predicts Unique Extracellular Vesicle Proteome Signatures. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:273-282. [PMID: 34715991 PMCID: PMC9219961 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to traumatic events is a risk factor for negative physical and mental health outcomes. However, the underlying biological mechanisms that perpetuate these lasting effects are not known. METHODS We investigated the impact and timing of sexual trauma, a specific type of interpersonal violence, experienced during key developmental windows of childhood, adolescence, or adulthood on adult health outcomes and associated biomarkers, including circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels and extracellular vesicles (EVs), in a predominantly Black cohort of women (N = 101). RESULTS Significant changes in both biomarkers examined, circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels and EV proteome, were specific to developmental timing of sexual trauma. Specifically, we identified a large number of keratin-related proteins from EVs unique to the adolescent sexual trauma group. Remarkably, the majority of these keratin proteins belong to a 17q21 gene cluster, which suggests a potential local epigenetic regulatory mechanism altered by adolescent trauma to impact keratinocyte EV secretion or its protein cargo. These results, along with changes in fear-potentiated startle and skin conductance detected in these women, suggest that sexual violence experienced during the specific developmental window of adolescence may involve unique programming of the skin, the body's largest stress organ. CONCLUSIONS Together, these descriptive studies provide novel insight into distinct biological processes altered by trauma experienced during specific developmental windows. Future studies will be required to mechanistically link these biological processes to health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen E Morrison
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Anaïs F Stenson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Ruth Marx-Rattner
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sierra Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Charles F Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Weiliang Huang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Maureen A Kane
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Tracy L Bale
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
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Demirci N, Holland MA. Cortical thickness systematically varies with curvature and depth in healthy human brains. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:2064-2084. [PMID: 35098606 PMCID: PMC8933257 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortical thickness varies throughout the cortex in a systematic way. However, it is challenging to investigate the patterns of cortical thickness due to the intricate geometry of the cortex. The cortex has a folded nature both in radial and tangential directions which forms not only gyri and sulci but also tangential folds and intersections. In this article, cortical curvature and depth are used to characterize the spatial distribution of the cortical thickness with much higher resolution than conventional regional atlases. To do this, a computational pipeline was developed that is capable of calculating a variety of quantitative measures such as surface area, cortical thickness, curvature (mean curvature, Gaussian curvature, shape index, intrinsic curvature index, and folding index), and sulcal depth. By analyzing 501 neurotypical adult human subjects from the ABIDE‐I dataset, we show that cortex has a very organized structure and cortical thickness is strongly correlated with local shape. Our results indicate that cortical thickness consistently increases along the gyral–sulcal spectrum from concave to convex shape, encompassing the saddle shape along the way. Additionally, tangential folds influence cortical thickness in a similar way as gyral and sulcal folds; outer folds are consistently thicker than inner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nagehan Demirci
- Bioengineering Graduate Program University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana USA
| | - Maria A. Holland
- Bioengineering Graduate Program University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana USA
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana USA
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The Influence of Virus Infection on Microglia and Accelerated Brain Aging. Cells 2021; 10:cells10071836. [PMID: 34360004 PMCID: PMC8303900 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system contributing substantially to health and disease. There is increasing evidence that inflammatory microglia may induce or accelerate brain aging, by interfering with physiological repair and remodeling processes. Many viral infections affect the brain and interfere with microglia functions, including human immune deficiency virus, flaviviruses, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and human herpes viruses. Especially chronic viral infections causing low-grade neuroinflammation may contribute to brain aging. This review elucidates the potential role of various neurotropic viruses in microglia-driven neurocognitive deficiencies and possibly accelerated brain aging.
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Blinkouskaya Y, Weickenmeier J. Brain Shape Changes Associated With Cerebral Atrophy in Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Disease. FRONTIERS IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 2021; 7:705653. [PMID: 35465618 PMCID: PMC9032518 DOI: 10.3389/fmech.2021.705653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Both healthy and pathological brain aging are characterized by various degrees of cognitive decline that strongly correlate with morphological changes referred to as cerebral atrophy. These hallmark morphological changes include cortical thinning, white and gray matter volume loss, ventricular enlargement, and loss of gyrification all caused by a myriad of subcellular and cellular aging processes. While the biology of brain aging has been investigated extensively, the mechanics of brain aging remains vastly understudied. Here, we propose a multiphysics model that couples tissue atrophy and Alzheimer's disease biomarker progression. We adopt the multiplicative split of the deformation gradient into a shrinking and an elastic part. We model atrophy as region-specific isotropic shrinking and differentiate between a constant, tissue-dependent atrophy rate in healthy aging, and an atrophy rate in Alzheimer's disease that is proportional to the local biomarker concentration. Our finite element modeling approach delivers a computational framework to systematically study the spatiotemporal progression of cerebral atrophy and its regional effect on brain shape. We verify our results via comparison with cross-sectional medical imaging studies that reveal persistent age-related atrophy patterns. Our long-term goal is to develop a diagnostic tool able to differentiate between healthy and accelerated aging, typically observed in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, in order to allow for earlier and more effective interventions.
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