Combined metopic and sagittal craniosynostosis: is it worse than sagittal synostosis alone?

2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. E2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan S. Terner ◽  
Roberto Travieso ◽  
Su-shin Lee ◽  
Antonio J. Forte ◽  
Anup Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Tissue ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Ventricular Volume ◽  
Brain Dysfunction ◽  
Volume Reduction ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sagittal Synostosis ◽  
Sagittal Craniosynostosis ◽  
Patient Groups

Object Combined metopic and sagittal craniosynostosis is a common variant of the nonsyndromic, multiplesuture synostoses. It is unknown whether this combined form causes reduced intracranial volume (ICV) and potentially more brain dysfunction than sagittal synostosis alone. This study is a volumetric comparison of these 2 forms of craniosynostosis. Methods The authors conducted a retrospective chart and CT review of 36 cases of isolated sagittal synostosis or combined metopic and sagittal synostosis, involving patients seen between 1998 and 2006. Values were obtained for the intracranial compartment, brain tissue, CSF space, and ventricular volumes. Patients with craniosynostosis were then compared on these measures to 39 age- and sex-matched controls. Results In patients with isolated sagittal synostosis and in those with combined metopic and sagittal synostosis, there was a trend toward smaller ICV than in controls (p < 0.1). In female patients older than 4.5 months of age, there was also a trend toward smaller ICV in patients with the combined form than in those with sagittal synostosis alone (p < 0.1), and the ICV of patients with the combined form was significantly smaller than the volume in controls in the same age group (p < 0.05). Brain tissue volume was significantly smaller in both patient groups than in controls (p < 0.05). Ventricular volume was significantly increased (compared with controls) only in the patients with isolated sagittal synostosis who were younger than 4.5 months of age (p < 0.05). Overall CSF space, however, was significantly larger in both patient groups in patients younger than 4.5 months of age (p < 0.05). Conclusions These findings raise concerns about intracranial and brain volume reduction in patients with sagittal and combined metopic and sagittal synostoses and the possibility that this volume reduction may be associated with brain dysfunction. Because the ICV reduction is greater in combined metopic and sagittal synostosis in patients older than 4.5 months of age than in sagittal synostosis in this age group, the potential for brain dysfunction may be particularly true for these younger infants.

Cerebral Volume Loss, Cognitive Deficit, and Neuropsychological Performance: Comparative Measures of Brain Atrophy: II. Traumatic Brain Injury

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Tate ◽  
Rola Khedraki ◽  
E. Shannon Neeley ◽  
David K. Ryser ◽  
Erin D. Bigler
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Cerebral Atrophy ◽  
Ventricular Volume ◽  
Quantitative Mri ◽  
Neuropsychological Performance ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Variable Degree ◽  
Volume Loss

AbstractTraumatic brain injury (TBI) results in a variable degree of cerebral atrophy that is not always related to cognitive measures across studies. However, the use of different methods for examining atrophy may be a reason why differences exist. The purpose of this manuscript was to examine the predictive utility of seven magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -derived brain volume or indices of atrophy for a large cohort of TBI patients (n = 65). The seven quantitative MRI (qMRI) measures included uncorrected whole brain volume, brain volume corrected by total intracranial volume, brain volume corrected by the ratio of the individual TICV by group TICV, a ventricle to brain ratio, total ventricular volume, ventricular volume corrected by TICV, and a direct measure of parenchymal volume loss. Results demonstrated that the various qMRI measures were highly interrelated and that corrected measures proved to be the most robust measures related to neuropsychological performance. Similar to an earlier study that examined cerebral atrophy in aging and dementia, these results suggest that a single corrected brain volume measure is all that is necessary in studies examining global MRI indicators of cerebral atrophy in relationship to cognitive function making additional measures of global atrophy redundant and unnecessary. (JINS, 2011, 17, 308–316)

Brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis: impact of lesions and of damage of whole brain tissue

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 410-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
N F Kalkers ◽  
H Vrenken ◽  
B MJ Uitdehaag ◽  
C H Polman ◽  
F Barkhof
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Brain Tissue ◽  
Brain Atrophy ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Peak Height ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Magnetization Transfer Ratio ◽  
Lesion Volume ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Whole Brain

Introduction: In multiple sclerosis (MS), brain atrophy measurement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reflects overall tissue loss, especially demyelination and axonal loss. We studied which factor contributes most to the development of brain atrophy: extent and severity of lesions or damage of whole brain tissue (WBT). Methods: Eighty-six patients with MS [32 primary progressive (PP), 32 secondary progressive (SP)] and 22 relapsing-remitting (RR) were studied. MRI included T1- and T2-weighted imaging to obtain hypointense T1 lesion volume (T1LV) and two brain volume measurements: 1) the parenchymal fraction (PF; whole brain parenchymal volume/intracranial volume) as a marker of overall brain volume, and 2) the ventricular fraction (VF; ventricular volume/intracranial volume) as a marker of central atrophy. From magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) histograms, the relative peak height (rHp) was derived as an index of damage of WBT (a lower peak height reflects damage of WBT). Results: Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that damage of WBT explains most of the variance of PF (standardized coefficient b=0.59, p <0.001 for WBT and b= −0.19, p <0.05 for T1LV). These findings are independent of disease phase; even in RR patients, damage of WBT plays a dominant role in explaining the variance in overall brain volume. By contrast, the variance in VF is explained by both T1LV and damage of WBT (standardized coefficient b =0.43, p<0.001 for T1LV and b = −0.38, p <0.001 for WBT). Conclusion: This study shows that overall brain volume (PF) is best explained by damage of WBT, supporting the significance of nonfocal pathology in MS in producing tissue loss. Central atrophy (VF) is determined by both lesion volume and damage of WBT. Our results underline the importance of nonfocal pathology even in the early (RR) phase of the disease.

COVID-19 Epigenetics and Implications for Public Health

Coronaviruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verda Tunalıgil ◽  
Gülsen Meral ◽  
Ahmet Katı ◽  
Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay ◽  
Amit Kumar Mandal
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Infectious Agent ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Epigenetic Changes ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
Epigenetic Processes

Abstract:: Epigenetic changes in COVID-19 host, a pandemic-causing infectious agent that globally incapacitated communities in varying complexities and capacities are discussed, proposing an analogy that epigenetic processes contribute to disease severity and elevate the risk for death from infection. Percentages of hospitalization, with and without intensive care, in the presence of diseases with increased ACE2 expression, were compared, based on the best available data. Further analysis compared two different age groups, 19-64 and ≥65 years of age. The COVID-19 disease is observed to be the most severe in the 65-and-higher-age group with preexisting chronic conditions. This observational study is a non-experimental empirical investigation of the outcomes of COVID-19 in different patient groups. Results are promising for conducting clinical trials with intervention groups. To ultimately succeed in disease prevention, researchers and clinicians must integrate epigenetic mechanisms to generate valid prescriptions for global well-being.

scholarly journals Association between body mass index and subcortical brain volumes in bipolar disorders–ENIGMA study in 2735 individuals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean R. McWhinney ◽  
◽  
Christoph Abé ◽  
Martin Alda ◽  
Francesco Benedetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Bipolar Disorders ◽  
Ventricular Volume ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Lateral Ventricles ◽  
Mixed Effects Modeling ◽  
Subcortical Volumes

AbstractIndividuals with bipolar disorders (BD) frequently suffer from obesity, which is often associated with neurostructural alterations. Yet, the effects of obesity on brain structure in BD are under-researched. We obtained MRI-derived brain subcortical volumes and body mass index (BMI) from 1134 BD and 1601 control individuals from 17 independent research sites within the ENIGMA-BD Working Group. We jointly modeled the effects of BD and BMI on subcortical volumes using mixed-effects modeling and tested for mediation of group differences by obesity using nonparametric bootstrapping. All models controlled for age, sex, hemisphere, total intracranial volume, and data collection site. Relative to controls, individuals with BD had significantly higher BMI, larger lateral ventricular volume, and smaller volumes of amygdala, hippocampus, pallidum, caudate, and thalamus. BMI was positively associated with ventricular and amygdala and negatively with pallidal volumes. When analyzed jointly, both BD and BMI remained associated with volumes of lateral ventricles  and amygdala. Adjusting for BMI decreased the BD vs control differences in ventricular volume. Specifically, 18.41% of the association between BD and ventricular volume was mediated by BMI (Z = 2.73, p = 0.006). BMI was associated with similar regional brain volumes as BD, including lateral ventricles, amygdala, and pallidum. Higher BMI may in part account for larger ventricles, one of the most replicated findings in BD. Comorbidity with obesity could explain why neurostructural alterations are more pronounced in some individuals with BD. Future prospective brain imaging studies should investigate whether obesity could be a modifiable risk factor for neuroprogression.

scholarly journals Dynamic Regional Brain Atrophy Rates in the First Year After Ischemic Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Brodtmann ◽  
Mohamed Salah Khlif ◽  
Natalia Egorova ◽  
Michele Veldsman ◽  
Laura J. Bird ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Brain Atrophy ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Linear Mixed Effect Model ◽  
First Year ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Regional Brain

Background and Purpose: Brain atrophy can be regarded as an end-organ effect of cumulative cardiovascular risk factors. Accelerated brain atrophy is described following ischemic stroke, but it is not known whether atrophy rates vary over the poststroke period. Examining rates of brain atrophy allows the identification of potential therapeutic windows for interventions to prevent poststroke brain atrophy. Methods: We charted total and regional brain volume and cortical thickness trajectories, comparing atrophy rates over 2 time periods in the first year after ischemic stroke: within 3 months (early period) and between 3 and 12 months (later period). Patients with first-ever or recurrent ischemic stroke were recruited from 3 Melbourne hospitals at 1 of 2 poststroke time points: within 6 weeks (baseline) or 3 months. Whole-brain 3T magnetic resonance imaging was performed at 3 time points: baseline, 3 months, and 12 months. Eighty-six stroke participants completed testing at baseline; 125 at 3 months (76 baseline follow-up plus 49 delayed recruitment); and 113 participants at 12 months. Their data were compared with 40 healthy control participants with identical testing. We examined 5 brain measures: hippocampal volume, thalamic volume, total brain and hemispheric brain volume, and cortical thickness. We tested whether brain atrophy rates differed between time points and groups. A linear mixed-effect model was used to compare brain structural changes, including age, sex, years of education, a composite cerebrovascular risk factor score, and total intracranial volume as covariates. Results: Atrophy rates were greater in stroke than control participants. Ipsilesional hemispheric, hippocampal, and thalamic atrophy rates were 2 to 4 times greater in the early versus later period. Conclusions: Regional atrophy rates vary over the first year after stroke. Rapid brain volume loss in the first 3 months after stroke may represent a potential window for intervention. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT02205424.

Comparison of aesthetic outcomes between open and endoscopically treated sagittal craniosynostosis

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jacob Lepard ◽  
S. Hassan A. Akbari ◽  
James Mooney ◽  
Anastasia Arynchyna ◽  
Samuel G. McClugage III ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Head Circumference ◽  
Endoscopic Treatment ◽  
Open Repair ◽  
Perioperative Outcomes ◽  
Subjective Rating ◽  
Cephalic Index ◽  
Sagittal Synostosis ◽  
Sagittal Craniosynostosis ◽  
Subjective Assessments ◽  
Z Scores

OBJECTIVE In the last several decades, there has been much debate regarding the ideal treatment for sagittal synostosis. The purpose of this study was to compare perioperative, anthropometric, and subjective assessments of cosmetic outcomes between open and endoscopic management of isolated sagittal synostosis. METHODS At their routine postoperative follow-up, pediatric patients with sagittal craniosynostosis were recruited to undergo digital cranial measurement and standardized photography for objective and subjective assessments of perioperative outcomes. Age-normalized z-scores for cephalic index, head circumference, euryon-euryon diameter (Eu-Eu), and glabella-opisthocranion diameter (G-Op) were calculated for each patient. Faculty surgeons, surgical trainees, nurses, and laypersons were asked to rate the normalcy of craniofacial appearances using a 5-point Likert scale. Outcomes were compared between patients treated with endoscopic correction and those treated with open repair. RESULTS A total of 50 patients were included in the study. Thirty-one had undergone open surgical correction, and 19 had undergone endoscopic treatment. Endoscopic repair involved significantly lower operative time, blood loss, transfusion rate, and hospital length of stay than those with open repair (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between groups in terms of z-scores for head circumference (p = 0.22), cephalic index (p = 0.25), or Eu-Eu (p = 0.38). Endoscopic treatment was associated with a significantly lower G-Op (p = 0.009). Additionally, the average subjective rating of head shape was higher for endoscopic treatment when corrected for age, gender, and ethnicity (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The study findings suggest that patients who are treated endoscopically may have an overall more normal appearance in skull morphology and cosmesis, although these results are limited by poor reliability.

Left Ventricular Volume Reduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 749-754
Author(s):  
Antonio M. Calafiore ◽  
Massimiliano Foschi ◽  
Antonio Totaro ◽  
Piero Pelini ◽  
Michele Di Mauro
Keyword(s):  
Left Ventricular Volume ◽  
Ventricular Volume ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Volume Reduction

On the anatomic relation of choroid plexus to brain: a comparative study

1980 ◽  
Vol 238 (1) ◽  
pp. R76-R81 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. F. Cserr ◽  
M. Bundgaard ◽  
J. K. Ashby ◽  
M. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Choroid Plexus ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Ventricular Volume ◽  
Brain Weight ◽  
Air Breathing ◽  
Original Proposal ◽  
Adaptive Value ◽  
Choroid Plexuses ◽  
The Brain

The size of choroid plexuses and cerebral ventricles relative to brain varies widely among vertebrates. The functional significance of this variability has attracted little attention since Herrick's original proposal that large choroid plexuses might enhance oxygen delivery to the brain and therefore be of adaptive value in the transition of vertebrates from water to air breathing. We compared choroid plexus and brain weight or ventricular and brain volume in 40 species from nine vertebrate groups. Both choroid plexus weight and ventricular volume were unrelated to brain size. Plexus weight ranged from 0 to 5.2% of brain weight and ventricular volume from 0.9 to 132% of brain volume. Amid this diversity the dipnoans, chondrosteans, holosteans, amphibians, and crossopterygian examined in this study are exceptional in uniformly having large plexuses. The adaptive significance of large choroid plexuses may lie in the presence of specific homeostatic mechanisms and their role in the response to the increases in PCO2 that accompany the transition to air breathing.

scholarly journals Endocast of the Late Triassic (Carnian) dinosaur Saturnalia tupiniquim: implications for the evolution of brain tissue in Sauropodomorpha

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Bronzati ◽  
Oliver W M Rauhut ◽  
Jonathas S Bittencourt ◽  
Max C. Langer
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Brain Tissue ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Volume Reduction ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
History Of

The evolutionary history of dinosaurs might date back to the fist stages of the Triassic (c. 250– 240 Ma), but the oldest unequivocal records of the group come from Late Triassic (Carnian – c. 230 Ma) rocks of South America. Here, we present the fist braincase endocast of a Carnian dinosaur, the sauropodomorph Saturnalia tupiniquim, and provide new data regarding the evolution of the flccular and paraflccular lobe of the cerebellum (FFL), which has been extensively discussed in the fild of palaeoneurology. Previous studies proposed that the development of a permanent quadrupedal stance was one of the factors leading to the volume reduction of the FFL of sauropods. However, based on the new data for S. tupiniquim we identifid a fist moment of FFL volume reduction in nonsauropodan Sauropodomorpha, preceding the acquisition of a fully quadrupedal stance. Analysing variations in FFL volume alongside other morphological changes in the group, we suggest that this reduction is potentially related to the adoption of a more restricted herbivore diet. In this context, the FFL of sauropods might represent a vestigial trait, retained in a reduced version from the bipedal and predatory early sauropodomorphs.

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