Structural asymmetry of the human cerebral cortex: Regional and between-subject variability of surface area, cortical thickness, and local gyrification

AbstractUnderstanding the wiring diagram of the human cerebral cortex is a fundamental challenge in neuroscience. Elemental aspects of its organization remain elusive. Here we examine which structural traits of cortical regions, particularly their cytoarchitecture and thickness, relate to the existence and strength of inter-regional connections. We use the architecture data from the classic work of von Economo and Koskinas and state-of-the-art diffusion-based connectivity data from the Human Connectome Project. Our results reveal a prominent role of the cytoarchitectonic similarity of supragranular layers for predicting the existence and strength of connections. In contrast, cortical thickness similarity was not related to the existence or strength of connections. These results are in line with findings for non-human mammalian cerebral cortices, suggesting overarching wiring principles of the mammalian cerebral cortex. The results invite hypotheses about evolutionary conserved neurobiological mechanisms that give rise to the relation of cytoarchitecture and connectivity in the human cerebral cortex.

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Structural asymmetry of motor speech areas 44 and 45 in human cerebral cortex during postnatal ontogeny

Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine ◽

10.1007/bf02433209 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 128 (4) ◽

pp. 1066-1069 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I. N. Bogolepova ◽

L. I. Malofeeva ◽

H. B. M. Uylings

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Cortex ◽

Postnatal Ontogeny ◽

Human Cerebral Cortex ◽

Motor Speech ◽

Structural Asymmetry

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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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Corticosteroids and Regional Variations in Thickness of the Human Cerebral Cortex across the Lifespan

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhz108 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 575-586 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nadine Parker ◽

Didac Vidal-Pineiro ◽

Leon French ◽

Jean Shin ◽

Hieab H H Adams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Cortex ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Pyramidal Cells ◽

Brain Atlas ◽

Variable Degree ◽

Human Cerebral Cortex ◽

Age Related ◽

The Relationship ◽

Age Related Changes

Abstract Exposures to life stressors accumulate across the lifespan, with possible impact on brain health. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms mediating age-related changes in brain structure. We use a lifespan sample of participants (n = 21 251; 4–97 years) to investigate the relationship between the thickness of cerebral cortex and the expression of the glucocorticoid- and the mineralocorticoid-receptor genes (NR3C1 and NR3C2, respectively), obtained from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. In all participants, cortical thickness correlated negatively with the expression of both NR3C1 and NR3C2 across 34 cortical regions. The magnitude of this correlation varied across the lifespan. From childhood through early adulthood, the profile similarity (between NR3C1/NR3C2 expression and thickness) increased with age. Conversely, both profile similarities decreased with age in late life. These variations do not reflect age-related changes in NR3C1 and NR3C2 expression, as observed in 5 databases of gene expression in the human cerebral cortex (502 donors). Based on the co-expression of NR3C1 (and NR3C2) with genes specific to neural cell types, we determine the potential involvement of microglia, astrocytes, and CA1 pyramidal cells in mediating the relationship between corticosteroid exposure and cortical thickness. Therefore, corticosteroids may influence brain structure to a variable degree throughout life.

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Positional and surface area asymmetry of the human cerebral cortex

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.03.063 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 895-903 ◽

Cited By ~ 85

Author(s):

Oliver C. Lyttelton ◽

Sherif Karama ◽

Yasser Ad-Dab'bagh ◽

Robert J. Zatorre ◽

Felix Carbonell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Cortex ◽

Surface Area ◽

Human Cerebral Cortex

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Cortical Surface Area and Cortical Thickness Demonstrate Differential Structural Asymmetry in Auditory-Related Areas of the Human Cortex

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bht094 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 24 (10) ◽

pp. 2541-2552 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

M. Meyer ◽

F. Liem ◽

S. Hirsiger ◽

L. Jancke ◽

J. Hanggi

Keyword(s):

Surface Area ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Cortical Surface ◽

Human Cortex ◽

Structural Asymmetry ◽

Cortical Surface Area

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C-fos, ERK1/2, MAP2, NOTCH1 Proteins Expression Patterns in Human Cerebral Cortex Neurons after Ischemic Stroke

Annals of the Russian academy of medical sciences ◽

10.15690/vramn1295 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 226-233

Author(s):

Svetlana P. Sergeeva ◽

Aleksey V. Lyundup ◽

Valery V. Beregovykh ◽

Petr F. Litvitskiy ◽

Aleksey A. Savin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Cortex ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Immunohistochemical Method ◽

Left Middle Cerebral Artery ◽

Contralateral Hemisphere ◽

Human Cerebral Cortex ◽

Fos Protein ◽

Urgent Task ◽

Indirect Immunoperoxidase

Background. The search for protein (these include c-fos, ERK1/2, MAP2, NOTCH1) expression that provide neuroplasticity mechanisms of the cerebral cortex after ischemic stroke (IS) patterns is an urgent task. Aims to reveal c-fos, ERK1/2, MAP2, NOTCH1 proteins expression patterns in human cerebral cortex neurons after IS. Materials and methods. We studied 9 left middle cerebral artery (LMCA) IS patients cerebral cortex samples from 3 zones: 1 the zone adjacent to the necrotic tissue focus; 2 zone remote from the previous one by 47 cm; 3 zone of the contralateral hemisphere, symmetric to the IS focus. Control samples were obtained from 3 accident died people. Identification of targeted proteins NSE, c-fos, ERK1/2, MAP2, NOTCH1 was performed by indirect immunoperoxidase immunohistochemical method. Results. Moving away from the ischemic focus, there is an increase in the density of neurons and a decrease in the damaged neurons proportion, the largest share of c-fos protein positive neurons in zone 2, NOTCH1 positive neurons in zone 1, smaller fractions of ERK1/2 and MAP2 positive neurons compared to the control only in samples of zone 1. Conclusions. With the IS development, the contralateral hemisphere is intact tissue increased activation zone, while the zones 1 and 2 have pathological activation signs. In zone 1 of the range, the adaptive response of the tissue decreases, and in zone 2 it expands. Therefore, a key target for therapeutic intervention is zone 2.

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