Article
Veterinary Sciences
Simona Sacchini, Pedro Herraez, Manuel Arbelo, Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros, Eva Sierra, Miguel Rivero, Cristiano Bombardi, Antonio Fernandez
Summary: Cetacean brain sampling is a challenging task due to the rarity and size of the specimens. Researchers have validated a methodology to manipulate and fix the brain tissue, allowing for viable samples for neuroanatomical and neuropathological studies, as well as toxicological, virological, and microbiological analysis. A fixation protocol for brains of larger sizes compared to humans was studied and tested. Additionally, a panel of 20 antibodies associated with brain structure, function, pathogens, age-related, and/or functional variations was investigated for exploring neurodegenerative diseases in these long-lived animals. Having a wide range of antibodies and histochemical techniques allows for a detailed understanding of the neuronal population and their status in the brain nuclei.
VETERINARY SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Benjamin C. Tendler, Taylor Hanayik, Olaf Ansorge, Sarah Bangerter-Christensen, Gregory S. Berns, Mads F. Bertelsen, Katherine L. Bryant, Sean Foxley, Martijn P. van den Heuvel, Amy F. D. Howard, Istvan N. Huszar, Alexandre A. Khrapitchev, Anna Leonte, Paul R. Manger, Ricarda A. L. Menke, Jeroen Mollink, Duncan Mortimer, Menuka Pallebage-Gamarallage, Lea Roumazeilles, Jerome Sallet, Lianne H. Scholtens, Connor Scott, Adele Smart, Martin R. Turner, Chaoyue Wang, Saad Jbabdi, Rogier B. Mars, Karla L. Miller
Summary: The Digital Brain Bank is a data release platform that provides open access to curated, multimodal post-mortem neuroimaging datasets. It includes datasets for detailed neuroanatomical investigations, comparative neuroanatomy, and neuropathology investigations. The platform's first data release includes high-resolution whole-brain diffusion MRI datasets for structural connectivity investigations, making it one of the largest studies in neurodegeneration.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Michael Eyre, Sean P. Fitzgibbon, Judit Ciarrusta, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, Anthony N. Price, Tanya Poppe, Andreas Schuh, Emer Hughes, Camilla O'Keeffe, Jakki Brandon, Daniel Cromb, Katy Vecchiato, Jesper Andersson, Eugene P. Duff, Serena J. Counsell, Stephen M. Smith, Daniel Rueckert, Joseph Hajnal, Tomoki Arichi, Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh, Dafnis Batalle, A. David Edwards
Summary: The Developing Human Connectome Project provides a framework to study brain development in humans at term-equivalent age, showing maturation of resting state networks and alterations in functional connectivity in preterm infants. Female infants exhibit increased connectivity in certain brain regions, while preterm birth leads to extensive disruptions in functional connectivity.
Article
Pediatrics
Karoline Aker, Niranjan Thomas, Lars Adde, Beena Koshy, Miriam Martinez-Biarge, Ingeborg Nakken, Caroline S. Padankatti, Ragnhild Stoen
Summary: In a secondary analysis of an RCT of hypothermia for HIE in India, neonatal MRI and general movements assessment (GMA) were evaluated in predicting adverse 2-year neurodevelopmental outcomes. GMA may be a feasible low-cost alternative or complementary approach to MRI in low-resource settings, with high accuracy in predicting outcomes in infants with HIE.
ARCHIVES OF DISEASE IN CHILDHOOD-FETAL AND NEONATAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Danielle Beckman, Adele M. H. Seelke, Jeffrey Bennett, Paige Dougherty, Koen K. A. Van Rompay, Rebekah Keesler, Patricia A. Pesavento, Lark L. A. Coffey, John H. Morrison, Eliza Bliss-Moreau
Summary: In this study, we evaluated the neuropathological consequences of fetal exposure to ZIKV in rhesus monkeys, and found that the virus can cause structural abnormalities and cell death in the developing brain. These findings may help explain why some infants born with normal sized heads during ZIKV infection experience developmental challenges as they age.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Benjamin Cartiaux, Abdelkader Amara, Ninon Pailloux, Romain Paumier, Atef Malek, Kefya Elmehatli, Souhir Kachout, Boubaker Bensmida, Charles Montel, Germain Arribarat, Giovanni Mogicato
Summary: This study used post mortem DTI to obtain images of the one-humped camel brain and reconstructed representative white-matter tracts, including the cingulum, corpus callosum, and internal capsule. The results showed that the anatomy of these tracts correlated well with the description in anatomical textbooks and appeared to be similar to fibers in large animals. Further research is needed to improve and validate these findings and create a tractography atlas based on MRI and histological data.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria Mody, Yoann Petibon, Paul Han, Darshini Kuruppu, Chao Ma, Daniel Yokell, Ramesh Neelamegam, Marc D. Normandin, Georges El Fakhri, Anna-Liisa Brownell
Summary: Fragile X Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the silencing of the Fragile X Mental Retardation gene, leading to reduced availability of mGluR5 receptors and excessive glutamate signaling. This study used PET-MR imaging to compare mGlu5 receptor availability in FXS patients and controls, finding significantly lower availability in the brains of FXS patients.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yasushi Iwasaki
Summary: The process of brain cutting and trimming is crucial for neuropathological diagnosis, requiring adherence to international guidelines and integration with macroscopic observations for clinicopathological correlations.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Felipe Cunha, Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez, Kelsey Racicot, Douglas R. Wylie, Andrew N. Iwaniuk
Summary: The study revealed that the variations in size and shape of the cerebellum are largely influenced by neuron numbers, rather than neuron sizes. The rate of increase in neuron numbers varied across different types of neurons, highlighting the complexity of cerebellar anatomy across species. Additionally, while the folding index was a poor predictor of surface area and Purkinje cell numbers, surface area was found to be the best predictor of Purkinje cell numbers.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2021)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Bertrand Mathon, Lydia Chougar, Alexandre Carpentier, Aymeric Amelot
Summary: Teaching brain imaging through drawing method can improve students' comprehension and analysis skills, as shown by higher scores and effect sizes in the final evaluation compared to standard teaching methods.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
David Elkind, Hannah Hochgerner, Etay Aloni, Noam Shental, Amit Zeisel, Tali Kimchi
Summary: Researchers used the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity project's images to systematically characterize cell density and volume in the mouse brain. They discovered that overall brain volume does not uniformly expand across all regions and that region-specific density changes are often negatively correlated with region volume. They also found that cell count does not scale linearly with volume.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carlos M. Cuesta, Consuelo Guerri, Juan Urena, Maria Pascual
Summary: This study discusses the critical role of bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) from the gut in the neuropathology of brain dysfunctions by modulating the immune response, leading to neuroinflammatory immune response activation. These vesicles, containing harmful bacterial contents, can cross tissue barriers and interact with immune receptors to produce cytokines and inflammatory mediators, ultimately causing brain impairment and behavioral dysfunctions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Gavin J. B. Elias, Aaron Loh, Dave Gwun, Aditya Pancholi, Alexandre Boutet, Clemens Neudorfer, Juergen Germann, Andrew Namasivayam, Robert Gramer, Michelle Paff, Andres M. Lozano
Summary: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of various brainstem targets has shown promising results for treating movement disorders, neuropathic pain, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Further large, controlled trials are necessary to fully establish the therapeutic potential of DBS in this complex area.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Ethan H. Willbrand, Willa Voorhies, Jewelia K. Yao, Kevin S. Weiner, Silvia A. Bunge
Summary: The relationship between structural variability in late-developing association cortices and the development of higher-order cognitive skills is not well understood. This study found that the morphology of the lateral prefrontal cortex sulci predicts reasoning performance, specifically the morphology of the para-intermediate frontal sulcus. The presence or absence of the ventral component of this sulcus was associated with reasoning abilities, highlighting the importance of considering individual differences in local morphology when exploring the neurodevelopmental basis of cognition.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ingmar Blumcke, Fernando Cendes, Hajime Miyata, Maria Thom, Eleonora Aronica, Imad Najm
Summary: FCD is the most common cause of drug-resistant focal epilepsy in children and young adults, and the diagnosis relies on histopathological assessment of surgical brain tissue. Challenges exist in diagnosing FCD and its subtypes, necessitating continuous research and consensus for a reliable classification scheme. Combining clinical, imaging, histopathology, and molecular studies will help define the disease spectrum and develop specific treatment options for FCD.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Nathalie E. Holz, Dorothea L. Floris, Alberto Llera, Pascal M. Aggensteiner, Seyed Mostafa Kia, Thomas Wolfers, Sarah Baumeister, Boris Boettinger, Jeffrey C. Glennon, Pieter J. Hoekstra, Andrea Dietrich, Melanie C. Saam, Ulrike M. E. Schulze, David J. Lythgoe, Steve C. R. Williams, Paramala Santosh, Mireia Rosa-Justicia, Nuria Bargallo, Josefina Castro-Fornieles, Celso Arango, Maria J. Penzol, Susanne Walitza, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Marcel Zwiers, Barbara Franke, Jan Buitelaar, Jilly Naaijen, Daniel Brandeis, Christian Beckmann, Tobias Banaschewski, Andre F. Marquand
Summary: This study aimed to reveal the neurobiological characteristics of disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) by integrating individual deviation patterns from multiple imaging modalities. The results showed that DBD patients exhibited increased age-related deviations in the amygdala, suggesting a possible maturational delay. Furthermore, the study identified neural signatures associated with aggression, including the default mode network (DMN), striatum, and amygdala.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Sarah Baumeister, Carolin Moessnang, Nico Bast, Sarah Hohmann, Pascal Aggensteiner, Anna Kaiser, Julian Tillmann, David Goyard, Tony Charman, Sara Ambrosino, Simon Baron-Cohen, Christian Beckmann, Sven Bolte, Thomas Bourgeron, Annika Rausch, Daisy Crawley, Flavio Dell'Acqua, Guillaume Dumas, Sarah Durston, Christine Ecker, Dorothea L. Floris, Vincent Frouin, Hannah Hayward, Rosemary Holt, Mark H. Johnson, Emily J. H. Jones, Meng-Chuan Lai, Michael Lombardo, Luke Mason, Bethany Oakley, Marianne Oldehinkel, Antonio M. Persico, Antonia San Jose Caceres, Thomas Wolfers, Eva Loth, Declan G. M. Murphy, Jan K. Buitelaar, Heike Tost, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Tobias Banaschewski, Daniel Brandeis
Summary: This study aimed to assess reward processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in response to social and monetary rewards. The results showed that individuals with ASD exhibited hypoactivation in the right ventral striatum during reward anticipation compared to typically developing participants. However, there was no significant hyperactivation during the delivery of rewards. These findings do not support current theories linking atypical social interaction in ASD to specific alterations in social reward processing.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Sunniva Fenn-Moltu, Sean P. Fitzgibbon, Judit Ciarrusta, Michael Eyre, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, Andrew Chew, Shona Falconer, Oliver Gale-Grant, Nicholas Harper, Ralica Dimitrova, Katy Vecchiato, Daphna Fenchel, Ayesha Javed, Megan Earl, Anthony N. Price, Emer Hughes, Eugene P. Duff, Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh, Chiara Nosarti, Tomoki Arichi, Daniel Rueckert, Serena Counsell, Joseph Hajnal, A. David Edwards, Grainne McAlonan, Dafnis Batalle
Summary: The formation of the functional connectome in early life is crucial for future learning and behavior. However, our understanding of how the functional organization of brain regions matures during the early postnatal period, especially in response to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes like preterm birth, is limited. In this study involving 366 neonates, we found that functional centrality (weighted degree) increased with age in visual regions and decreased in motor and auditory regions in term-born infants. Preterm-born infants scanned at term equivalent age showed higher functional centrality in visual regions and lower measures in motor regions. Functional centrality did not predict neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months old.
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Francesco Padormo, Paul Cawley, Louise Dillon, Emer Hughes, Jennifer Almalbis, Joanna Robinson, Alessandra Maggioni, Miguel De La Fuente Botella, Dan Cromb, Anthony Price, Lori Arlinghaus, John Pitts, Tianrui Luo, Dingtian Zhang, Sean C. L. Deoni, Steve Williams, Shaihan Malik, Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh, Serena J. Counsell, Mary Rutherford, Tomoki Arichi, A. David Edwards, Joseph V. Hajnal
Summary: This study utilizes ultralow-field MRI systems to measure T-1 values in neonates and finds that these values are shorter than those previously measured at standard clinical field strengths, but longer than those of adults at ultralow-field. T-1 values decrease with postmenstrual age, making them a potential biomarker for perinatal brain development.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Letter
Anesthesiology
Philippa Bridgen, Shaihan Malik, Thomas Wilkinson, John N. Cronin, Tahzeeb Bhagat, Nicholas Hart, Stuart Mc Corkell, Joanne Perkins, Shane Tibby, Sara Hanna, Richard Kirwan, Thomas Pauly, Arthur Weeks, Geoff Charles-Edwards, Francesco Padormo, David Stell, Kariem El-Boghdadly, Sebastien Ourselin, Sharon L. Giles, Anthony D. Edwards, Joseph V. Hajnal, Benjamin J. Blaise
BRITISH JOURNAL OF ANAESTHESIA
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Abi Fukami-Gartner, Ana A. Baburamani, Ralica Dimitrova, Prachi A. Patkee, Olatz Ojinaga-Alfageme, Alexandra F. Bonthrone, Daniel Cromb, Alena U. Uus, Serena J. Counsell, Joseph Hajnal, Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh, Mary A. Rutherford
Summary: Down syndrome (DS) is a common genetic cause of intellectual disability. In this study, researchers analyzed the brain volumes of neonates with DS using neuroimaging techniques. They found that the DS brain showed significant reductions in overall volume, cerebral white matter, and cerebellar volumes, as well as differences in relative lobar volumes. Furthermore, certain features such as enlarged deep gray matter volume and lateral ventricle enlargement were observed. Assessing phenotypic severity at the neonatal stage may help guide early interventions and improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with DS.
Article
Neurosciences
Changbo Zhu, Yaqing Chen, Hans-Georg Muller, Jane-Ling Wang, Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh, Muriel Bruchhage, Sean Deoni
Summary: The study found that brain development in early childhood can be reflected in the changes in proportional cerebrospinal fluid volumes, grey matter, and white matter. By using a statistical methodology called RPACE, which addresses challenges in analyzing longitudinal neuroimaging data, the researchers discovered significant differences in tissue composition changes between children of mothers with higher and lower maternal education levels.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Irene Voldsbekk, Rikka Kjelkenes, Thomas Wolfers, Andreas Dahl, Martina J. Lund, Tobias Kaufmann, Sara Fernandez-Cabello, Ann-Marie G. de Lange, Christian K. Tamnes, Ole A. Andreassen, Lars T. Westlye, Dag Alnaes
Summary: This study aimed to detect brain-based dimensions of behavioural factors using canonical correlation and independent component analysis in a clinical youth sample. Two correlated patterns of brain structure and behavioural factors were identified. The first pattern reflected physical and cognitive maturation, while the second pattern reflected lower cognitive ability, poorer social skills, and psychological difficulties. The elevated scores on the second pattern were common across all diagnostic boundaries and linked to the number of comorbid diagnoses independently of age. This study contributes to the growing evidence in favor of transdiagnostic approaches to prevention and intervention.
DEVELOPMENTAL COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Lucy Vanes, Sunniva Fenn-Moltu, Laila Hadaya, Sean Fitzgibbon, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, Anthony Price, Andrew Chew, Shona Falconer, Tomoki Arichi, Serena J. Counsell, Joseph V. Hajnal, Dafnis Batalle, David Edwards, Chiara Nosarti
Summary: Preterm birth increases the risk of adverse behavioural outcomes in later life. Our study examines the longitudinal development of neonatal brain volume and functional connectivity after preterm birth and their relationship to psychomotor outcomes and psychopathology in toddlerhood. We found that better psychomotor functioning is associated with specific brain volume and connectivity changes in the neonatal period, while increased psychopathology is related to alterations in regional subcortical volume. Additionally, socio-economic deprivation and cognitively stimulating parenting play different roles in predicting psychopathology and psychomotor outcomes. Our findings highlight the importance of longitudinal imaging and environmental influences in understanding behavioural development in preterm infants.
DEVELOPMENTAL COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sian Wilson, Maximilian Pietsch, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, Daan Christiaens, Alena Uus, Vyacheslav R. Karolis, Vanessa Kyriakopoulou, Kathleen Colford, Anthony N. Price, Jana Hutter, Mary A. Rutherford, Emer J. Hughes, Serena J. Counsell, Jacques-Donald Tournier, Joseph Hajnal, A. David Edwards, Jonathan O'Muicheartaigh, Tomoki Arichi, Finnegan J. Calabro
Summary: In this study, high-resolution in utero diffusion magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine the development of thalamocortical white matter in 140 fetuses. The researchers delineated the thalamocortical pathways and parcellated the fetal thalamus based on its cortical connectivity. They quantified microstructural tissue components along the tracts in fetal compartments and identified changes in diffusion metrics reflecting critical neurobiological transitions. These findings provide a normative reference for further studies on developmental disruptions and their contributions to pathophysiology.
Article
Psychiatry
Hai Le, Konstantina Dimitrakopoulou, Hamel Patel, Charles Curtis, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, A. David Edwards, Joseph Hajnal, Jacques-Donald Tournier, Maria Deprez, Harriet Cullen
Summary: Increasing evidence suggests that deviations from normal early development may contribute to the onset of schizophrenia in adolescence and young adulthood. This study examined brain imaging changes associated with schizophrenia variants in newborns. The results revealed negative associations between schizophrenia genetic risk scores and brain volumes in several regions, indicating possible involvement of schizophrenia risk genes in early brain growth.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Daniel Cromb, Alexandra F. Bonthrone, Alessandra Maggioni, Paul Cawley, Ralica Dimitrova, Christopher J. Kelly, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, Olivia Carney, Alexia Egloff, Emer Hughes, Joseph V. Hajnal, John Simpson, Kuberan Pushparajah, Mary A. Rutherford, A. David Edwards, Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh, Serena J. Counsell
Summary: Infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at risk of impaired brain growth, especially in the immediate postoperative period. The duration of postoperative intensive care stay is associated with the degree of impaired brain growth. Clinical risk factors, such as higher preoperative creatinine levels and longer cardiopulmonary bypass duration, are also associated with impaired brain growth.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Suresh Victor, Ben Forbes, Anne Greenough, A. David Edwards
Summary: Pioglitazone, an agonist of PPAR gamma, may have the potential to reduce the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and improve neurodevelopment in extreme preterm babies. However, there is currently no formulation of pioglitazone suitable for administration to preterm babies, and further development is needed before clinical trials can be conducted.