scholarly journals Decreased brain volumes in infants with prenatal opioid exposure

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Dietrich ◽  
Zoe Guckien ◽  
MaKayla Picklesimer ◽  
Christina Sparks ◽  
David Haas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gestational Age ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Cerebellar Volume ◽  
Total Brain ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mri Scans ◽  
The Brain

Background/Objective: Previous small studies have shown that prenatal opioid-exposed (POE) infants and older children display decreased cerebral, cerebellar, or subcortical brain volumes. However, these studies are plagued by suboptimal reference standards or were unable to correct for the influence of other environmental factors in older children. Therefore, our goal was to study differences in brain volume of POE infants when compared to a geographically matched population. We hypothesized that there will be a significant decrease in total brain volume of the POE infants in comparison to the non-opioid exposed control infants, including a reduction in the cerebellar volume.    Methods: This was an IRB approved prospective study of mothers and infants with POE and controls without POE. All recruited infants underwent MRI scans of the brain before they reached a corrected age of 2 months. The T1-weighted MRI images were analyzed by Infant FreeSurfer and segmented into ROIs. The segmentations were manually checked and edited. An ANOVA analysis was performed to compare the cerebellar and total brain volume datasets. We corrected for gender, corrected gestational age at MRI scan, and total brain volume where necessary.     Results: 42 infants were included in the study, 21 with POE and 21 control infants. There was a significant difference in the mean gestational age of POE infants (38.28±2.13) compared to control infants (39.42±0.72). On quantitative analysis, the POE group had a significantly reduced total brain and supratentorial volume in comparison to the controls. The cerebellar volume was also significantly smaller in POE, but this significance did not persist when the total brain volume was included in the model.     Conclusion: The supratentorial region is affected disproportionately more than the cerebellum in POE. Specific reductions in cortical, subcortical, and white matter volume need to be further investigated and their influence on developmental outcomes need to be studied. 

Abstract P009: Association of MRI Signs With Development of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aozhou Wu ◽  
A. R Sharrett ◽  
Rebecca F Gottesman ◽  
Melinda C Power ◽  
Thomas Mosley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Sampling Weights ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Brain Infarcts ◽  
Mri Scans

Background: Brain infarcts, white matter hyperintensities (WMH), and brain atrophy appear to contribute to the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in selected populations, but few prospective studies are available in general populations. Methods: The study included 732 black and white participants, sampled from the original ARIC cohort, who had 3T brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, were free of MCI and dementia during 2011-13 (Visit 5), and were evaluated for cognitive impairment during 2016-17 (Visit 6, about 90% complete). We assessed the associations of brain infarcts, WMH, and brain volumes measured on MRI from 2011-2013 with incident MCI and dementia (combined), diagnosed using a computer algorithm based on specified criteria and comprehensive assessment at Visit 6. We used logistic regression, incorporating sampling weights, to evaluate the risk for incident MCI/dementia with adjustment for demographic covariates, major dementia risk factors, and history of cardiovascular diseases. Results: Participants had a median age of 75 (IQR: 71, 79) at Visit 5 (baseline); 62% (453) were female and 33% (242) were African American. There were 156 newly identified cases of MCI or dementia during a median follow-up time of 4.9 (IQR: 3.4, 5.2) years. The presence of any brain infarct was associated with a nonsignificantly higher risk of MCI/dementia (OR: 1.50; 95%CI: 0.87 to 2.58), but the only significant individual association was with cortical infarcts (OR: 1.99; 95%CI: 1.03 to 3.85). WMH volume above the median value was nonsignificantly associated with conversion to MCI/dementia. Smaller Alzheimer’s disease (AD) signature region was an independent predictor for greater risk of MCI/dementia (OR: 1.49; 95%CI: 1.00 to 2.22). A similar but nonsignificant association was observed for total brain volume. Conclusions: Brain infarcts (cortical infarcts) and lower brain volume (AD signature region), measured in community-based older residents, are risk factors for MCI and dementia incidence.

scholarly journals Does having a twin brother make for a bigger brain?

2009 ◽  
Vol 160 (5) ◽  
pp. 739-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiska S Peper ◽  
Rachel M Brouwer ◽  
G Caroline M van Baal ◽  
Hugo G Schnack ◽  
Marieke van Leeuwen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Prenatal Testosterone ◽  
Twin Brother ◽  
Total Brain ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Estradiol Levels

ObjectiveBrain volume of boys is larger than that of girls by ∼10%. Prenatal exposure to testosterone has been suggested in the masculinization of the brain. For example, in litter-bearing mammals intrauterine position increases prenatal testosterone exposure through adjacent male fetuses, resulting in masculinization of brain morphology.DesignThe influence of intrauterine presence of a male co-twin on masculinization of human brain volume was studied in 9-year old twins.MethodsMagnetic resonance imaging brain scans, current testosterone, and estradiol levels were acquired from four groups of dizygotic (DZ) twins: boys from same-sex twin-pairs (SSM), boys from opposite-sex twin-pairs (OSM), girls from opposite-sex twin-pairs (OSF), and girls from same-sex twin-pairs (SSF; n=119 individuals). Data on total brain, cerebellum, gray and white matter volumes were examined.ResultsIrrespective of their own sex, children with a male co-twin as compared to children with a female co-twin had larger total brain (+2.5%) and cerebellum (+5.5%) volumes. SSM, purportedly exposed to the highest prenatal testosterone levels, were found to have the largest volumes, followed by OSM, OSF and SSF children. Birth weight partly explained the effect on brain volumes. Current testosterone and estradiol levels did not account for the volumetric brain differences. However, the effects observed in children did not replicate in adult twins.ConclusionsOur study indicates that sharing the uterus with a DZ twin brother increases total brain volume in 9-year olds. The effect may be transient and limited to a critical period in childhood.

scholarly journals Magnetic resonance imaging study of corpus callosum abnormalities in patients with different subtypes of schizophrenia

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Ebru Unlu ◽  
Erman Bagcioglu ◽  
Mehtap B Acay ◽  
Emre Kacar ◽  
Ozan Turamanlar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Total Brain ◽  
Significant Difference

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Reductions in the size of the corpus callosum (CC) have been described for schizophrenia patients, but little is known about the possible regional differences in schizophrenia subtypes (paranoid, disorganised, undifferentiated, residual). </p><p><strong>Methods. </strong>We recruited 58 chronically schizophrenic patients with different subtypes, and 31 age-and-gender matched healthy controls. The callosum was extracted from a midsagittal slice from T1 weighted magnetic resonance images, and areas of the total CC, its five subregions, CC length and total brain volume were compared between schizophrenia subtypes and controls. Five subregions were approximately matched to fibre pathways from cortical regions. </p><p><span><strong>Results. </strong>Schizophrenia patients had reduced CC total area and length when compared with controls. Disorganised and undifferentiated schizophrenics had a smaller prefrontal area, while there was no significant difference for the paranoid and residual groups. The premotor/supplementary motor area was smaller in all schizophrenia subtypes. The motor area was smaller only in the disorganised group. A smaller sensory area was found in all subtypes except the residual group. Parietal, temporal and occipital areas were smaller in the paranoid and undifferentiated groups. Total brain volume was smaller in all schizophrenia subtypes compared with controls, but did not reach statistical significance. </span></p><p><strong>Conclusion. </strong>These findings suggest that the heterogeneity of symptoms may lead to the different CC morphological characteristics in schizophrenia subtypes.</p>

scholarly journals Brain volumes in adults with congenital heart disease correlate with executive function abilities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Naef ◽  
Ladina Schlosser ◽  
Peter Brugger ◽  
Matthias Greutmann ◽  
Angela Oxenius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Congenital Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Intelligence Quotient ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Total Brain

AbstractCongenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, and patients are at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment and brain abnormalities. Yet, little is known about the link between brain volumes and cognitive function in adults with congenital heart disease. Forty-four patients and 53 controls between 18 and 32 years underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive testing, assessed with an intelligence quotient and executive function global score. Associations between brain volumes and cognitive function were calculated using linear models. Cognitive function in patients was within the normal range (intelligence quotient: 97.74 (10.76)). Total brain volume was significantly smaller in patients compared to controls (1067.26 (113.53) vs 1113.04 (97.88) cm3, P < 0.01), irrespective of cardiac factors (heart defect complexity, cyanosis, cardiopulmonary bypass: all P > 0.4). After adjusting for total brain volume, only corpus callosum volume remained significantly smaller (P = 0.03). Smaller total brain volume was associated with poorer overall executive functioning (P = 0.02) and inhibition (P < 0.01), in both patients and controls. The association between total brain volume and overall executive functioning was moderated by parental socioeconomic status (lower socioeconomic status was associated with a stronger association between brain volume and EF; interaction P = 0.03). In adults with congenital heart disease, despite normal intelligence quotient, brain volume alterations persist into adulthood and are related to executive functioning, in particular inhibitory control. Adults coming from low socioeconomic background and with altered brain volumes are especially vulnerable and should thus be followed-up during adulthood to ensure optimal social and educational support.

scholarly journals White Matter is Increased in the Brains of Adults With Neurofibromatosis 1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su Wang ◽  
Jan M. Friedman ◽  
Per Suppa ◽  
Ralph Buchert ◽  
Victor-Felix Mautner
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Neurofibromatosis 1 ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
White Matter Volume ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Total Brain

Abstract Background: Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by increased Schwann cell proliferation in peripheral nerves. Several small studies of brain morphology in children with NF1 have found increased total brain volume, total white matter volume and/or corpus callosum area. Several studies (mostly in children with NF1) also attempted to correlate changes in brain morphology and volume with cognitive or behavioural abnormalities, though findings were inconsistent. We aimed to characterize alterations in brain volumes by three-dimensional (3D) MRI in adults with NF1 in major intracranial sub-regions. We also aimed to assess the effect of age on these volumes and correlated brain white matter and grey matter volumes with neuropsychometric findings in adults with NF1.Methods: We obtained brain volume measurements using 3D magnetic resonance imaging for 351 adults with NF1 and, as a comparison group, 43 adults with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) or Schwannomatosis. We assessed a subset of 19 adults with NF1 for clinical severity of NF1 features and neurological problems and conducted psychometric testing for attention deficiencies and intelligence quotient. We compared brain volumes between NF1 patients and controls and correlated volumetric measurements to clinical and psychometric features in the NF1 patients. Results:Total brain volume and total and regional white matter volumes were all significantly increased in adults with NF1. Grey matter volume decreased faster with age in adults with NF1 than in controls. Greater total brain volume and white matter volume were correlated with lower attention deficits and higher intelligence quotients in adults with NF1.Conclusion:Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that dysregulation of brain myelin production is a cardinal manifestation of NF1 and that these white matter changes may be functionally important in affected adults.

scholarly journals Trajectories of brain volume change over 13 years in chronic schizophrenia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Barth ◽  
Kjetil N. Jørgensen ◽  
Laura A. Wortinger ◽  
Stener Nerland ◽  
Erik G. Jönsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volume Change ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Chronic Schizophrenia ◽  
Volume Loss ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Volume Loss ◽  
Total Brain

AbstractImportanceSchizophrenia is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with an illness course that putatively deteriorates over time. Whether the notion of a progressive brain disease holds in its chronic stage is debated.ObjectiveTo investigate brain volume change and the impact of iatrogenic factors in chronic schizophrenia patients (duration of illness at baseline 16.17 ± 8.14 years) and controls over 13 years.DesignParticipants were recruited as part of the Human Brain Informatics study. Data acquisition took place between 1999 and 2018, including baseline, 5- and 13-years follow-up.SettingNaturalistic longitudinal case-control study.ParticipantsThe sample consisted of 143 participants, of whom 64 were patients with chronic schizophrenia (20% female, mean age at baseline 40.5 ± 7.7 years) and 79 healthy controls (37% female, mean age at baseline 42.8 ± 8.4 years). T1-weighted structural imaging and information about medication use were obtained at each time point.ExposureAntipsychotic medication and other prescribed drugs.Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s)Individual total and tissue-specific brain volumes, as well as two-time point percentage brain and ventricle volume change.ResultsPatients had lower total brain volume at baseline. Yet, trajectories in total brain volume and gray matter volume loss as well as ventricular enlargement did not differ relative to controls. White matter volume was similar between groups at baseline and 5-year but diverged between 5-year and 13-year follow-up, with accelerated loss in patients. While antipsychotic exposure did not show an association with brain volume loss over time, higher medication load was associated with lower brain volume across time points. Patients on second-generation antipsychotics alone showed lowest total brain volume, only after accounting for add-on drug use.Conclusion and RelevanceWe found limited evidence for progressive brain volume loss in chronic schizophrenia, beyond normal aging. Stable differences in patient brain volumes relative to controls may primarily occur during the first years of illness. All prescribed drugs need to be considered when examining the impact of antipsychotic medication on brain structure.Key PointsQuestionIs chronic schizophrenia associated with progressive brain volume loss beyond normal aging?FindingsWhile brain volume was lower at baseline, patient trajectories of brain volume change over a 13-year follow-up period differed little from healthy individuals. Small effects indicated greater white matter volume loss in patients during the late phase of follow-up. Stable differences in patient brain volumes seem explicable by antipsychotic medication class and respective add-on drugs.MeaningWe found limited evidence of progressive brain volume loss, beyond normal aging, in chronic schizophrenia over 13 years.

scholarly journals Mediterranean-type diet and brain structural change from 73 to 76 years in a Scottish cohort

Neurology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Luciano ◽  
Janie Corley ◽  
Simon R. Cox ◽  
Maria C. Valdés Hernández ◽  
Leone C.A. Craig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Mri ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Total Brain ◽  
Lower Adherence

Objective:To assess the association between Mediterranean-type diet (MeDi) and change in brain MRI volumetric measures and mean cortical thickness across a 3-year period in older age (73–76 years).Methods:We focused on 2 longitudinal brain volumes (total and gray matter; n = 401 and 398, respectively) plus a longitudinal measurement of cortical thickness (n = 323), for which the previous cross-sectional evidence of an association with the MeDi was strongest. Adherence to the MeDi was calculated from data gathered from a food frequency questionnaire at age 70, 3 years prior to the baseline imaging data collection.Results:In regression models adjusting for relevant demographic and physical health indicators, we found that lower adherence to the MeDi was associated with greater 3-year reduction in total brain volume (explaining 0.5% of variance, p < 0.05). This effect was half the size of the largest covariate effect (i.e., age). Cross-sectional associations between MeDi and baseline MRI measures in 562 participants were not significant. Targeted analyses of meat and fish consumption did not replicate previous associations with total brain volume or total gray matter volume.Conclusions:Lower adherence to the MeDi in an older Scottish cohort is predictive of total brain atrophy over a 3-year interval. Fish and meat consumption does not drive this change, suggesting that other components of the MeDi or, possibly, all of its components in combination are responsible for the association.

scholarly journals Smaller total brain volume but not subcortical structure volume related to common genetic risk for ADHD

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Mooney ◽  
Priya Bhatt ◽  
Robert J. M. Hermosillo ◽  
Peter Ryabinin ◽  
Molly Nikolas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Polygenic Score ◽  
Total Brain ◽  
Polygenic Scores

Abstract Background Mechanistic endophenotypes can inform process models of psychopathology and aid interpretation of genetic risk factors. Smaller total brain and subcortical volumes are associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and provide clues to its development. This study evaluates whether common genetic risk for ADHD is associated with total brain volume (TBV) and hypothesized subcortical structures in children. Methods Children 7–15 years old were recruited for a case–control study (N = 312, N = 199 ADHD). Children were assessed with a multi-informant, best-estimate diagnostic procedure and motion-corrected MRI measured brain volumes. Polygenic scores were computed based on discovery data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (N = 19 099 ADHD, N = 34 194 controls) and the ENIGMA + CHARGE consortium (N = 26 577). Results ADHD was associated with smaller TBV, and altered volumes of caudate, cerebellum, putamen, and thalamus after adjustment for TBV; however, effects were larger and statistically reliable only in boys. TBV was associated with an ADHD polygenic score [β = −0.147 (−0.27 to −0.03)], and mediated a small proportion of the effect of polygenic risk on ADHD diagnosis (average ACME = 0.0087, p = 0.012). This finding was stronger in boys (average ACME = 0.019, p = 0.008). In addition, we confirm genetic variation associated with whole brain volume, via an intracranial volume polygenic score. Conclusion Common genetic risk for ADHD is not expressed primarily as developmental alterations in subcortical brain volumes, but appears to alter brain development in other ways, as evidenced by TBV differences. This is among the first demonstrations of this effect using molecular genetic data. Potential sex differences in these effects warrant further examination.

scholarly journals White Matter is Increased in the Brains of Adults with Neurofibromatosis 1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su Wang ◽  
Jan M Friedman ◽  
Per Suppa ◽  
Ralph Buchert ◽  
Victor-Felix Mautner
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Psychometric Testing ◽  
Neurofibromatosis 1 ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Total Brain

Objective: To characterize alterations in brain volumes by three-dimensional (3D) MRI in adults with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). Methods: We obtained brain volume measurements using 3D magnetic resonance imaging for 351 adults with NF1 and, as a comparison group, 43 adults with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) or Schwannomatosis. We assessed a subset of 19 adults with NF1 for clinical severity of NF1 features and neurological problems and conducted psychometric testing for attention deficiencies and intelligence quotient. We compared brain volumes between NF1 patients and controls and correlated volumetric measurements to clinical and psychometric features in the NF1 patients. Results: Total brain volume and total and regional white matter volumes were all significantly increased in adults with NF1. Grey matter volume decreased faster with age in adults with NF1 than in controls. Greater total brain volume and white matter volume were correlated with lower attention deficits and higher intelligence quotients in adults with NF1. Interpretations: Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that dysregulation of brain myelin production is a cardinal manifestation of NF1 and that these white matter changes may be functionally important in affected adults.

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