scholarly journals Influences of the early family environment and long-term vocabulary development on the structure of white matter pathways: A longitudinal investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 100767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengmeng Su ◽  
Michel Thiebaut de Schotten ◽  
Jingjing Zhao ◽  
Shuang Song ◽  
Wei Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Longitudinal Investigation ◽  
Early Family

Individual differences in white and grey matter structure associated with verbal habits of thought

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin C. Hayes ◽  
Katherine L Alfred ◽  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Joshua S. Cetron ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Self Report ◽  
White Matter Tracts

Modality specific encoding habits account for a significant portion of individual differences reflected in functional activation during cognitive processing. Yet, little is known about how these habits of thought influence long-term structural changes in the brain. Traditionally, habits of thought have been assessed using self-report questionnaires such as the visualizer-verbalizer questionnaire. Here, rather than relying on subjective reports, we measured habits of thought using a novel behavioral task assessing attentional biases toward picture and word stimuli. Hypothesizing that verbal habits of thought are reflected in the structural integrity of white matter tracts and cortical regions of interest, we used diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analyses to assess this prediction. Using a whole-brain approach, we show that word bias is associated with increased volume in several bilateral language regions, in both white and grey matter parcels. Additionally, connectivity within white matter tracts within an a priori speech production network increased as a function of word bias. These results demonstrate long-term structural and morphological differences associated with verbal habits of thought.

scholarly journals Queensland Family Cohort: a study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e044463
Author(s):  
Danielle Borg ◽  
Kym Rae ◽  
Corrine Fiveash ◽  
Johanna Schagen ◽  
Janelle James-McAlpine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Biological Samples ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Future Health ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionThe perinatal–postnatal family environment is associated with childhood outcomes including impacts on physical and mental health and educational attainment. Family longitudinal cohort studies collect in-depth data that can capture the influence of an era on family lifestyle, mental health, chronic disease, education and financial stability to enable identification of gaps in society and provide the evidence for changes in government in policy and practice.Methods and analysisThe Queensland Family Cohort (QFC) is a prospective, observational, longitudinal study that will recruit 12 500 pregnant families across the state of Queensland (QLD), Australia and intends to follow-up families and children for three decades. To identify the immediate and future health requirements of the QLD population; pregnant participants and their partners will be enrolled by 24 weeks of gestation and followed up at 24, 28 and 36 weeks of gestation, during delivery, on-ward, 6 weeks postpartum and then every 12 months where questionnaires, biological samples and physical measures will be collected from parents and children. To examine the impact of environmental exposures on families, data related to environmental pollution, household pollution and employment exposures will be linked to pregnancy and health outcomes. Where feasible, data linkage of state and federal government databases will be used to follow the participants long term. Biological samples will be stored long term for future discoveries of biomarkers of health and disease.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been obtained from the Mater Research Ethics (HREC/16/MHS/113). Findings will be reported to (1) QFC participating families; (2) funding bodies, institutes and hospitals supporting the QFC; (3) federal, state and local governments to inform policy; (4) presented at local, national and international conferences and (5) disseminated by peer-review publications.

scholarly journals Mapping of long-term cognitive and motor deficits in pediatric cerebellar brain tumor survivors into a cerebellar white matter atlas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederik Grosse ◽  
Stefan Mark Rueckriegel ◽  
Ulrich-Wilhelm Thomale ◽  
Pablo Hernáiz Driever
Keyword(s):  
Brain Tumor ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Cerebellar Nuclei ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Deep Cerebellar Nuclei ◽  
Cerebellar White Matter ◽  
Lesion Symptom Mapping

Abstract Purpose Diaschisis of cerebrocerebellar loops contributes to cognitive and motor deficits in pediatric cerebellar brain tumor survivors. We used a cerebellar white matter atlas and hypothesized that lesion symptom mapping may reveal the critical lesions of cerebellar tracts. Methods We examined 31 long-term survivors of pediatric posterior fossa tumors (13 pilocytic astrocytoma, 18 medulloblastoma). Patients underwent neuronal imaging, examination for ataxia, fine motor and cognitive function, planning abilities, and executive function. Individual consolidated cerebellar lesions were drawn manually onto patients’ individual MRI and normalized into Montreal Neurologic Institute (MNI) space for further analysis with voxel-based lesion symptom mapping. Results Lesion symptom mapping linked deficits of motor function to the superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP), deep cerebellar nuclei (interposed nucleus (IN), fastigial nucleus (FN), ventromedial dentate nucleus (DN)), and inferior vermis (VIIIa, VIIIb, IX, X). Statistical maps of deficits of intelligence and executive function mapped with minor variations to the same cerebellar structures. Conclusion We identified lesions to the SCP next to deep cerebellar nuclei as critical for limiting both motor and cognitive function in pediatric cerebellar tumor survivors. Future strategies safeguarding motor and cognitive function will have to identify patients preoperatively at risk for damage to these critical structures and adapt multimodal therapeutic options accordingly.

scholarly journals QOL-09. WHOLE-BRAIN WHITE MATTER NETWORK CONNECTIVITY IS DISRUPTED BY PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR TREATMENT

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii432-iii432
Author(s):  
Adeoye Oyefiade ◽  
Kiran Beera ◽  
Iska Moxon-Emre ◽  
Jovanka Skocic ◽  
Ute Bartels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Pediatric Brain Tumor ◽  
Pediatric Brain Tumors ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
The Right ◽  
Pediatric Brain ◽  
Betweeness Centrality

Abstract INTRODUCTION Treatments for pediatric brain tumors (PBT) are neurotoxic and lead to long-term deficits that are driven by the perturbation of underlying white matter (WM). It is unclear if and how treatment may impair WM connectivity across the entire brain. METHODS Magnetic resonance images from 41 PBT survivors (mean age: 13.19 years, 53% M) and 41 typically developing (TD) children (mean age: 13.32 years, 51% M) were analyzed. Image reconstruction, segmentation, and node parcellation were completed in FreeSurfer. DTI maps and probabilistic streamline generation were completed in MRtrix3. Connectivity matrices were based on the number of streamlines connecting two nodes and the mean DTI (FA) index across streamlines. We used graph theoretical analyses to define structural differences between groups, and random forest (RF) analyses to identify hubs that reliably classify PBT and TD children. RESULTS For survivors treated with radiation, betweeness centrality was greater in the left insular (p < 0.000) but smaller in the right pallidum (p < 0.05). For survivors treated without radiation (surgery-only), betweeness centrality was smaller in the right interparietal sulcus (p < 0.05). RF analyses showed that differences in WM connectivity from the right pallidum to other parts of the brain reliably classified PBT survivors from TD children (classification accuracy = 77%). CONCLUSIONS The left insular, right pallidum, and right inter-parietal sulcus are structurally perturbed hubs in PBT survivors. WM connectivity from the right pallidum is vulnerable to the long-term effects of treatment for PBT.

scholarly journals Increased serum QUIN/KYNA is a reliable biomarker of post-stroke cognitive decline

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrien Cogo ◽  
Gabrielle Mangin ◽  
Benjamin Maïer ◽  
Jacques Callebert ◽  
Mikael Mazighi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Cerebral Artery ◽  
Quinolinic Acid ◽  
Neuronal Death ◽  
Artery Occlusion ◽  
Serum Biomarkers ◽  
Diabetic Mice ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Cerebral Artery Occlusion

Abstract Background Strokes are becoming less severe due to increased numbers of intensive care units and improved treatments. As patients survive longer, post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) has become a major health public issue. Diabetes has been identified as an independent predictive factor for PSCI. Here, we characterized a clinically relevant mouse model of PSCI, induced by permanent cerebral artery occlusion in diabetic mice, and investigated whether a reliable biomarker of PSCI may emerge from the kynurenine pathway which has been linked to inflammatory processes. Methods Cortical infarct was induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in male diabetic mice (streptozotocin IP). Six weeks later, cognitive assessment was performed using the Barnes maze, hippocampi long-term potentiation using microelectrodes array recordings, and neuronal death, white matter rarefaction and microglia/macrophages density assessed in both hemispheres using imunohistochemistry. Brain and serum metabolites of the kynurenin pathway were measured using HPLC and mass fragmentography. At last, these same metabolites were measured in the patient’s serum, at the acute phase of stroke, to determine if they could predict PSCI 3 months later. Results We found long-term spatial memory was impaired in diabetic mice 6 weeks after stroke induction. Synaptic plasticity was completely suppressed in both hippocampi along with increased neuronal death, white matter rarefaction in both striatum, and increased microglial/macrophage density in the ipsilateral hemisphere. Brain and serum quinolinic acid concentrations and quinolinic acid over kynurenic acid ratios were significantly increased compared to control, diabetic and non-diabetic ischemic mice, where PSCI was absent. These putative serum biomarkers were strongly correlated with degradation of long-term memory, neuronal death, microglia/macrophage infiltration and white matter rarefaction. Moreover, we identified these same serum biomarkers as potential predictors of PSCI in a pilot study of stroke patients. Conclusions we have established and characterized a new model of PSCI, functionally and structurally, and we have shown that the QUIN/KYNA ratio could be used as a surrogate biomarker of PSCI, which may now be tested in large prospective studies of stroke patients.

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