scholarly journals White matter connectivity of uncinate fasciculus and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus: A possible early biomarker for callous-unemotional behaviors in young children with ADHD

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo A. Graziano ◽  
Dea Garic ◽  
Anthony S. Dick
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus ◽  
Early Biomarker ◽  
White Matter Connectivity

AbstractBackgroundCallous-unemotional (CU) behaviors are important for identifying severe patterns of conduct problems (CP). One major fiber tract implicated in the development of CP is the uncinate fasciculus (UF), which connects amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). The goals of the current study were to 1) explore differences in the white matter microstructure in the UF and other major fiber tracks (inferior longitudinal fasciculus [ILF], inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus [IFOF], cingulum, and corticospinal tract [CST]) between young typically developing (TD) children and those with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and 2) explore, within the ADHD group, whether individual differences in these white matter microstructures relate to co-occurring CP and CU behaviors, respectively.MethodsParticipants included 198 young children (78% boys, Mage = 4.95 years; 80% Latinx; 49% TD). CU behaviors and CP were measured via a combination of teacher/parent ratings. Non-invasive diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was used to measure fractional anisotropy (FA), an indirect indicator of white matter properties.ResultsRelative to TD children, children with ADHD had reduced FA on four out of the five fiber tracks we examined (except for cingulum). Within the ADHD group, no associations were found between CP and reduced white matter integrity across any of the fiber tracks examined. However, we found that even after accounting for CP and a host of covariates including whole brain FA, CU behaviors were independently related to reduced FA in bilateral UF and left IFOF.ConclusionsThe bilateral UF and IFOF may be a biomarker of CU behaviors, even in very young children.

A Multimodal Assessment of Emotion Dysregulation in Young Children with and without ADHD

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Garcia ◽  
Anthony Dick ◽  
Paulo A. Graziano
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Oppositional Defiant ◽  
Odd Symptoms ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Discriminant Analyses ◽  
Multiple Domains

Objective: This study utilized a multimodal approach to examine emotion dysregulation (ED) in young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ADHD + oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and typically developing (TD) children. Methods: We sought to explore if specific domains of ED (emotion regulation [ER], negativity/lability [ERNL], emotion knowledge/understanding [ERU], and callous-unemotional [CU] behaviors) were uniquely associated with diagnostic classifications. The final sample consisted of 152 children (75% boys; mean age = 5.52, SD = .84, 83.4% Latinx) with the following group composition: ADHD- Only (n = 24), ADHD + ODD (n = 54), and TD (n = 74). Results: Higher levels of ADHD and ODD symptoms, measured continuously, were significantly associated with poorer EREG, greater ERNL, and higher levels of reported CU behaviors. There were no significant associations between ADHD or ODD symptoms on ERU. Using discriminant analyses, we found that parent/teacher reported EREG, ERNL, and CU were significant predictors of diagnostic classification. These ED domains correctly identified 84.7% of preschoolers. The model was most successful in classifying children with ADHD+ODD (92.3%) and TD (93.2%) children; however, the ADHD-Only group was correctly identified only 41.7% of the time. Conclusions: This is the first study to 1) examine multiple domains of ED in a clinical sample of preschool children with and without ADHD and 2) explore the clinical utility of considering ED when assessing for ADHD and ODD. Our findings suggest that measures of ED are particularly helpful for correctly diagnosing ADHD and co-occurring ODD but not necessarily children with ADHD-Only.

scholarly journals Callous-unemotional traits drive reduced white-matter integrity in youths with conduct problems

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (14) ◽  
pp. 3033-3046 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Breeden ◽  
E. M. Cardinale ◽  
L. M. Lozier ◽  
J. W. VanMeter ◽  
A. A. Marsh
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Externalizing Behavior ◽  
Externalizing Behaviors ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional

Background.Callous-unemotional (CU) traits represent a significant risk factor for severe and persistent conduct problems in children and adolescents. Extensive neuroimaging research links CU traits to structural and functional abnormalities in the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. In addition, adults with psychopathy (a disorder for which CU traits are a developmental precursor) exhibit reduced integrity in uncinate fasciculus, a white-matter (WM) tract that connects prefrontal and temporal regions. However, research in adolescents has not yet yielded similarly consistent findings.Method.We simultaneously modeled CU traits and externalizing behaviors as continuous traits, while controlling for age and IQ, in order to identify the unique relationship of each variable with WM microstructural integrity, assessed using diffusion tensor imaging. We used tract-based spatial statistics to evaluate fractional anisotropy, an index of WM integrity, in uncinate fasciculus and stria terminalis in 47 youths aged 10–17 years, of whom 26 exhibited conduct problems and varying levels of CU traits.Results.Whereas both CU traits and externalizing behaviors were negatively correlated with WM integrity in bilateral uncinate fasciculus and stria terminalis/fornix, simultaneously modeling both variables revealed that these effects were driven by CU traits; the severity of externalizing behavior was not related to WM integrity after controlling for CU traits.Conclusions.These results indicate that WM abnormalities similar to those observed in adult populations with psychopathy may emerge in late childhood or early adolescence, and may be critical to understanding the social and affective deficits observed in this population.

scholarly journals Regions of white matter abnormalities in the arcuate fasciculus in veterans with anger and aggression problems

2019 ◽  
Vol 225 (4) ◽  
pp. 1401-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szabolcs David ◽  
Lieke Heesink ◽  
Elbert Geuze ◽  
Thomas Gladwin ◽  
Jack van Honk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Microstructural Properties ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
Arcuate Fasciculus ◽  
White Matter Connectivity ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Tractography

AbstractAggression after military deployment is a common occurrence in veterans. Neurobiological research has shown that aggression is associated with a dysfunction in a network connecting brain regions implicated in threat processing and emotion regulation. However, aggression may also be related to deficits in networks underlying communication and social cognition. The uncinate and arcuate fasciculi are integral to these networks, thus studying potential abnormalities in these white matter connections can further our understanding of anger and aggression problems in military veterans. Here, we use diffusion tensor imaging tractography to investigate white matter microstructural properties of the uncinate fasciculus and the arcuate fasciculus in veterans with and without anger and aggression problems. A control tract, the parahippocampal cingulum was also included in the analyses. More specifically, fractional anisotropy (FA) estimates are derived along the trajectory from all fiber pathways and compared between both groups. No between-group FA differences are observed for the uncinate fasciculus and the cingulum, however parts of the arcuate fasciculus show a significantly lower FA in the group of veterans with aggression and anger problems. Our data suggest that abnormalities in arcuate fasciculus white matter connectivity that are related to self-regulation may play an important role in the etiology of anger and aggression in military veterans.

scholarly journals Microstructural anatomical differences between bilinguals and monolinguals

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 995-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
NANDINI C. SINGH ◽  
ARCHITH RAJAN ◽  
ARCHANA MALAGI ◽  
KEERTHI RAMANUJAN ◽  
MATTEO CANINI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Cerebral White Matter ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus ◽  
The Right ◽  
Anterior Thalamic Radiation

DTI is an established method to study cerebral white-matter microstructure. Two established measures of DTI are fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) and both differ for bilingual and monolingual speakers. Less is known about differences in two other measures called radial (RD) and axial diffusivity (AD). We report differences in mean RD and AD-values in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and forceps minor between bilingual (Hindi–English) and monolingual (English) speakers as well as differences in mean FA-values in the anterior thalamic radiation, right inferior fronto-occipital and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and mean MD-values in forceps minor and bilateral SLF. Noteworthy, a positive correlation between L2 proficiency and mean RD-values in the right SLF was observed. We suggest that changes in the geometry of white matter tracts reflect regular bilingual language experience and contend that neuroplasticity in right SLF results from demands on cognitive control for bilingual speakers.

scholarly journals Cerebral White Matter Sex Dimorphism in Alcoholism: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayle S. Sawyer ◽  
Nasim Maleki ◽  
George Papadimitriou ◽  
Nikos Makris ◽  
Marlene Oscar-Berman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cerebral White Matter ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
White Matter Connectivity

AbstractBackgroundExcessive alcohol consumption is associated with widespread brain damage, including abnormalities in frontal and limbic brain regions. In a prior study of neuronal circuitry connecting the frontal lobes and limbic system structures in abstinent alcoholic men, we demonstrated decreases in white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) on diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). In the present study, we examined sex differences in alcoholism-related abnormalities of white matter connectivity.MethodsdMRI scans were acquired from 49 abstinent alcoholic individuals (26 women) and 41 nonalcoholic controls (22 women). Tract-based spatial statistical tools were used to estimate regional FA of white matter tracts and to determine sex differences and their relation to measures of alcoholism history.ResultsSex-related differences in white matter connectivity were observed in association with alcoholism: Compared to nonalcoholic men, alcoholic men had diminished FA in portions of the corpus callosum, the superior longitudinal fasciculi II and III, and the arcuate fasciculus and extreme capsule. In contrast, alcoholic women had higher FA in these regions. Sex differences also were observed for correlations between corpus callosum FA and length of sobriety.ConclusionsSexual dimorphism in white matter microstructure in abstinent alcoholics may implicate underlying differences in the neurobehavioral liabilities for developing alcohol abuse disorders, or for sequelae following abuse.

scholarly journals Associative white matter connecting the dorsal and ventral posterior human cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel N. Bullock ◽  
Hiromasa Takemura ◽  
Cesar Caiafa ◽  
Lindsey Kitchell ◽  
Brent McPherson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Cloud Service ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus ◽  
Standard Picture ◽  
Complicated Pattern ◽  
Standard Values ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
White Matter Connectivity

Historically, the primary focus of studies of human white matter tracts has been on large tracts that connect anterior to posterior cortical regions. These include the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF). Recently, more refined and well understood tractography methods have facilitated the characterization of several tracts in the posterior of the human brain that connect dorsal to ventral cortical regions. These include the vertical occipital fasciculus (VOF), the posterior arcuate fasciculus (pArc), the temporo-parietal connection (TP-SPL), and the middle longitudinal fasciculus (MdLF). The addition of these dorso-ventral connective tracts to our standard picture of white matter architecture results in a more complicated pattern of white matter connectivity than previously considered. Dorso-ventral connective tracts may play a role in transferring information from superior horizontal tracts, such as the SLF, to inferior horizontal tracts, such as the IFOF and ILF. We present a full anatomical delineation of these major dorso-ventral connective white matter tracts (the VOF, pArc, TP-SPL, MdLF). We show their spatial layout and cortical termination mappings in relation to the more established horizontal tracts (SLF, IFOF, ILF, Arc) and consider standard values for quantitative features associated with the aforementioned tracts. We hope to facilitate further study on these tracts and their relations. To this end, we also share links to automated code that segments these tracts, thereby providing a standard approach to obtaining these tracts for subsequent analysis. We developed open source software to allow reproducible segmentation of the tracts: https://github.com/brainlife/Vertical_Tracts. Finally, we make the segmentation method available as an open cloud service on the data and analyses sharing platform brainlife.io. Investigators will be able to access these services and upload their data to segment these tracts.

scholarly journals Bundle-specific associations between white matter microstructure and Aβ and tau pathology in preclinical Alzheimer's disease

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexa Pichet Binette ◽  
Guillaume Theaud ◽  
François Rheault ◽  
Maggie Roy ◽  
D Louis Collins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Autosomal Dominant ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Tau Proteins ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
Mutation Carriers ◽  
White Matter Microstructure

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) and tau proteins, the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), are believed to spread through connected regions of the brain. Combining diffusion imaging and positron emission tomography, we investigated associations between white matter microstructure specifically in bundles connecting regions where Aβ or tau accumulates and pathology. We focussed on free-water corrected diffusion measures in the anterior cingulum, posterior cingulum, and uncinate fasciculus in cognitively normal older adults at risk of sporadic AD and presymptomatic mutation carriers of autosomal dominant AD. In Aβ-positive or tau-positive groups, lower tissue fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity related to greater Aβ and tau burden in both cohorts. Associations were found in the posterior cingulum and uncinate fasciculus in preclinical sporadic AD, and in the anterior and posterior cingulum in presymptomatic mutation carriers. These results suggest that microstructural alterations accompany pathological accumulation as early as the preclinical stage of both sporadic and autosomal dominant AD.

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