The visual cortex in schizophrenia: alterations of gyrification rather than cortical thickness—a combined cortical shape analysis

AbstractThe visuotopic organization of dorsal visual cortex rostral to area V2 in primates has been a longstanding source of controversy. Using sub-millimeter phase-encoded retinotopic fMRI mapping, we recently provided evidence for a surprisingly similar visuotopic organization in dorsal visual cortex of macaques compared to previously published maps in New world monkeys (Zhu and Vanduffel, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 116:2306–2311, 2019). Although individual quadrant representations could be robustly delineated in that study, their grouping into hemifield representations remains a major challenge. Here, we combined in-vivo high-resolution myelin density mapping based on MR imaging (400 µm isotropic resolution) with fine-grained retinotopic fMRI to quantitatively compare myelin densities across retinotopically defined visual areas in macaques. Complementing previously documented differences in populational receptive-field (pRF) size and visual field signs, myelin densities of both quadrants of the dorsolateral posterior area (DLP) and area V3A are significantly different compared to dorsal and ventral area V3. Moreover, no differences in myelin density were observed between the two matching quadrants belonging to areas DLP, V3A, V1, V2 and V4, respectively. This was not the case, however, for the dorsal and ventral quadrants of area V3, which showed significant differences in MR-defined myelin densities, corroborating evidence of previous myelin staining studies. Interestingly, the pRF sizes and visual field signs of both quadrant representations in V3 are not different. Although myelin density correlates with curvature and anticorrelates with cortical thickness when measured across the entire cortex, exactly as in humans, the myelin density results in the visual areas cannot be explained by variability in cortical thickness and curvature between these areas. The present myelin density results largely support our previous model to group the two quadrants of DLP and V3A, rather than grouping DLP- with V3v into a single area VLP, or V3d with V3A+ into DM.

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Online Learning for Classification of Alzheimer Disease based on Cortical Thickness and Hippocampal Shape Analysis

Healthcare Informatics Research ◽

10.4258/hir.2014.20.1.61 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 61 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ga-Young Lee ◽

Jeonghun Kim ◽

Ju Han Kim ◽

Kiwoong Kim ◽

Joon-Kyung Seong

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Alzheimer Disease ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Shape Analysis

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Changes in thalamocortical connectivity as a potential mechanism of cross-modal plasticity in congenitally blind individuals

10.1101/449009 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Theo Marins ◽

Maite Russo ◽

Erika Rodrigues ◽

jorge Moll ◽

Daniel Felix ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Visual Information ◽

Brain Plasticity ◽

Temporal Cortex ◽

Occipital Cortex ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Congenitally Blind ◽

Blind Individuals ◽

Neuroimaging Techniques

ABSTRACTEvidence of cross-modal plasticity in blind individuals has been reported over the past decades showing that non-visual information is carried and processed by classical “visual” brain structures. This feature of the blind brain makes it a pivotal model to explore the limits and mechanisms of brain plasticity. However, despite recent efforts, the structural underpinnings that could explain cross-modal plasticity in congenitally blind individuals remain unclear. Using advanced neuroimaging techniques, we mapped the thalamocortical connectivity and assessed cortical thickness and integrity of white matter of congenitally blind individuals and sighted controls to test the hypothesis that aberrant thalamocortical pattern of connectivity can pave the way for cross-modal plasticity. We described a direct occipital takeover by the temporal projections from the thalamus, which would carry non-visual information (e.g. auditory) to the visual cortex in congenitally blinds. In addition, the amount of thalamo-occipital connectivity correlated with the cortical thickness of primary visual cortex (V1), supporting a probably common (or related) reorganization phenomena. Our results suggest that aberrant thalamocortical connectivity as one possible mechanism of cross-modal plasticity in blinds, with potential impact on cortical thickness of V1.SIGNIFICANT STATEMENTCongenitally blind individuals often develop greater abilities on spared sensory modalities, such as increased acuity in auditory discrimination and voice recognition, when compared to sighted controls. These functional gains have been shown to rely on ‘visual’ cortical areas of the blind brain, characterizing the phenomenon of cross-modal plasticity. However, its anatomical underpinnings in humans have been unsuccessfully pursued for decades. Recent advances of non-invasive neuroimaging techniques allowed us to test the hypothesis of abnormal thalamocortical connectivity in congenitally blinds. Our results showed an expansion of the thalamic connections to the temporal cortex over those that project to the occipital cortex, which may explain, the cross-talk between the visual and auditory systems in congenitally blind individuals.

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Cortical thickness development of human primary visual cortex related to the age of blindness onset

Brain Imaging and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s11682-016-9576-8 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1029-1036 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Qiaojun Li ◽

Ming Song ◽

Jiayuan Xu ◽

Wen Qin ◽

Chunshui Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Primary Visual Cortex ◽

Cortical Thickness

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Subcortical Atrophy Is Associated with Cognitive Impairment in Mild Parkinson Disease: A Combined Investigation of Volumetric Changes, Cortical Thickness, and Vertex-Based Shape Analysis

American Journal of Neuroradiology ◽

10.3174/ajnr.a4055 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (12) ◽

pp. 2257-2264 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

E. Mak ◽

N. Bergsland ◽

M.G. Dwyer ◽

R. Zivadinov ◽

N. Kandiah

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Parkinson Disease ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Shape Analysis

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Planar cell polarity pathway and development of the human visual cortex

10.1101/404558 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jean Shin ◽

Shaojie Ma ◽

Edith Hofer ◽

Yash Patel ◽

Gennady V. Roshchupkin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Cortex ◽

Visual Cortex ◽

Cytochrome Oxidase ◽

Surface Area ◽

Cell Polarity ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Planar Cell Polarity ◽

Chromosome 17 ◽

Intracranial Volume ◽

Cortical Regions

AbstractThe radial unit hypothesis provides a framework for global (proliferation) and regional (distribution) expansion of the primate cerebral cortex. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we have identified cortical regions with shared variance in their surface area and cortical thickness, respectively, segmented from magnetic resonance images obtained in 23,800 participants. We then carried out meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies of the first two principal components for each phenotype. For surface area (but not cortical thickness), we have detected strong associations between each of the components and single nucleotide polymorphisms in a number of gene loci. The first (global) component was associated mainly with loci on chromosome 17 (9.5e-32 ≤ p ≤ 2.8e-10), including those detected previously as linked with intracranial volume and/or general cognitive function. The second (regional) component captured shared variation in the surface area of the primary and adjacent secondary visual cortices and showed a robust association with polymorphisms in a locus on chromosome 14 containing Disheveled Associated Activator of Morphogenesis 1 (DAAM1; p=2.4e-34). DAAM1 is a key component in the planar-cell-polarity signaling pathway. In follow-up studies, we have focused on the latter finding and established that: (1) DAAM1 is highly expressed between 12th and 22nd post-conception weeks in the human cerebral cortex; (2) genes co-expressed with DAAM1 in the primary visual cortex are enriched in mitochondria-related pathways; and (3) volume of the lateral geniculate nucleus, which projects to regions of the visual cortex staining for cytochrome oxidase (a mitochondrial enzyme), correlates with the surface area of the visual cortex in major-allele homozygotes but not in carriers of the minor allele. Altogether, we speculate that, in concert with thalamocortical input to cortical subplate, DAAM1 enables migration of neurons to cytochrome-oxidase rich regions of the visual cortex, and, in turn, facilitates regional expansion of this set of cortical regions during development.

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Cortical Thickness Related to Compensatory Viewing Strategies in Patients With Macular Degeneration

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.718737 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Tina Plank ◽

Edith M. A. Benkowitsch ◽

Anton L. Beer ◽

Sabine Brandl ◽

Maka Malania ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Eye Movements ◽

Macular Degeneration ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Reading Speed ◽

Central Vision ◽

Eccentric Viewing ◽

Early Visual Cortex ◽

Fixation Stability ◽

The Right

Retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or hereditary juvenile macular dystrophies (JMD) lead to a loss of central vision. Many patients compensate for this loss with a pseudo fovea in the intact peripheral retina, the so-called “preferred retinal locus” (PRL). How extensive eccentric viewing associated with central vision loss (CVL) affects brain structures responsible for visual perception and visually guided eye movements remains unknown. CVL results in a reduction of cortical gray matter in the “lesion projection zone” (LPZ) in early visual cortex, but the thickness of primary visual cortex appears to be largely preserved for eccentric-field representations. Here we explore how eccentric viewing strategies are related to cortical thickness (CT) measures in early visual cortex and in brain areas involved in the control of eye movements (frontal eye fields, FEF, supplementary eye fields, SEF, and premotor eye fields, PEF). We determined the projection zones (regions of interest, ROIs) of the PRL and of an equally peripheral area in the opposite hemifield (OppPRL) in early visual cortex (V1 and V2) in 32 patients with MD and 32 age-matched controls (19–84 years) by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subsequently, we calculated the CT in these ROIs and compared it between PRL and OppPRL as well as between groups. Additionally, we examined the CT of FEF, SEF, and PEF and correlated it with behavioral measures like reading speed and eccentric fixation stability at the PRL. We found a significant difference between PRL and OppPRL projection zones in V1 with increased CT at the PRL, that was more pronounced in the patients, but also visible in the controls. Although the mean CT of the eye fields did not differ significantly between patients and controls, we found a trend to a positive correlation between CT in the right FEF and SEF and fixation stability in the whole patient group and between CT in the right PEF and reading speed in the JMD subgroup. The results indicate a possible association between the compensatory strategies used by patients with CVL and structural brain properties in early visual cortex and cortical eye fields.

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Viewing Pictures Triggers Rapid Morphological Enlargement in the Human Visual Cortex

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhz131 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 851-857 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kristoffer N T Månsson ◽

Diana S Cortes ◽

Amir Manzouri ◽

Tie-Qiang Li ◽

Stephan Hau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Brain Morphology ◽

Everyday Clinical Practice ◽

Brain Images ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Fixation Cross ◽

Passive Viewing ◽

Anatomical Images

Abstract Measuring brain morphology with non-invasive structural magnetic resonance imaging is common practice, and can be used to investigate neuroplasticity. Brain morphology changes have been reported over the course of weeks, days, and hours in both animals and humans. If such short-term changes occur even faster, rapid morphological changes while being scanned could have important implications. In a randomized within-subject study on 47 healthy individuals, two high-resolution T1-weighted anatomical images were acquired (á 263 s) per individual. The images were acquired during passive viewing of pictures or a fixation cross. Two common pipelines for analyzing brain images were used: voxel-based morphometry on gray matter (GM) volume and surface-based cortical thickness. We found that the measures of both GM volume and cortical thickness showed increases in the visual cortex while viewing pictures relative to a fixation cross. The increase was distributed across the two hemispheres and significant at a corrected level. Thus, brain morphology enlargements were detected in less than 263 s. Neuroplasticity is a far more dynamic process than previously shown, suggesting that individuals’ current mental state affects indices of brain morphology. This needs to be taken into account in future morphology studies and in everyday clinical practice.

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Differences in Cortical Thickness Reflect Differences in Plasticity of Visual Cortex Between Juvenile and Age-related Macular Degeneration

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/17.10.645 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 645

Author(s):

Matthew Defenderfer ◽

Mark Greenlee ◽

Antony Morland ◽

Frans Cornelissen ◽

Kristina Visscher

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Macular Degeneration ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽

Age Related

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Brief Postnatal Visual Deprivation Triggers Long-Lasting Interactive Structural and Functional Reorganization of the Human Cortex

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2021.752021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Yixuan Feng ◽

Olivier Collignon ◽

Daphne Maurer ◽

Ke Yao ◽

Xiaoqing Gao

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Resting State ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Visual Deprivation ◽

Congenital Cataracts ◽

Human Cortex ◽

Functional Reorganization ◽

Unique Model

Patients treated for bilateral congenital cataracts provide a unique model to test the role of early visual input in shaping the development of the human cortex. Previous studies showed that brief early visual deprivation triggers long-lasting changes in the human visual cortex. However, it remains unknown if such changes interact with the development of other parts of the cortex. With high-resolution structural and resting-state fMRI images, we found changes in cortical thickness within, but not limited to, the visual cortex in adult patients, who experienced transient visual deprivation early in life as a result of congenital cataracts. Importantly, the covariation of cortical thickness across regions was also altered in the patients. The areas with altered cortical thickness in patients also showed differences in functional connectivity between patients and normally sighted controls. Together, the current findings suggest an impact of early visual deprivation on the interactive development of the human cortex.

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