scholarly journals Sex-dependent age trajectories of subcortical brain structures: analysis of large-scale percentile models and shape morphometry

Author(s):  
Christopher R. Ching ◽  
Zvart Abaryan ◽  
Vigneshwaran Santhalingam ◽  
Alyssa H. Zhu ◽  
Joanna K. Bright ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. K. Ching ◽  
Zvart Abaryan ◽  
Vigneshwaran Santhalingam ◽  
Alyssa H. Zhu ◽  
Joanna K. Bright ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTModeling of structural brain variation over the lifespan is important to better understand factors contributing to healthy aging and risk for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Even so, we lack normative data on brain morphometry across the adult lifespan in large, well-powered samples. Here, in a large population-based sample of 26,440 adults from the UK Biobank (age: 44-81 yrs.), we created normative percentile charts for MRI-derived subcortical volumes. Next, we investigated associations between these morphometric measures and the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (APOE genotype) and mapped the spatial distribution of age-by-sex interactions using computational surface mesh modeling and shape analysis. Vertex-wise shape mapping supplements traditional gross volumetric approaches to reveal finer-grained variations across functionally important brain subcompartments. Normative curves revealed volumetric loss with age, as expected, for all subcortical brain structures except for the lateral ventricles, which expanded with age. Surprisingly, no volumetric associations with APOE genotype were detected, despite the very large sample size. Age-related trajectories for volumes differed in women versus men, and surface-based statistical maps revealed the spatial distribution of the age-by-sex interaction. Subcortical volumes declined faster in men than women over the full age range, but after age 60, fewer structures showed sex-dependent trajectories, indicating similar volumetric changes in older men and women. Large-scale statistical modeling of age effects on brain structures may drive new insights into individual differences in brain aging and help to identify factors that promote healthy brain aging and risk for disease.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankit N. Khambhati ◽  
Ari E. Kahn ◽  
Julia Costantini ◽  
Youssef Ezzyat ◽  
Ethan A. Solomon ◽  
...  

AbstractChronically implantable neurostimulation devices are becoming a clinically viable option for treating patients with neurological disease and psychiatric disorders. Neurostimulation offers the ability to probe and manipulate distributed networks of interacting brain areas in dysfunctional circuits. Here, we use tools from network control theory to examine the dynamic reconfiguration of functionally interacting neuronal ensembles during targeted neurostimulation of cortical and subcortical brain structures. By integrating multi-modal intracranial recordings and diffusion tensor imaging from patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, we test hypothesized structural and functional rules that predict altered patterns of synchronized local field potentials. We demonstrate the ability to predictably reconfigure functional interactions depending on stimulation strength and location. Stimulation of areas with structurally weak connections largely modulates the functional hubness of downstream areas and concurrently propels the brain towards more difficult-to-reach dynamical states. By using focal perturbations to bridge large-scale structure, function, and markers of behavior, our findings suggest that stimulation may be tuned to influence different scales of network interactions driving cognition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farnoosh Emamian ◽  
Mostafa Mahdipour ◽  
Khadijeh Noori ◽  
Masoumeh Rostampour ◽  
S. Bentolhoda Mousavi ◽  
...  

Insomnia disorder (ID) is a common illness associated with mood and cognitive impairments. Subtyping ID is an ongoing debate in sleep medicine, but the underlying mechanisms of each subtype is poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that subcortical brain structures play the key roles in pathophysiology of ID and its subtypes. Here, we aimed to investigate structural alteration of subcortical regions in patients with two common ID subtypes i.e., paradoxical and psychophysiological insomnia. Fifty-five patients and 49 healthy controls were recruited for this study and T1-weighted images and subjective and objective sleep parameters (i.e., Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and polysomnography) were collected from participants. Subcortical structures including the hippocampus, amygdala, caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, nucleus accumbens, and thalamus were automatically segmented in FSL. Volume and shape (using surface vertices) of each structure were compared between the groups, controlled for covariates, and corrected for multiple comparisons. In addition, correlations of sleep parameters and surface vertices or volumes were calculated. The caudate's volume was smaller in patients than controls. Compared with controls, we found regional shrinkage in the caudate, nucleus accumbens, posterior putamen, hippocampus, thalamus, and amygdala in paradoxical insomnia and shrinkage in the amygdala, caudate, hippocampus, and putamen in psychophysiological insomnia. Interestingly, comparing two patients groups, shape alteration in the caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens in paradoxical insomnia and shrinkage in the thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus in psychophysiological insomnia were observed. Both subjective and objective sleep parameters were associated with these regional shape alterations in patients. Our results support the differential role of subcortical brain structures in pathophysiology of paradoxical and psychophysiological insomnia.


Nature ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 520 (7546) ◽  
pp. 224-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrek P. Hibar ◽  
◽  
Jason L. Stein ◽  
Miguel E. Renteria ◽  
Alejandro Arias-Vasquez ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Hermesdorf ◽  
Benedikt Sundermann ◽  
Rajesh Rawal ◽  
András Szentkirályi ◽  
Udo Dannlowski ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (s1) ◽  
pp. S49-S58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco B. Ortega ◽  
Daniel Campos ◽  
Cristina Cadenas-Sanchez ◽  
Signe Altmäe ◽  
Cristina Martínez-Zaldívar ◽  
...  

AbstractA few studies have recently reported that higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with higher volumes of subcortical brain structures in children. It is, however, unknown how different fitness measures relate to shapes of subcortical brain nuclei. We aimed to examine the association of the main health-related physical fitness components with shapes of subcortical brain structures in a sample of forty-four Spanish children aged 9·7 (sd 0·2) years from the NUtraceuticals for a HEALthier life project. Cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and speed agility were assessed using valid and reliable tests (ALPHA-fitness test battery). Shape of the subcortical brain structures was assessed by MRI, and its relationship with fitness was examined after controlling for a set of potential confounders using a partial correlation permutation approach. Our results showed that all physical fitness components studied were significantly related to the shapes of subcortical brain nuclei. These associations were both positive and negative, indicating that a higher level of fitness in childhood is related to both expansions and contractions in certain regions of the accumbens, amygdala, caudate, hippocampus, pallidum, putamen and thalamus. Cardiorespiratory fitness was mainly associated with expansions, whereas handgrip was mostly associated with contractions in the structures studied. Future randomised-controlled trials will confirm or contrast our findings, demonstrating whether changes in fitness modify the shapes of brain structures and the extent to which those changes influence cognitive function.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 735-735
Author(s):  
L Bennett ◽  
C Bernick ◽  
S Banks

Abstract Purpose Verbal fluency performance has been shown to be sensitive to preclinical cognitive changes in neurodegenerative diseases and may detect early, trauma-related cognitive and volumetric changes amongst professional fighters. Baseline verbal fluency performance and volumes of relevant subcortical brain structures were expected to decline as number of professional fights (NoPF) increased, while controlling for education. Methods Baseline letter and semantic fluency performance, NoPF, and structural brain imaging from 548 active and retired fighters who participated in the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study were considered. ANCOVAs were conducted to assess differences in verbal fluency performance by NOPF, while controlling for years of education. Number of professional fights were stratified into low (0-20 fights), medium (21-40 fights), and high (41 or more fights). Results Semantic fluency performance differed across the three levels of NoPF (F(2, 542)=4.56; p<.02). In addition, significant positive correlations between semantic fluency performance and volumes in the following regions were observed: left thalamus, left putamen, left pallidum, bilateral caudates, bilateral amygdalae, bilateral hippocampi, and bilateral accumbens (all p’s<.05). In contrast, letter fluency performance was not significantly associated with NoPF or volumes of relevant subcortical brain structures (all p’s>.05). Conclusion Semantic fluency may be low-cost, easy-to-administer harbinger of emerging cognitive dysfunction and lower volumes in related subcortical brain regions. Additional assessment of clinical utility is necessary.


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