scholarly journals Grey and White Matter Volume Changes after Preterm Birth: A Meta-Analytic Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 868
Author(s):  
Benita Schmitz-Koep ◽  
Bernhard Haller ◽  
Pierrick Coupé ◽  
Aurore Menegaux ◽  
Christian Gaser ◽  
...  

Cross-sectional studies have reported lower brain grey matter volumes (GMV) and white matter volumes (WMV) in preterm (PT) born individuals. While large MRI studies in the normative population have led to a better understanding of brain growth trajectories across the lifespan, such results remain elusive for PT born individuals since large, aggregated datasets of PT born individuals do not exist. To close this gap, we investigated GMV and WMV in PT born individuals as reported in the literature and contrasted it against individual volumetric data and trajectories from the general population. Systematic database search of PubMed and Web of Science in March 2021, and extraction of outcome measures were conducted by two independent reviewers. Individual data on full-term (FT) controls was extracted from freely available databases. Mean GMV, WMV, total intracranial volume (TIV), and mean age at scan were the main outcome measures. Of 532 identified records, nine studies were included with 538 PT born subjects between 1.1 and 28.5 years of age. Reference data was generated from 880 FT controls between 1 and 30 years of age. GMV was consistently lower in PT born individuals from infancy to early adulthood with no evidence for catch-up growth. While GMV changes followed a similar trajectory as FT controls, WMV was particularly low in adolescence after PT birth. Results demonstrate altered brain volumes after PT birth across the first half of lifespan. Future studies should address this issue in large aggregated datasets of PT born individuals.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benita Schmitz-Koep ◽  
Bernhard Haller ◽  
Pierrick Coupé ◽  
Aurore Menegaux ◽  
Christian Gaser ◽  
...  

Objective: Reduced brain grey matter volumes (GMV) and white matter volumes (WMV) have been reported at single time points in preterm-born individuals. While large MRI studies in the normative population have led to a better understanding of brain growth trajectories across the lifespan, such results remain elusive for preterm-born individuals since large, aggregated datasets of preterm-born individuals do not exist. To close this gap, we investigated GMV and WMV in preterm-born individuals as reported in the literature and contrasted it against individual volumetric data and trajectories from the general population. Study design: Systematic database search of PubMed and Web of Science in March 2021 and extraction of outcome measures by two independent reviewers. Individual data on full-term controls was extracted from freely available databases. Mean GMV, WMV, total intracranial volume (TIV), and mean age at scan were the main outcome measures. Results: Of 532 identified records, nine studies were included with 538 preterm-born subjects between 1.1 and 28.5 years of age. Reference data was generated from 880 full-term controls between 1 and 30 years of age. GMV was consistently reduced in preterm-born individuals from infancy to early adulthood with no evidence for catch-up growth. While GMV changes followed a similar trajectory as full-term controls, WMV was particularly low in adolescence after preterm birth. Conclusions: Results demonstrate altered brain volumes after premature birth across the first half of lifespan with pronounced reductions of white matter volumes in adolescence. Future studies should address this issue in large aggregated datasets of preterm-born individuals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4953
Author(s):  
Natalie M. Zahr ◽  
Kilian M. Pohl ◽  
Allison J. Kwong ◽  
Edith V. Sullivan ◽  
Adolf Pfefferbaum

Classical inflammation in response to bacterial, parasitic, or viral infections such as HIV includes local recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages and the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Proposed biomarkers of organ integrity in Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) include elevations in peripheral plasma levels of proinflammatory proteins. In testing this proposal, previous work included a group of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals as positive controls and identified elevations in the soluble proteins TNFα and IP10; these cytokines were only elevated in AUD individuals seropositive for hepatitis C infection (HCV). The current observational, cross-sectional study evaluated whether higher levels of these proinflammatory cytokines would be associated with compromised brain integrity. Soluble protein levels were quantified in 86 healthy controls, 132 individuals with AUD, 54 individuals seropositive for HIV, and 49 individuals with AUD and HIV. Among the patient groups, HCV was present in 24 of the individuals with AUD, 13 individuals with HIV, and 20 of the individuals in the comorbid AUD and HIV group. Soluble protein levels were correlated to regional brain volumes as quantified with structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition to higher levels of TNFα and IP10 in the 2 HIV groups and the HCV-seropositive AUD group, this study identified lower levels of IL1β in the 3 patient groups relative to the control group. Only TNFα, however, showed a relationship with brain integrity: in HCV or HIV infection, higher peripheral levels of TNFα correlated with smaller subcortical white matter volume. These preliminary results highlight the privileged status of TNFα on brain integrity in the context of infection.


Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Fotiadis ◽  
Aaron Schultz ◽  
Trey Hedden ◽  
Sergi Martinez-Ramirez ◽  
Yael Reijmer ◽  
...  

Background/Purpose: Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA) leads to leukoaraiosis, lacunar infarcts and cortical tissue loss. We hypothesized that CAA is also associated with white matter atrophy (WMA). Methods: We have compared volumetric multimodal MRIs from 72 prospectively enrolled non-demented patients with probable CAA (per Boston criteria), to 3 other well-studied cohorts: 289 Healthy Controls (HC) from the Harvard Aging Brain (HAB) study, 231 HC and 198 patients with AD from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Validated FreeSurfer algorithms were used to calculate White Matter Volume (WMV), white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHv), and cortical thickness. Microbleeds (MBs) were counted on SWI-MRI. Measures were obtained from the contralateral hemisphere if intracerebral hemorrhage present. All volumes were corrected for total intracranial volume (ICV), so reported as percent of ICV. Results: The CAA patients were significantly younger (mean age: 70.1) compared to both HC cohorts (ADNI-HC: 76.0, p<0.001, HAB-HC: 73.8, p < 0.001), and to patients with AD (75.5, p < 0.001). Despite being younger, patients with CAA presented significantly lower global WMV (28% ± 2.6) than both ADNI-HC (29.2% ± 2.2, p < 0.001), HAB-HC (29.0% ± 2.5, p = 0.001), and patients with AD (28.7% ± 2.2, p = 0.02) [Figure]. The association persisted after correcting for age, gender and WMHv. Within the CAA cohort, there was a negative correlation between WMV and lobar MB counts (rho = -0.26, p = 0.03), it remained significant after correcting for age, gender, WMHv (p=0.016). There were no significant associations however between WMV and neither WMHv, nor cortical thickness (both p>0.2). Conclusions: Patients with CAA show WMA when compared to older HC and AD. WMA independently correlates with MBs, a marker of CAA severity. Consistent spatial patterns of atrophy especially in posterior regions when compared to both HC and AD [Figure] might represent the “WMA signature of CAA”.


Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. e554-e562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Fotiadis ◽  
Yael D. Reijmer ◽  
Susanne J. Van Veluw ◽  
Sergi Martinez-Ramirez ◽  
Fikret Isik Karahanoglu ◽  
...  

ObjectiveWe postulated that cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is associated with white matter atrophy (WMA) and that WMA can be related to cognitive changes in CAA.MethodsWhite matter volume expressed as percent of intracranial volume (pWMV) of prospectively enrolled patients without dementia diagnosed with probable CAA was compared to age-matched healthy controls (HC) and patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Cognitive scores were also sought to understand the potential effects of WMA on cognitive function.ResultsPatients with CAA (n = 72) had significantly lower pWMV (27.97% ± 2.63) when compared to age-matched HC (n = 72; mean difference [MD], 2.38%; p < 0.0001) and patients with AD (n = 72; MD, 1.57%; p < 0.0001). Differences were most pronounced in the posterior occipital regions in both comparisons. When comparisons were restricted to groups of patients with CAA but no intracerebral hemorrhage (n = 32) or hypertension (n = 32), and age-matched HC and AD, the significant differences were unaltered. Within the CAA cohort, higher age, lobar microbleed counts, and presence of hypertension were associated with lower pWMV (p = 0.0007, p = 0.031, and p = 0.003, respectively). All associations remained independent in multivariable analyses. Within the CAA cohort, higher pWMV independently correlated with better scores of executive function.ConclusionsPatients with CAA show WMA when compared to age-matched HC and patients with AD. WMA independently correlates with the number of lobar microbleeds, a marker of CAA severity. Consistent spatial patterns of WMA especially in posterior regions might be related to CAA. The association between WMA and measures of executive function suggests that WMA might represent an important mediator of CAA-related neurologic dysfunction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. P1269-P1270
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Lane ◽  
Jo Barnes ◽  
Jennifer M. Nicholas ◽  
Thomas D. Parker ◽  
Ashvini Keshavan ◽  
...  

Neurology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (14) ◽  
pp. e1248-e1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy M. Hughes ◽  
Lynne E. Wagenknecht ◽  
Suzanne Craft ◽  
Akiva Mintz ◽  
Gerardo Heiss ◽  
...  

ObjectiveArterial stiffness has been associated with evidence of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) and fibrillar β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the brain. These complex relationships have not been examined in racially and cognitively diverse cohorts.MethodsThe Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)–Neurocognitive Study collected detailed cognitive testing for adjudication of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), brain MRI, and arterial stiffness by pulse wave velocity (PWV, carotid-femoral [cfPWV] and heart-carotid [hcPWV]). The ARIC-PET ancillary study added Aβ imaging using florbetapir ([18F]-AV-45) to obtain standardized uptake volume ratios and defined global Aβ-positivity as standardized uptake volume ratio >1.2. One-SD increase in PWV was related to brain volume, MRI-defined cSVD (e.g., cerebral microbleeds and white matter hyperintensity), and cortical Aβ deposition adjusted for age, body mass index, sex, race, and APOE ε4 status. We examined the cross-sectional relationships including interactions by race, APOE ε4 status, and cognition.ResultsAmong the 320 ARIC-PET participants (76 [5] years, 45% black, 27% MCI), greater central stiffness (hcPWV) was associated with greater Aβ deposition (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.71). Greater central stiffness (cfPWV) was significantly associated with having lower brain volumes in Alzheimer disease–susceptible regions (in mm3, β = −1.5 [0.7 SD], p = 0.03) and high white matter hyperintensity burden (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.1). Furthermore, cfPWV was associated with a higher odds of concomitant high white matter hyperintensity and Aβ-positive scans (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–2.1). These associations were strongest among individuals with MCI and did not differ by race or APOE ε4 status.ConclusionsArterial stiffness, measured by PWV, is an emerging risk factor for dementia through its repeated relationships with cognition, cSVD, and Aβ deposition.


Author(s):  
Amal A Wanigatunga ◽  
Hang Wang ◽  
Yang An ◽  
Eleanor M Simonsick ◽  
Qu Tian ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Larger brain volumes are often associated with more free-living physical activity (PA) in cognitively normal older adults. Yet, whether greater brain volumes are associated with more favorable (less fragmented) PA patterns, and whether this association is stronger than with total PA, remains unknown. Methods Brain magnetic resonance imaging and wrist-worn accelerometer data were collected in 301 participants (mean age = 77 [SD = 7] years, 59% women) enrolled in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Linear regression models were fit to examine whether brain volumes (cc) were cross-sectionally associated with: (a) total daily PA minutes and (b) activity fragmentation (mean number of PA bouts / total PA minutes × 100). Sensitivity analyses were conducted by adjusting for counterpart PA variables (eg, fragmentation covariate included in the PA minutes model). Results Greater white matter volumes in the parietal and temporal lobes were associated with higher daily PA minutes (2.6 [SE = 1.0] and 3.8 [0.9] min/day, respectively; p &lt; .009 for both) after adjusting for demographics, behavioral factors, medical conditions, gait speed, apolipoprotein E e4 status, and intracranial volume. Greater temporal white matter volume was associated with lower fragmentation (−0.16% [0.05], p = .003). In sensitivity analyses, observed associations between brain volumes and daily PA minutes remained significant while associations with fragmentation no longer remained significant. Conclusions Our results suggest white matter brain structure in cognitively normal older adults is associated with the total amount of PA and, to a lesser extent, the PA accumulation patterns. More work is needed to elucidate the longitudinal relationship between brain structure and function and PA patterns with aging.


2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca C. Knickmeyer ◽  
Chaeryon Kang ◽  
Sandra Woolson ◽  
J. Keith Smith ◽  
Robert M. Hamer ◽  
...  

Twin studies suggest that global and regional brain volumes are highly heritable. However, estimates of heritability vary across development. Given that all twin studies are open to the potential criticism of non-generalizability due to differences in intrauterine environment between twins and singletons, these age effects may reflect the influence of perinatal environmental factors, which are unique to twins and which may be especially evident early in life. To address this question, we compared brain volumes and the relationship of brain volumes to gestational age in 136 singletons (67 male, 69 female) and 154 twins (75 male, 79 female; 82 DZ, 72 MZ) who had received high resolution MRI scans of the brain in the first month of life. Intracranial volume, total white matter, and ventricle volumes did not differ between twins and singletons. However, cerebrospinal fluid and frontal white matter volume was greater in twins compared to singletons. While gray matter volumes at MRI did not differ between groups, the slope of the relationship between total and cortical gray matter and gestational age at the MRI scan was steeper in MZ twins compared to DZ twins. Post-hoc analyses suggested that gray matter development is delayed in MZ twins in utero and that they experience ‘catch-up’ growth in the first month of life. These differences should be taken into account when interpreting and designing studies in the early postnatal period.


Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Palta ◽  
A R Sharrett ◽  
Kelly R Evenson ◽  
Clifford R Jack ◽  
Pamela L Lutsey ◽  
...  

Introduction: Several studies report late-life physical activity (PA) to be associated with less brain atrophy. Associations of PA and subclinical brain markers evaluated at older ages may be subject to reverse causality due to comorbidity, age-related changes in lifestyle, or incipient cognitive impairment. Therefore, we aimed to compare late-life cross-sectional estimates of PA and ROI brain volumes to those using prospective PA measures from mid- to late-life. Methods: Participants (n=1549, mean age: 75, 39% male, 20% Black) with repeat assessments of PA from visit 1 (1987-1989) and a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 2011-2013 were included. Total volume of PA in metabolic equivalent-min/week was estimated using the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire and classified as no, low, middle or high at each visit. Based on visit 1 and 3 (1993-1995) PA assessments, a subset of participants (n=663) were further categorized as habitually inactive or having habitually low, middle, or high PA in mid-life. Brain MRI using 3D-1.5T equipment quantified ROI volumes following a standardized protocol. Weighted linear regression adjusted for intracranial volume, demographics, select cardiovascular risk factors and ApoE4 estimated the standardized difference in ROI volumes. Results: Compared to no PA, high PA was associated with larger ROI brain volumes cross-sectionally in late-life (Table). High mid-life PA was only modestly associated with larger frontal cortical and deep gray matter volumes in late-life (Table). Habitually high PA in mid-life was not associated with less atrophy across brain regions in late-life. Conclusions: Our results do not support a causal interpretation of the cross-sectional associations between PA and brain volumes reported in late-life. Drawing on long-term population-based data, this study provides novel information on the associations of PA across life epochs with brain health, which can inform translational and intervention efforts to reduce age-related cognitive impairment.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Cannon ◽  
Mark Findlay ◽  
Krishna Dani ◽  
Jesse Dawson ◽  
David A Dickie ◽  
...  

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are associated with cognitive impairment. We used neuroimaging to describe if this association is explained by cardioembolism or other mechanisms. Methods: We included adults with HF (ejection fraction<45%) and AF but no stroke history. Healthy volunteer controls were matched, 1:2 ratio. Participants were assessed with Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neurospychological Status (RBANS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) and 3-T brain MRI. Scans were graded for:infarct, enlarged perivascular spaces, microbleeds, global and regional (hippocampal) atrophy with consensus scoring by four raters using validated, ordinal assessment scales. Brain volumes were semi-automatically acquired using cluster analysis of T1-weighted and FLAIR voxel intensities and diffeomorphic atlas-based segmentation. CSF, hippocampal and white matter volumes were corrected for intracranial volume. We described univariable differences between groups and then created multivariable models where cardiac status was the dependent variable, RBANS and MRI data were the predictors. Results: Of 50 participants, AF-HF (n=34) had poorer RBANS (MD:16.9, SE:3.44; p<0.001). Differences were independent of education and HADS. Infarcts and ordinal markers of atrophy were significantly different between groups, SVD markers were increased in AF-HF but did not reach significance. Quantitative measures of white matter differed between groups but measures of atrophy did not.(Table) On multivariable models, no imaging feature was independently associated with cardiac status. Discussion: The association between cognitive impairment and cardiac disease may not be solely driven by occult cardioembolism; small vessel disease and other, neuroimaging independent, factors also interact. Differences between ordinal scales and quantitative scores suggest that future studies should use robust volumetric analyses.


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