The Association between Gray Matter Volume and Reading Proficiency: A Longitudinal Study of Beginning Readers

Neural systems involved in the processing of written language have been identified by a number of functional imaging studies. Structural changes in cortical anatomy that occur in the course of literacy acquisition, however, remain largely unknown. Here, we follow elementary school children over their first 2 years of formal reading instruction and use tensor-based morphometry to relate reading proficiency to cortical volume at baseline and follow-up measurement as well as to intraindividual longitudinal volume development between the two measurement time points. A positive relationship was found between baseline gray matter volume in the left superior temporal gyrus and subsequent changes in reading proficiency. Furthermore, a negative relationship was found between reading proficiency at the second measurement time point and intraindividual cortical volume development in the inferior parietal lobule and the precentral and postcentral gyri of the left hemisphere. These results are interpreted as evidence that reading acquisition is associated with preexisting structural differences as well as with experience-dependent structural changes involving dendritic and synaptic pruning.

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Moderating Effect of Insulin Resistance on the Relationship between Gray Matter Volumes and Cognitive Function

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm7110413 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. 413 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jiyeon Lee ◽

Jihyeon Kim ◽

Seong Shin ◽

Soowon Park ◽

Dong Yoon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Insulin Resistance ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Volume Loss ◽

Matter Volume

Background: It is controversial whether exposure to insulin resistance accelerates cognitive deterioration. The present study aimed to investigate the association between insulin resistance and gray matter volume loss to predict the cognitive decline. Methods: We recruited 160 participants (78 with Alzheimer’s disease and 82 without Alzheimer’s disease). Insulin resistance, regional gray matter volume, and cognitive function were assessed. A hierarchical moderated multiple regression (MMR) model was used to determine any associations among insulin resistance, structural changes in the brain, and cognitive decline. Results: The volumes of 7 regions in the gray matter were negatively related to insulin resistance in Alzheimer’s disease (p =0.032). Hierarchical MMR analysis indicated that insulin resistance did not directly affect the cognitive decline but moderated the cognitive decline through the decrease in gray matter volume in the key brain regions, i.e., inferior orbitofrontal gyrus (left), middle cingulate gyrus (right), hippocampus (right), and precuneus (right) (p < 0.05 in each case). Conclusion: Insulin resistance appears to exacerbate the cognitive decline associated with several gray matter volume loss.

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Structural changes in secondary, but not primary, sensory cortex in individuals with congenital olfactory sensory loss

10.1101/760793 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Moa G. Peter ◽

Gustav Mårtensson ◽

Elbrich M. Postma ◽

Love Engström Nordin ◽

Eric Westman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Piriform Cortex ◽

Sensory Cortex ◽

Brain Morphology ◽

Sensory Loss ◽

Morphological Alterations ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Primary Sensory Cortex

ABSTRACTIndividuals with congenital sensory loss usually demonstrate altered brain morphology in areas associated with early processing of the lost sense. Here, we aimed to establish whether this also applies to individuals born without a sense of smell (congenital anosmia) by comparing cortical morphology between 33 individuals with isolated congenital anosmia and matched controls. We detected no structural alterations in the primary olfactory (piriform) cortex. However, individuals with anosmia demonstrated gray matter volume atrophy in bilateral olfactory sulci, explained by decreased cortical area, curvature, and sulcus depth. They further demonstrated increased gray matter volume and cortical thickness in the medial orbital gyri; regions closely associated with olfactory processing, sensory integration, and value-coding. Our results suggest that a lifelong absence of sensory input does not necessarily lead to morphological alterations in primary sensory cortex and extend previous findings with divergent morphological alterations in bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, indicating influences of different plastic processes.

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Altered Default Mode Network Is Associated With Cognitive Impairment in Cadasil as Revealed by Multimodal Neuroimaging

10.21203/rs.3.rs-658208/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Panlong Li ◽

Qi Huang ◽

Shiyu Ban ◽

Yuan Qiao ◽

Jing Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Default Mode Network ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Small Vessel Disease ◽

Hippocampal Formation ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Default Mode ◽

Matter Volume

Abstract Background: Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) caused by mutations in NOTCH3 gene is a hereditary cerebral small vessel disease, manifesting with stroke, cognitive impairment and mood disturbances. Functional or structural changes in the default mode network (DMN), which plays important roles in cognitive and mental maintenance, have been found in a number of neurological and mental diseases. However, it is still unclear whether DMN is altered in CADASIL patients.Methods: Multimodal imaging methods, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), were applied to evaluate the functional, structural and metabolic characteristics of DMN in 25 CADASIL patients and 42 healthy controls.Results: Compared to controls, CADASIL patients had decreased nodal efficiency and degree centrality of the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampal formation within DMN. Structural MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) showed decreased gray matter volume and fiber tracks presented in the bilateral hippocampal formation. Meanwhile, PET imaging showed decreased metabolism within the whole DMN in CADASIL. Furthermore, correlation analyses showed that these nodal characteristics, gray matter volume, and metabolic signals of DMN were related to cognitive scores in CADASIL.Conclusions: Our results suggested that altered network characteristics of DMN may play important roles in cognitive deficits of CADASIL.

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Reduced gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex and thalamus as a function of mild depressive symptoms: a voxel-based morphometric analysis

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291714000348 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 44 (13) ◽

pp. 2833-2843 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

C. A. Webb ◽

M. Weber ◽

E. A. Mundy ◽

W. D. S. Killgore

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Dimensional Approach ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Conjunction Analysis

BackgroundStudies investigating structural brain abnormalities in depression have typically employed a categorical rather than dimensional approach to depression [i.e. comparing subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-defined major depressive disorder (MDD)v. healthy controls]. The National Institute of Mental Health, through their Research Domain Criteria initiative, has encouraged a dimensional approach to the study of psychopathology as opposed to an over-reliance on categorical (e.g. DSM-based) diagnostic approaches. Moreover, subthreshold levels of depressive symptoms (i.e. severity levels below DSM criteria) have been found to be associated with a range of negative outcomes, yet have been relatively neglected in neuroimaging research.MethodTo examine the extent to which depressive symptoms – even at subclinical levels – are linearly related to gray matter volume reductions in theoretically important brain regions, we employed whole-brain voxel-based morphometry in a sample of 54 participants.ResultsThe severity of mild depressive symptoms, even in a subclinical population, was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, thalamus, superior temporal gyrus/temporal pole and superior frontal gyrus. A conjunction analysis revealed concordance across two separate measures of depression.ConclusionsReduced gray matter volume in theoretically important brain regions can be observed even in a sample that does not meet DSM criteria for MDD, but who nevertheless report relatively elevated levels of depressive symptoms. Overall, these findings highlight the need for additional research using dimensional conceptual and analytic approaches, as well as further investigation of subclinical populations.

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Progressive Decrease of Left Superior Temporal Gyrus Gray Matter Volume in Patients With First-Episode Schizophrenia

American Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1176/appi.ajp.160.1.156 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 160 (1) ◽

pp. 156-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 258

Author(s):

Kiyoto Kasai ◽

Martha E. Shenton ◽

Dean F. Salisbury ◽

Yoshio Hirayasu ◽

Chang-Uk Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

First Episode ◽

Progressive Decrease ◽

Matter Volume ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

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Functional Activation-Informed Structural Changes during Stroke Recovery: A Longitudinal MRI Study

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2017/4345205 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Zhiyuan Wu ◽

Lin Cheng ◽

Guo-Yuan Yang ◽

Shanbao Tong ◽

Junfeng Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Structural Information ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Stroke Recovery ◽

Functional Reorganization ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Initial Stage ◽

Mri Study

Objective. Neuroimaging studies revealed the functional reorganization or the structural changes during stroke recovery. However, previous studies did not combine the functional and structural information and the results might be affected by heterogeneous lesion. This study aimed to investigate functional activation-informed structural changes during stroke recovery. Methods. MRI data of twelve stroke patients were collected at four consecutive time points during the first 3 months after stroke onset. Functional activation during finger-tapping task was used to inform the analysis of structural changes of activated brain regions. Correlation between structural changes in motor-related activated brain regions and motor function recovery was estimated. Results. The averaged gray matter volume (aGMV) of contralesional activated brain regions and laterality index of gray matter volume (LIGMV) increased during stroke recovery, and LIGMV was positively correlated with Fugl-Meyer Index (FMI) at initial stage after stroke. The aGMV of bilateral activated brain regions was negatively correlated with FMI during the stroke recovery. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that combining the stroke-induced functional reorganization and structural change provided new insights into the underlying innate plasticity process during stroke recovery. Significance. This study proposed a new approach to integrate functional and structural information for investigating the innate plasticity after stroke.

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Exposure to parental verbal abuse is associated with increased gray matter volume in superior temporal gyrus

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.05.027 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. S280-S286 ◽

Cited By ~ 96

Author(s):

Akemi Tomoda ◽

Yi-Shin Sheu ◽

Keren Rabi ◽

Hanako Suzuki ◽

Carryl P. Navalta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Verbal Abuse ◽

Matter Volume

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Linking lysosomal enzyme targeting genes and energy metabolism with altered gray matter volume in children with persistent stuttering

10.1101/848796 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ho Ming Chow ◽

Emily O. Garnett ◽

Hua Li ◽

Andrew Etchell ◽

Jorge Sepulcre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

High Energy ◽

Energy Utilization ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Heritable Disorder

AbstractDevelopmental stuttering is a childhood onset neurodevelopmental disorder with an unclear etiology. Subtle changes in brain structure and function are present in both children and adults who stutter. It is a highly heritable disorder, and up to 12-20% of stuttering cases may carry a mutation in one of four genes involved in mannose-6-phosphate mediated protein intracellular trafficking. To better understand the relationship between genetic factors and brain structural changes, we used gene expression data from the Allen Institute for Brain Science (AIBS) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate the spatial correspondence between gene expression patterns and differences in gray matter volume (GMV) between children with persistent stuttering (n=26, 87 scans) and their fluent peers (n=44, 139 scans). We found that expression patterns of two stuttering-related genes (GNPTG and NAGPA) in the brain exhibit a strong positive spatial correlation with the magnitude of GMV differences between groups. Further gene set enrichment analyses revealed that genes whose expression was highly correlated with the GMV differences were enriched for glycolysis and oxidative metabolism in mitochondria. Although the results are correlational and cannot inform us about underlying casual mechanisms, our results suggest a possibility that regions with high expression level of genes associated with stuttering may be particularly vulnerable to the effect of alterations in these genes. This effect may be further exacerbated by the relatively high energy utilization in those brain during the period of a sharp increase in brain energy utilization, which coincides with a period of rapid language development and the onset of stuttering during childhood.

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Altered Gray Matter Volume, Functional Connectivity, and Degree Centrality in Early-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.697349 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yue Feng ◽

Yifan Li ◽

Xin Tan ◽

Yi Liang ◽

Xiaomeng Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Early Onset ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Degree Centrality ◽

Matter Volume ◽

The Right ◽

Heschl Gyrus

Background: Structural and functional brain alterations that underlie cognitive decline have been observed in elderly adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, whether these alterations can be observed in patients with early-onset T2DM remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to describe the abnormalities in brain volume and functional patterns in patients with early-onset T2DM in the present study.Methods: We enrolled 20 patients with early-onset T2DM and 20 healthy controls (HCs). Changes in brain volume were assessed using voxel-based morphology (VBM), while changes in brain function were assessed using degree centrality (DC) and functional connectivity (FC).Results: Compared to HCs, patients with early-onset T2DM exhibited gray matter reductions in the left orbital superior, middle, and inferior frontal gyri as well as the right superior frontal gyrus. The gray matter reductions in the right superior frontal gyrus were negatively associated with the urine albumin to creatinine ratio. Furthermore, increased DC values were observed in the left superior temporal gyrus, left Heschl gyrus, and left hippocampus in patients with early-onset T2DM. An FC analysis of these regions revealed elevated connectivity in the right precuneus, left inferior parietal gyrus, left Heschl gyrus, bilateral post-central gyrus, bilateral insula, bilateral superior temporal gyrus, and bilateral medial and paracingulate gyrus. Furthermore, the FC of the hubs to the superior temporal gyrus, insula, and Heschl gyrus was increased and positively correlated with trail making test-B.Conclusion: Decreased local gray matter volume and increased DC and FC may represent the neurobiological mechanism underlying cognitive dysfunction in patients with early-onset T2DM.

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Associations between Brain Structural Damage and Core Muscle Loss in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9010239 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 239

Author(s):

Ying-Nong Wu ◽

Meng-Hsiang Chen ◽

Pi-Ling Chiang ◽

Cheng-Hsien Lu ◽

Hsiu-Ling Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Regression Analysis ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Disease Duration ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Muscle Loss ◽

Fat Percentage ◽

Matter Volume

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease associated with progressive gray matter atrophy. In addition to motor function disorder, frailty and decreased muscle mass potentially contribute to increased morbidity risk. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the associations between lean muscle loss and gray matter volume (GMV) in PD patients. Methods: Thirty patients with PD and fifteen healthy controls underwent brain and bilateral thigh MRIs. The IDEAL sequence was employed, measuring the regions of interest (ROI) of fat percentage at the 50% point of femur length. Voxel-base morphometry (VBM) was used to assess regional gray matter volume differences between groups. Further correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the changes between gray matter volume and fatty percentage of the bilateral thigh after adjusting for age and gender. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to evaluate the risk factor of core muscle loss in PD patients. Results: Compared with controls, patients with PD had significantly higher thigh fat percentage and smaller gray matter volume of several brain locations of the default mode network (DMN), specifically the left superior temporal gyrus, right uncus, and left inferior temporal gyrus, revealing association with higher thigh fat percentage. Further multiple linear regression analysis indicated that higher thigh fat percentage is associated with gender (female), increased disease duration, and smaller gray matter volume of the left superior temporal gyrus and right uncus in PD patients. Conclusions: Patients with PD experience core muscle loss in the thigh, associated with default mode network (DMN) degeneration, longer disease duration, and female gender. Identification of risk factors associated with lean muscle mass loss may assist in early prevention of comorbidities such as sarcopenia.

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