Human brain anatomy reflects separable genetic and environmental components of socioeconomic status

BackgroundAutistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by stereotyped/obsessional behaviours and social and communicative deficits. However, there is significant variability in the clinical phenotype; for example, people with autism exhibit language delay whereas those with Asperger syndrome do not. It remains unclear whether localized differences in brain anatomy are associated with variation in the clinical phenotype.MethodWe used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate brain anatomy in adults with ASD. We included 65 adults diagnosed with ASD (39 with Asperger syndrome and 26 with autism) and 33 controls who did not differ significantly in age or gender.ResultsVBM revealed that subjects with ASD had a significant reduction in grey-matter volume of medial temporal, fusiform and cerebellar regions, and in white matter of the brainstem and cerebellar regions. Furthermore, within the subjects with ASD, brain anatomy varied with clinical phenotype. Those with autism demonstrated an increase in grey matter in frontal and temporal lobe regions that was not present in those with Asperger syndrome.ConclusionsAdults with ASD have significant differences from controls in the anatomy of brain regions implicated in behaviours characterizing the disorder, and this differs according to clinical subtype.

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Sex differences in neural correlates of common psychopathological symptoms in early adolescence

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720005140 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Francesca Biondo ◽

Charlotte Nymberg Thunell ◽

Bing Xu ◽

Congying Chu ◽

Tianye Jia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Neural Correlates ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Female Adolescents ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Community Based ◽

Psychopathological Symptom ◽

Strengths And Difficulties ◽

The Brain

Abstract Background Sex-related differences in psychopathology are known phenomena, with externalizing and internalizing symptoms typically more common in boys and girls, respectively. However, the neural correlates of these sex-by-psychopathology interactions are underinvestigated, particularly in adolescence. Methods Participants were 14 years of age and part of the IMAGEN study, a large (N = 1526) community-based sample. To test for sex-by-psychopathology interactions in structural grey matter volume (GMV), we used whole-brain, voxel-wise neuroimaging analyses based on robust non-parametric methods. Psychopathological symptom data were derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results We found a sex-by-hyperactivity/inattention interaction in four brain clusters: right temporoparietal-opercular region (p < 0.01, Cohen's d = −0.24), bilateral anterior and mid-cingulum (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.18), right cerebellum and fusiform (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.20) and left frontal superior and middle gyri (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.26). Higher symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention were associated with lower GMV in all four brain clusters in boys, and with higher GMV in the temporoparietal-opercular and cerebellar-fusiform clusters in girls. Conclusions Using a large, sex-balanced and community-based sample, our study lends support to the idea that externalizing symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention may be associated with different neural structures in male and female adolescents. The brain regions we report have been associated with a myriad of important cognitive functions, in particular, attention, cognitive and motor control, and timing, that are potentially relevant to understand the behavioural manifestations of hyperactive and inattentive symptoms. This study highlights the importance of considering sex in our efforts to uncover mechanisms underlying psychopathology during adolescence.

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Structural covariance and cortical reorganisation in schizophrenia: a MRI-based morphometric study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291718001010 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 412-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Lena Palaniyappan ◽

Olha Hodgson ◽

Vijender Balain ◽

Sarina Iwabuchi ◽

Penny Gowland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grey Matter ◽

Early Stage ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Significant Loss ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Morphometric Study ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Structural Covariance ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Functional Defect

AbstractBackgroundIn patients with schizophrenia, distributed abnormalities are observed in grey matter volume. A recent hypothesis posits that these distributed changes are indicative of a plastic reorganisation process occurring in response to a functional defect in neuronal information transmission. We investigated the structural covariance across various brain regions in early-stage schizophrenia to determine if indeed the observed patterns of volumetric loss conform to a coordinated pattern of structural reorganisation.MethodsStructural magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 40 healthy adults and 41 age, gender and parental socioeconomic status matched patients with schizophrenia. Volumes of grey matter tissue were estimated at the regional level across 90 atlas-based parcellations. Group-level structural covariance was studied using a graph theoretical framework.ResultsPatients had distributed reduction in grey matter volume, with high degree of localised covariance (clustering) compared with controls. Patients with schizophrenia had reduced centrality of anterior cingulate and insula but increased centrality of the fusiform cortex, compared with controls. Simulating targeted removal of highly central nodes resulted in significant loss of the overall covariance patterns in patients compared with controls.ConclusionRegional volumetric deficits in schizophrenia are not a result of random, mutually independent processes. Our observations support the occurrence of a spatially interconnected reorganisation with the systematic de-escalation of conventional ‘hub’ regions. This raises the question of whether the morphological architecture in schizophrenia is primed for compensatory functions, albeit with a high risk of inefficiency.

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Socioeconomic Status and the Cerebellar Grey Matter Volume. Data from a Well-Characterised Population Sample

The Cerebellum ◽

10.1007/s12311-013-0497-4 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 882-891 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Jonathan Cavanagh ◽

Rajeev Krishnadas ◽

G. David Batty ◽

Harry Burns ◽

Kevin A. Deans ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Population Sample ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Volume Data ◽

Matter Volume

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INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOTIC EPISODES ON GREY MATTER VOLUME CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

10.31219/osf.io/n8564 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Antonija Ružić Baršić ◽

Gordana Rubeša ◽

Diana Mance ◽

Damir Miletić ◽

Lea Gudelj ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grey Matter ◽

Disease Duration ◽

Severe Illness ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Voxel Based Morphometry ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Multiple Regions ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

The Brain

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe illness whose clinical course is characterized by various numbers of psychotic episodes (PE). The neurotoxic hypothesis (NH) of schizophrenia assumes that psychosis is biologically toxic. The aim of the study was to investigate whether schizophrenia patients (SP) with multiple PE have greater grey matter volume (GMV) reduction compared to SP with fewer PE.Subjects and methods: We enrolled 106 adult SP and 63 healthy controls. Demographic and clinical data were collected and statistically analysed for all included subjects. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was acquired on a 1.5 T scanner. SP were grouped according to the number of PE into a group with up to 3 PE (SCHG-1) and with 4 or more PE (SCHG-2). SCHG-1 was further subdivided into two groups regarding to disease duration (DD). Voxel based morphometry (VBM) analyses were performed between SP groups as well as between SP groups and the healthy controls group (HCG).Results: No relevant GMV differences were detected between SP groups. Comparison between HCG and SCHG-1 showed only 3 regions with reduced GMV, while multiple regions with reduced GMV were detected when comparing HCG and SCHG-2. Conclusions: GMV reduction in schizophrenia varies depending on the number of PE when compared to HCG, regardless of disease duration (DD), but PE is not the only contributing factor that leads to neurotoxicity.

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Convergent and divergent brain structural and functional abnormalities associated with developmental dyslexia

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.69523 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaohui Yan ◽

Ke Jiang ◽

Hui Li ◽

Ziyi Wang ◽

Kyle Perkins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Developmental Dyslexia ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Matter Volume

Brain abnormalities in the reading network have been repeatedly reported in individuals with developmental dyslexia (DD); however, it is still not totally understood where the structural and functional abnormalities are consistent/inconsistent across languages. In the current multimodal meta-analysis, we found convergent structural and functional alterations in the left superior temporal gyrus across languages, suggesting a neural signature of DD. We found greater reduction in grey matter volume and brain activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus in morpho-syllabic languages (e.g. Chinese) than in alphabetic languages, and greater reduction in brain activation in the left middle temporal gyrus and fusiform gyrus in alphabetic languages than in morpho-syllabic languages. These language differences are explained as consequences of being DD while learning a specific language. In addition, we also found brain regions that showed increased grey matter volume and brain activation, presumably suggesting compensations and brain regions that showed inconsistent alterations in brain structure and function. Our study provides important insights about the etiology of DD from a cross-linguistic perspective with considerations of consistency/inconsistency between structural and functional alterations.

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Late chronotype is linked to greater cortical thickness in the left fusiform and entorhinal gyri

10.21203/rs.3.rs-588446/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michal Rafal Zareba ◽

Magdalena Fafrowicz ◽

Tadeusz Marek ◽

Ewa Beldzik ◽

Halszka Oginska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Affective Processing ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Imaging Data ◽

White Matter Volume ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Anatomical Basis

Abstract Humans can be classified as early, intermediate and late chronotypes based on the preferred sleep and wakefulness patterns. The anatomical basis of these distinctions remains largely unexplored. Using magnetic resonance imaging data from 113 healthy young adults (71 females), we aimed to replicate cortical thickness and grey matter volume chronotype differences reported earlier in the literature using a greater sample size, as well as to explore the volumetric white matter variation linked to contrasting circadian phenotypes. Instead of comparing the chronotypes, we correlated the individual chronotype scores with their morphometric brain measures. The results revealed one cluster in the left fusiform and entorhinal gyri showing increased cortical thickness with increasing preference for eveningness, potentially providing an anatomical substrate for chronotype-sensitive affective processing. No significant results were found for grey and white matter volume. We failed to replicate cortical thickness and volumetric grey matter distinctions in the brain regions reported in the literature. Furthermore, we found no association between white matter volume and chronotype. Thus, while this study confirms that circadian preference is associated with specific structural substrates, it adds to the growing concerns that reliable and replicable neuroimaging research requires datasets much larger than those commonly used.

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Late chronotype is linked to greater cortical thickness in the left fusiform and entorhinal gyri

10.21203/rs.3.rs-588446/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michal Rafal Zareba ◽

Magdalena Fafrowicz ◽

Tadeusz Marek ◽

Ewa Beldzik ◽

Halszka Oginska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Affective Processing ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Imaging Data ◽

White Matter Volume ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Anatomical Basis

Abstract Humans can be classified as early, intermediate and late chronotypes based on the preferred sleep and wakefulness patterns. The anatomical basis of these distinctions remains largely unexplored. Using magnetic resonance imaging data from 113 healthy young adults (71 females), we aimed to replicate cortical thickness and grey matter volume chronotype differences reported earlier in the literature using a greater sample size, as well as to explore the volumetric white matter variation linked to contrasting circadian phenotypes. Instead of comparing the chronotypes, we correlated the individual chronotype scores with their morphometric brain measures. The results revealed one cluster in the left fusiform and entorhinal gyri showing increased cortical thickness with increasing preference for eveningness, potentially providing an anatomical substrate for chronotype-sensitive affective processing. No significant results were found for grey and white matter volume. We failed to replicate cortical thickness and volumetric grey matter distinctions in the brain regions reported in the literature. Furthermore, we found no association between white matter volume and chronotype. Thus, while this study confirms that circadian preference is associated with specific structural substrates, it adds to the growing concerns that reliable and replicable neuroimaging research requires datasets much larger than those commonly used.

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The Plastic Adaptation to Pathology in Psychiatry. Are Patients with Psychiatric Disorders Pathological Experts?

10.20944/preprints201812.0037.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ali Amad ◽

Paul Expert ◽

Louis-David Lord ◽

Thomas Fovet ◽

Pierre A. Geoffroy

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Chronic Inflammation ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Brain Connectivity ◽

Diagnosis And Treatment ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Matter Volume ◽

The Brain ◽

New Framework

Psychiatric disorders share the same pattern of longitudinal evolution and have courses that tend to be chronic and recurrent. These aspects of chronicity and longitudinal evolution of psychiatric disorders are currently studied under the neuroprogression framework. Interestingly, considering the plasticity of the brain, it is necessary to emphasize the bidirectional nature of neuroprogression. We review evidence highlighting alterations of the brain associated with the longitudinal evolution of psychiatric disorders from the framework of neuroplastic adaptation to pathology. This new framework highlights that substantial plasticity and remodelling may occur beyond the classic neuroprogressive framework, which is characterized only by loss of grey matter volume, decreased brain connectivity, and chronic inflammation. We also integrate the brain economy concept in the neuroplastic adaptation to pathology framework, emphasizing that to preserve its economy, i.e., function, the brain learns how to cope with the disease by adapting its architecture. This approach can disentangle both the specific pathophysiology of psychiatric symptoms and the adaptation to pathology, thus offering a new framework for both diagnosis and treatment.

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Thalamic and Cerebellar Gray Matter Volume Reduction in Synthetic Cannabinoids Users

European Addiction Research ◽

10.1159/000430437 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 315-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Serdar Nurmedov ◽

Baris Metin ◽

Sehadet Ekmen ◽

Onur Noyan ◽

Onat Yilmaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grey Matter ◽

Cannabinoid Receptors ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Synthetic Cannabinoids ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Cerebellar Gray Matter ◽

Morphological Differences ◽

The Brain

Background: Synthetic cannabinoids are compounds that bind cannabinoid receptors with a high potency and have been used widely in Europe by young people. However, little is known about the pharmacology and morphological effects of this group of substances in the brain. This study is aimed at investigating the morphological differences among synthetic cannabinoids users and healthy controls. Methods: Voxel-based morphometry was used to investigate the differences in brain tissue composition in 20 patients with synthetic cannabinoids use and 20 healthy controls. All participants were male. Results: Compared to healthy controls, voxel of interest analyses showed that regional grey matter volume in both left and right thalamus and left cerebellum was significantly reduced in synthetic cannabinoids users (p < 0.05). No correlation has been found between the age of first cannabis use, duration of use, frequency of use and grey matter volume. Discussion: These preliminary results suggest an evidence of some structural differences in the brain of synthetic cannabinoids users, and point the need for further investigation of morphological effects of synthetic cannabinoids in the brain.

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