scholarly journals Effects of 2'fucosyllactose and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis on the Brain and Cognitive Development in the Young Pig

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 909-909
Author(s):  
Sangyun Joung ◽  
Loretta Sutkus ◽  
Johanna Hirvonen ◽  
Henrik Max Jensen ◽  
Arthur C Ouwehand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Bifidobacterium Longum ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Intact Male ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Sample Object

Abstract Objectives Prebiotics and probiotics have been studied for their beneficial effects on various aspects of development, but much remains unknown regarding interactive effects of their supplementation. This study investigated the effects of dietary 2’fucosyllactose (2’FL; prebiotic) and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (Bi-26; probiotic) on behavioral and brain structural development in the young pig. Methods Fifty-two intact male pigs were provided ad libitum access to a nutritionally adequate milk replacer without (control) or with 0.532% 2’FL from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 34/35. Pigs were further stratified to receive either glycerol stock alone or Bi-26 (109 CFU) in glycerol stock solution daily. All pigs were subjected to the novel object recognition (NOR) task, a behavioral paradigm assessing recognition memory, from PND 27 to 31. Pigs underwent magnetic resonance imaging procedures at PND 32 or 33 to assess absolute and relative brain volume. Additionally, brain microstructure was quantified using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess fractional anisotropy, and axial, radial, and mean diffusivity. Results Behavioral outcomes confirmed that there were no effects of prebiotics or probiotics on recognition memory (P > 0.05). Interactive effects (P < 0.05) were observed for the number of object visits, latency to the first object visit, and number of sample object visits. Pigs that received the probiotic supplementation (P < 0.05) spent less time engaging with the sample object in total and on average, were observed to have smaller absolute brain volumes for 9 of 27 total observed regions of interest, and smaller relative volumes for 2 regions associated with kinesthesia. Differences in axial diffusivity were observed in pigs supplemented with the probiotic for 2 of the 12 regions assessed. Interactive effects (P < 0.05) were observed for all DTI outcomes for a variety of brain regions. Trelative volume for the pons was observed to be larger for pigs supplemented with the prebiotic. Conclusions Dietary supplementation of prebiotics and probiotics elicited interactive effects on several exploratory behaviors and structural brain components, and supplementation with probiotics appeared to reduce the volume of specific brain regions. Funding Sources DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences.

scholarly journals Loss of corticospinal tract integrity in early MS disease stages

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. e399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Pawlitzki ◽  
Jens Neumann ◽  
Jörn Kaufmann ◽  
Jan Heidel ◽  
Erhard Stadler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corticospinal Tract ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Disability Score ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Disease Stages ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Dti

Objective:We investigated corticospinal tract (CST) integrity in the absence of white matter (WM) lesions using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in early MS disease stages.Methods:Our study comprised 19 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), 11 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, for whom MRI measures of CST integrity (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity [MD]), T1- and T2-based lesion load, and brain volumes were available. The mean (SD) disease duration was 3.5 (2.1) months, and disability score was low (median Expanded Disability Status Scale 1.5) at the time of the study.Results:Patients with CIS and RRMS had significantly lower CST FA and higher CST MD values compared with controls. These findings were present, irrespective of whether WM lesions affected the CST. However, no group differences in the overall gray or WM volume were identified.Conclusions:In early MS disease stages, CST integrity is already affected in the absence of WM lesions or brain atrophy.

scholarly journals fMRI-guided white matter connectivity in fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities in healthy adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunglin Gazes ◽  
Jayant Sakhardande ◽  
Ashley Mensing ◽  
Qolamreza Razlighi ◽  
Ann Ohkawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Percent Signal Change ◽  
Signal Change ◽  
Fluid Abilities

AbstractThis study examined within-subject differences among three fluid abilities that decline with age: reasoning, episodic memory and processing speed, compared with vocabulary, a crystallized ability that is maintained with age. The data were obtained from the Reference Ability Neural Network (RANN) study from which 221 participants had complete behavioral data for all 12 cognitive tasks, three per ability, along with fMRI and diffusion weighted imaging data. We used fMRI task activation to guide white matter tractography, and generated mean percent signal change in the regions associated with the processing of each ability along with diffusion tensor imaging measures, fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), for each cognitive ability. Qualitatively brain regions associated with vocabulary were more localized and lateralized to the left hemisphere whereas the fluid abilities were associated with brain activations that were more distributed across the brain and bilaterally situated. Using continuous age, we observed smaller correlations between MD and age for white matter tracts connecting brain regions associated with the vocabulary ability than that for the fluid abilities, suggesting that vocabulary white matter tracts were better maintained with age. Furthermore, after multiple comparisons correction, the mean percent signal change for the episodic memory showed positive associations with behavioral performance, and the associations between MD and percent signal change differed by age such that, when divided into three age groups to further explore this interaction, only the oldest age group show a significant negative correlation between the two brain measures. Overall, the vocabulary ability may be better maintained with age due to the more localized brain regions involved, which places smaller reliance on long distance white matter tracts for signal transduction. These results support the hypothesis that functional activation and white matter structures underlying the vocabulary ability contribute to the ability’s greater resistance against aging.

scholarly journals A time-course study of actively stained mouse brains: DTI parameter and connectomic stability over one year

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaclyn Xiao ◽  
Kathryn J. Hornburg ◽  
Gary Cofer ◽  
James J. Cook ◽  
Yi Qi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Scanning Window ◽  
Time Course Study ◽  
Brain Microstructure ◽  
One Year

ABSTRACTWhile the application of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), tractography, and connectomics to fixed ex-vivo tissue is a common practice today, there have been limited studies examining the effects of fixation on brain microstructure over extended periods. This time-course study reports the changes of regional brain volumes and diffusion scalar parameters, such as fractional anisotropy across twelve representative brain regions as measures of brain structural stability. The scalar DTI parameters and regional volumes were highly variable over the first two weeks after fixation. The same parameters were stable over a two to eight-week window after fixation which means confounds from tissue stability over that scanning window are minimal. Quantitative connectomes were analyzed over the same time period with extension out to one year. While there is some change in the scalar metrics at one year after fixation, these changes are sufficiently small, particularly in white matter to support reproducible connectomes over a period ranging from two weeks to one year post fixation. These findings delineate a stable scanning period during which brain volumes, diffusion scalar metrics and connectomes are remarkably stable.

Gradient of Tissue Injury after Stroke: Rethinking the Infarct versus Noninfarcted Dichotomy

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Ng ◽  
Vijay Venkatraman ◽  
Mark Parsons ◽  
Andrew Bivard ◽  
Gagan Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Tissue Injury ◽  
Ct Perfusion ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Homologous Region ◽  
Anterior Circulation ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Aim: To evaluate the degree of variability in microstructural injury within and adjacent to regions identified as infarcted tissue using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods: In this prospective longitudinal study, 18 patients presenting within 12 h of anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke who underwent CT perfusion (CTP) at baseline followed by fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and DTI 1-month were analyzed. Four regions of interest (ROI) corresponding to the severity of hypoperfusion on CTP within and beyond the radiological infarct lesion defined on FLAIR were segmented. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were quantified for each ROI and compared to a mirror homologue in the contralateral hemisphere. Ipsilateral to contralateral FA and MD ratios were compared across ROIs. Results: Lower FA and higher MD values were observed within both the infarct lesion and the peri-infarct tissue compared with their homologous contralateral brain regions (all comparisons p ≤ 0.01). No difference was observed in FA and MD between remote nonhypoperfused tissue and its contralateral homologous region (FA p = 0.42, MD p ≥ 0.99). The magnitude of asymmetry (ipsilateral/contralateral ratios) of FA and MD was greater with increasing severity of hypoperfusion in a dose-response pattern. Asymmetry greatest in the area of infarction with severe hypoperfusion, followed by infarction with moderate hypoperfusion, the peri-infarct hypoperfused tissue, and lastly the remote nonhypoperfused normal tissue (median on clustered quantile regression p ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: A gradient of microstructural injury corresponding to the severity of ischemic insult is present within and beyond conventionally defined infarct boundaries. The traditional dichotomized notion of infarcted versus noninfarcted tissue widely adopted in clinical research and in practice warrants reexamination.

scholarly journals Characteristics of mental health implications and plasma metabolomics in patients recently recovered from COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lian Yang ◽  
Mei Zhou ◽  
Lingli Li ◽  
Ping Luo ◽  
Wenliang Fan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Metabolic Profiling ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cerebral White Matter ◽  
Radial Diffusivity ◽  
Amine Metabolism ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Dti

AbstractThis study aimed to explore the associations between cerebral white matter (WM) alterations, mental health status, and metabolism in recovered COVID-19 patients. We included 28 recovered COVID-19 patients and 27 healthy controls between April 2020 and June 2020. Demographic data, the mental health scores, diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) data, and plasma metabolomics were collected and compared between the two groups. Tract-based spatial statistics and graph theory approaches were used for DTI data analysis. Untargeted metabolomics analysis of the plasma was performed. Correlation analyses were performed between these characteristics. Recovered COVID-19 patients showed decreased fractional anisotropy, increased mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity values in widespread brain regions, and significantly lower global efficiency, longer shortest path length, and less nodal local efficiency in superior occipital gyrus (all, P < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected). Our results also demonstrated significantly different plasma metabolic profiling in recovered COVID-19 patients even at 3 months after their hospital discharge, which was mainly related to purine pathways, amino acids, lipids, and amine metabolism. Certain regions with cerebral WM alterations in the recovered patients showed significant correlations with different metabolites and the mental health scores. We observed multiple alterations in both WM integrity and plasma metabolomics that may explain the deteriorated mental health of recovered COVID-19 patients. These findings may provide potential biomarkers for the mental health evaluation for the recovered COVID-19 patients and potential targets for novel therapeutics.

scholarly journals Diffusion tensor imaging revealed different pathological processes of white matter hyperintensities

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhigang Min ◽  
Hairong Shan ◽  
Long Xu ◽  
Daihai Yuan ◽  
Xuexia Sheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
White Matter Hyperintensities ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Periventricular White Matter ◽  
Frontal Horn ◽  
Fazekas Scale ◽  
Normal White Matter

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to verify the pathological heterogeneity of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). We compared diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics within different brain regions using identical grading protocols, and subsequently investigated the microstructural changes in these areas as the WMH progressed. Methods Seventy-three patients with WMH and 18 healthy controls who received DTI were included in this study. We measured fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (DA), and radial diffusivity (DR) of periventricular and deep WMH in six brain regions and grouped these measures according to the Fazekas scale. We then compared the DTI metrics of different regions with the same Fazekas scale grade. Results Significantly lower FA values (all p<0.001), and higher MD (all p<0.001) and DR values (all p<0.001) were associated with WMH observed within the periventricular white matter around the frontal horn (pFH) and the frontal lateral ventricle (pFLV) compared to other regions with the same Fazekas grades. However, in the normal white matter of the pFH and pFLV, FA was not significantly lower than all other regions. Furthermore, in these areas, MD, DA, and DR were not significantly higher than in all other regions. Conclusion Distinct pathological processes occurred within frontal periventricular WMH and other regions; these processes may represent the effects of severe demyelination within the frontal periventricular white matter.

The heritability of amyloid burden in older adults: the Older Australian Twins Study

2021 ◽  
pp. jnnp-2021-326677
Author(s):  
Rebecca Koncz ◽  
Anbupalam Thalamuthu ◽  
Wei Wen ◽  
Vibeke S Catts ◽  
Vincent Dore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
White Matter Hyperintensity ◽  
Amyloid Pet ◽  
Amyloid Burden ◽  
Environmental Correlations ◽  
Pet Scans

ObjectiveTo determine the proportional genetic contribution to the variability of cerebral β-amyloid load in older adults using the classic twin design.MethodsParticipants (n=206) comprising 61 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs (68 (55.74%) females; mean age (SD): 71.98 (6.43) years), and 42 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs (56 (66.67%) females; mean age: 71.14 (5.15) years) were drawn from the Older Australian Twins Study. Participants underwent detailed clinical and neuropsychological evaluations, as well as MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and amyloid PET scans. Fifty-eight participants (17 MZ pairs, 12 DZ pairs) had PET scans with 11Carbon-Pittsburgh Compound B, and 148 participants (44 MZ pairs, 30 DZ pairs) with 18Fluorine-NAV4694. Cortical amyloid burden was quantified using the centiloid scale globally, as well as the standardised uptake value ratio (SUVR) globally and in specific brain regions. Small vessel disease (SVD) was quantified using total white matter hyperintensity volume on MRI, and peak width of skeletonised mean diffusivity on DTI. Heritability (h2) and genetic correlations were measured with structural equation modelling under the best fit model, controlling for age, sex, tracer and scanner.ResultsThe heritability of global amyloid burden was moderate (0.41 using SUVR; 0.52 using the centiloid scale) and ranged from 0.20 to 0.54 across different brain regions. There were no significant genetic or environmental correlations between global amyloid burden and markers of SVD.ConclusionAmyloid deposition, the hallmark early feature of Alzheimer’s disease, is under moderate genetic influence, suggesting a major environmental contribution that may be amenable to intervention.

Abstract WP71: Gradient of Tissue Injury on Diffusion Tensor Imaging After Stroke: Rethinking the Infarct vs Non-infarcted Dichotomy

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Ng ◽  
Vijay Venkatraman ◽  
Mark Parsons ◽  
Andrew Bivard ◽  
Gagan Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Tissue Injury ◽  
Ct Perfusion ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Homologous Region ◽  
Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery ◽  
Infarcted Tissue ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Dti

Objective: To evaluate the degree of variability in microstructural injury within and adjacent to regions identified as infarcted tissue using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). Methods: Perfusion CT was performed in 18 patients within 12 hours of ischemic stroke onset followed by Fluid-attenuated Inversion recovery (FLAIR) and DTI one month after stroke. Four regions of interest (ROIs) corresponding to the severity of hypoperfusion on CT perfusion within and beyond the radiological infarct lesion defined on FLAIR were segmented. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were quantified for each ROI and compared to a mirror homologue in the contralateral hemisphere. Ipsilateral to contralateral FA and MD ratios were compared across ROIs. Results: Lower FA and higher MD values were observed within both the infarct lesion and the peri-infarct tissue compared with their homologous contralateral brain regions (all comparisons p≤0.01). No difference was observed in FA and MD between remote non-hypoperfused tissue and its contralateral homologous region (FA p=0.42, MD p≥0.99). The magnitude of asymmetry (ipsilateral/contralateral ratios) of FA and MD was greater with increasing severity of hypoperfusion in a dose-response pattern. Asymmetry greatest in the area of infarction with severe hypoperfusion, followed by infarction with moderate hypoperfusion, the peri-infarct hypoperfused tissue and lastly the remote non-hypoperfused normal tissue (median on clustered quantile regression p≤0.01). Conclusion: A gradient of microstructural injury corresponding to the severity of ischemic insult is present within and beyond conventionally-defined infarct boundaries. The traditional dichotomized notion of infarcted versus non-infarcted tissue widely adopted in clinical research and in practice warrants re-examination.

scholarly journals A study of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on white matter microstructural integrity at birth

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Ann Donald ◽  
Annerine Roos ◽  
Jean-Paul Fouche ◽  
Nastassja Koen ◽  
Fleur M. Howells ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
The Right ◽  
Microstructural Integrity

BackgroundNeuroimaging studies have indicated that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with alterations in the structure of specific brain regions in children. However, the temporal and regional specificity of such changes and their behavioural consequences are less known. Here we explore the integrity of regional white matter microstructure in infants with in utero exposure to alcohol, shortly after birth.MethodsTwenty-eight alcohol-exposed and 28 healthy unexposed infants were imaged using diffusion tensor imaging sequences to evaluate white matter integrity using validated tract-based spatial statistics analysis methods. Second, diffusion values were extracted for group comparisons by regions of interest. Differences in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity were compared between groups and associations with measures from the Dubowitz neonatal neurobehavioural assessment were examined.ResultsLower AD values (p<0.05) were observed in alcohol-exposed infants in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus compared with non-exposed infants. Altered FA and MD values in alcohol-exposed neonates in the right inferior cerebellar were associated with abnormal neonatal neurobehaviour.ConclusionThese exploratory data suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with reduced white matter microstructural integrity even early in the neonatal period. The association with clinical measures reinforces the likely clinical significance of this finding. The location of the findings is remarkably consistent with previously reported studies of white matter structural deficits in older children with a diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Axonal loss of white matter in migraine without aura: A tract-based spatial statistics study

Cephalalgia ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dahua Yu ◽  
Kai Yuan ◽  
Wei Qin ◽  
Ling Zhao ◽  
Minghao Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Spatial Statistics ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Internal Capsule ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Axonal Loss ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Posterior Limb ◽  
Tract Based Spatial Statistics

Aim Multiple diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) derived indices may help to deduce the pathophysiological type of white matter (WM) changes and provide more specific biomarkers of WM neuropathology in the whole brain of migraine patients without aura (MWoA). Methods Twenty MWoA and 20 age-, education- and gender-matched healthy volunteers participated in this study. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was employed to investigate the WM abnormalities in MWoA by integrating multiple indices, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD). Results Compared with healthy controls, MWoA showed significantly lower FA, MD and AD in multiple brain regions, whereas no difference in RD was observed. Specifically, the overlap among the lower FA, MD, and AD was found in the genu, body, and splenium part of the corpus callosum (CC), the right anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) and the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) in MWoA compared with healthy controls. Additionally, some of the above WM findings were significantly correlated with duration and headache frequency in MWoA. Conclusion Given that decreased AD may suggest axonal loss, our findings may reveal axonal loss in MWoA.

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