Lifespan trajectories of relative corpus callosum thickness: Regional differences and cognitive relevance

From imaging to precision: low cost and accurate determination of stereotactic coordinates for brain surgery Sapajus apella using MRI

The capuchin monkey (Sapajus apella), a New World monkey species, exhibits prominent characteristics that make it an ideal model for neuroscience research. These characteristics include its phylogenetic traits, telencephalization coefficient, anatomical structures and pathways, genetic profile, immune responses, cognitive abilities, and complex behavioral repertoires. Traditionally, methodologies for stereotactic neurosurgery in research models have relied on the use of brain atlases. However, this approach can lead to errors due to the considerable variation in brain size and shape among individual monkeys. To address this issue, we developed a protocol for deriving individual coordinates for each monkey using a straightforward and relatively inexpensive method involving MRI imaging. Our protocol utilizes a specially designed, 3D-printed stereotactic head-holder that is safe to use with an MR magnet, non-invasive placement of fiducial markers, and post-processing with open-source software. This approach enhances MRI data visualization, improves anatomical targeting, and refines the design of neurosurgical experiments. Our technique could also prove beneficial in other areas of neuroscience research that require accurate calculation of stereotaxic coordinates. Furthermore, it could be useful for other nonhuman primate species for which brain atlases are typically unavailable.

Spectral-based thickness profiling of the corpus callosum enhances anomaly detection in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Introduction

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) range from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) to non-syndromic forms (NS-FASD). The neuroanatomical consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure are mainly the reduction in brain size, but also focal abnormalities such as those of the corpus callosum (CC). We previously showed a narrowing of the CC for brain size, using manual measurement and its usefulness to improve diagnostic certainty. Our aim was to automate these measurements of the CC and identify more recurrent abnormalities in FAS subjects, independently of brain size reduction.

Methods

We developed a fast, automated, and normalization-free method based on spectral analysis to generate thicknesses of the CC continuously and at singular points (genu, body, isthmus, and splenium), and its length (LCC). We applied it on midsagittal section of the CC extracted from T1-anatomical brain MRI of 89 subjects with FASD (52 FAS, 37 NS-FASD) and 126 with typically development (6-20 y-o). After adjusting for batch effect, we compared the mean profiles and thicknesses of the singular points across the 3 groups. For each parameter, we established variations with age (growth charts) and brain size in the control group (scaling charts), then identified participants with abnormal measurements (<10th percentile).

Results

We confirmed the slimming of the posterior half of the CC in both FASD groups, and of the genu section in the FAS group, compared to the control group. We found a significant group effect for the LCC, genu, median body, isthmus, and splenium thicknesses (p < 0.05). We described a body hump whose morphology did not differ between groups. According to the growth charts, there was an excess of FASD subjects with abnormal LCC and isthmus, and of FAS subjects with abnormal genu and splenium. According to the scaling charts, this excess remained only for LCC, isthmus and splenium, undersized for brain size.

Conclusion

We characterized size-independent anomalies of the posterior part of the CC in FASD, with an automated method, confirming and extending our previous study. Our new tool brings the use of a neuroanatomical criterion including CC damage closer to clinical practice. Our results suggest that an FAS signature identified in NS-FASD, could improve diagnosis specificity.

Normative modeling analysis reveals corpus callosum volume changes in early and mid-to-late first episode major depression

BACKGROUND

It has been widely accepted that major depressive disorder (MDD) impacts brain structures including the Corpus Callosum (CC). However, this assumption is based on scarce literature data involving small sample sizes. Furthermore, it is still unclear whether such CC volume changes may already be present at a first depressive episode.

METHODS

To further investigate this question, we compared 369 first-episode MDD patients (mean age = 35 years (sd = 12), 249 females; 283 early onset, 86 mid-to-late onset) from the open-source REST meta-MDD database closely matched for age and gender to 490 never-depressed individuals (mean age = 37 years (sd = 14); 309 females) using Z-scores obtained from normative neuroanatomical modeling to assess individual variability in CC (sub)volumes.

RESULTS

Relative to the norms established by the healthy controls, first-episode MDD patients displayed CC volume (z-score) reductions in the entire CC (including the body), as did mid-to-late-onset first-episode MDD patients (age ≥ 45 y). In early-onset first-episode MDD patients (age ≤ 44 y), depression severity symptoms were related to volume increases in the entire CC, as well as the body and splenium.

LIMITATIONS

No data on depressive episode duration. Relatively small sample size for mid-to-late first-episode MDD patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data revealed CC (sub)volume differences in early versus mid-to-late onset first episode MDD. Especially at early onset, depression severity may result in neural white matter activity as potential reaction to stress influences. Our results underline the importance of prompt clinical interventions at early onset MDD.

Origin, synchronization, and propagation of sleep slow waves in children

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Sleep slow wave activity, as measured using EEG delta power (<4 Hz), undergoes significant changes throughout development, mirroring changes in brain function and anatomy. Yet, age-dependent variations in the characteristics of individual slow waves have not been thoroughly investigated. Here we aimed at characterizing individual slow wave properties such as origin, synchronization, and cortical propagation at the transition between childhood and adulthood.

METHODS

We analyzed overnight high-density (256 electrodes) EEG recordings of healthy typically developing children (N=21, 10.3±1.5 years old) and young healthy adults (N=18, 31.1±4.4 years old). All recordings were preprocessed to reduce artifacts, and NREM slow waves were detected and characterized using validated algorithms. The threshold for statistical significance was set at p=0.05.

RESULTS

The slow waves of children were larger and steeper, but less widespread than those of adults. Moreover, they tended to mainly originate from and spread over more posterior brain areas. Relative to those of adults, the slow waves of children also displayed a tendency to more strongly involve and originate from the right than the left hemisphere. The separate analysis of slow waves characterized by high and low synchronization efficiency showed that these waves undergo partially distinct maturation patterns, consistent with their possible dependence on different generation and synchronization mechanisms.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in slow wave origin, synchronization, and propagation at the transition between childhood and adulthood are consistent with known modifications in cortico-cortical and subcortico-cortical brain connectivity. In this light, changes in slow-wave properties may provide a valuable yardstick to assess, track, and interpret physiological and pathological development.

Allometry in the corpus callosum in neonates: Sexual dimorphism

The corpus callosum (CC) is the largest fiber tract in the human brain, allowing interhemispheric communication by connecting homologous areas of the two cerebral hemispheres. In adults, CC size shows a robust allometric relationship with brain size, with larger brains having larger callosa, but smaller brains having larger callosa relative to brain size. Such an allometric relationship has been shown in both males and females, with no significant difference between the sexes. But there is some evidence that there are alterations in these allometric relationships during development. However, it is currently not known whether there is sexual dimorphism in these allometric relationships from birth, or if it only develops later. We study this in neonate data. Our results indicate that there are already sex differences in these allometric relationships in neonates: male neonates show the adult‐like allometric relationship between CC size and brain size; however female neonates show a significantly more positive allometry between CC size and brain size than either male neonates or female adults. The underlying cause of this sexual dimorphism is unclear; but the existence of this sexual dimorphism in neonates suggests that sex‐differences in lateralization have prenatal origins.

Myelin characteristics of the corpus callosum in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) across the lifespan

The midsagittal area of the corpus callosum (CC) is frequently studied in relation to brain development, connectivity, and function. Here we quantify myelin characteristics from electron microscopy to understand more fully differential patterns of white matter development occurring within the CC. We subdivided midsagittal regions of the CC into: I-rostrum and genu, II-rostral body, III-anterior midbody, IV-posterior midbody, and V-isthmus and splenium. The sample represented capuchin monkeys ranging in age from 2 weeks to 35 years (Sapajus [Cebus] apella, n = 8). Measurements of myelin thickness, myelin fraction, and g-ratio were obtained in a systematic random fashion. We hypothesized there would be a period of rapid myelin growth within the CC in early development. Using a locally weighted regression analysis (LOESS), we found regional differences in myelin characteristics, with posterior regions showing more rapid increases in myelin thickness and sharper decreases in g-ratio in early development. The most anterior region showed the most sustained growth in myelin thickness. For all regions over the lifespan, myelin fraction increased, plateaued, and decreased. These results suggest differential patterns of nonlinear myelin growth occur early in development and well into adulthood in the CC of capuchin monkeys.

Interleaved Pro/Anti-saccade Behavior Across the Lifespan

The capacity for inhibitory control is an important cognitive process that undergoes dynamic changes over the course of the lifespan. Robust characterization of this trajectory, considering age continuously and using flexible modeling techniques, is critical to advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms that differ in healthy aging and neurological disease. The interleaved pro/anti-saccade task (IPAST), in which pro- and anti-saccade trials are randomly interleaved within a block, provides a simple and sensitive means of assessing the neural circuitry underlying inhibitory control. We utilized IPAST data collected from a large cross-sectional cohort of normative participants (n = 604, 5–93 years of age), standardized pre-processing protocols, generalized additive modeling, and change point analysis to investigate the effect of age on saccade behavior and identify significant periods of change throughout the lifespan. Maturation of IPAST measures occurred throughout adolescence, while subsequent decline began as early as the mid-20s and continued into old age. Considering pro-saccade correct responses and anti-saccade direction errors made at express (short) and regular (long) latencies was crucial in differentiating developmental and aging processes. We additionally characterized the effect of age on voluntary override time, a novel measure describing the time at which voluntary processes begin to overcome automated processes on anti-saccade trials. Drawing on converging animal neurophysiology, human neuroimaging, and computational modeling literature, we propose potential frontal-parietal and frontal-striatal mechanisms that may mediate the behavioral changes revealed in our analysis. We liken the models presented here to “cognitive growth curves” which have important implications for improved detection of neurological disease states that emerge during vulnerable windows of developing and aging.

Heritability in corpus callosum morphology and its association with tool use skill in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Reproducibility in two genetically isolated populations

The corpus callosum (CC) is the major white matter tract connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres. It has been hypothesized that individual variation in CC morphology is negatively associated with forebrain volume (FBV) and this accounts for variation in behavioral and brain asymmetries as well as sex differences. To test this hypothesis, CC surface area and thickness as well as FBV was quantified in 221 chimpanzees with known pedigrees. CC surface area, thickness and FBV were significantly heritable and phenotypically associated with each other; however, no significant genetic association was found between FBV, CC surface area and thickness. The CC surface area and thickness measures were also found to be significantly heritable in both chimpanzee cohorts as were phenotypic associations with variation in asymmetries in tool use skill, suggesting that these findings are reproducible. Finally, significant phenotypic and genetic associations were found between hand use skill and region-specific variation in CC surface area and thickness. These findings suggest that common genes may underlie individual differences in chimpanzee tool use skill and interhemispheric connectivity as manifest by variation in surface area and thickness within the anterior region of the CC.

Handedness and midsagittal corpus callosum morphology: a meta-analytic evaluation

Following a series of seminal studies in the 1980s, left or mixed hand preference is widely thought to be associated with a larger corpus callosum than right handedness, influencing the interpretation of findings and various theories related to interhemispheric processing, brain lateralisation, and hand preference. Recent reviews, however, find inconsistencies in the literature and cast doubt on the existence of such an association. The present study was conducted to clarify the relationship between hand preference and callosal morphology in a series of meta-analyses. For this purpose, articles were identified via a search in PubMed and Web Of Science databases. Studies reporting findings relating to handedness (assessed as hand preference) and corpus-callosum morphology in healthy participants were considered eligible. On the basis of a total of k = 24 identified studies and databases, random-effects meta-analyses were conducted considering four different group comparisons: (a) dominantly right- (dRH) and left-hand preference (dLH), (b) consistent right (cRH) and non-cRH preference, (c) cRH with mixed-hand preference (MH), and (d) cRH with consistent left-hand hand preference (cLH). For none of these meta-analyses did we find a significant effect of hand preference, and narrow confidence intervals suggest that the existence of population effects larger than 1% explained variance could be excluded. For example, considering the comparison of dRH and dLH (k = 14 studies; 1910 dRH and 646 dLH participants) the mean effect size was Hedge’s g = 0.016 (95% confidence interval: − 0.12 to 0.15; explained variance: < 0.001%). Thus, the common practice of assuming an increase in callosal connectivity based on mixed or left hand preference is likely invalid.

Ageing and the Ipsilateral M1 BOLD Response: A Connectivity Study

Young people exhibit a negative BOLD response in ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1) when making unilateral movements, such as button presses. This negative BOLD response becomes more positive as people age. In this study, we investigated why this occurs, in terms of the underlying effective connectivity and haemodynamics. We applied dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to task fMRI data from 635 participants aged 18-88 from the Cam-CAN dataset, who performed a cued button pressing task with their right hand. We found that connectivity from contralateral supplementary motor area (SMA) and dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) to ipsilateral M1 became more positive with age, explaining 44% of the variability across people in ipsilateral M1 responses. In contrast, connectivity from contralateral M1 to ipsilateral M1 was weaker and did not correlate with individual differences in rM1 BOLD. Neurovascular and haemodynamic parameters in the model were not able to explain the age-related shift to positive BOLD. Our results add to a body of evidence implicating neural, rather than vascular factors as the predominant cause of negative BOLD-while emphasising the importance of inter-hemispheric connectivity. This study provides a foundation for investigating the clinical and lifestyle factors that determine the sign and amplitude of the M1 BOLD response in ageing, which could serve as a proxy for neural and vascular health, via the underlying neurovascular mechanisms.

How does hemispheric specialization contribute to human-defining cognition?

Uniquely human cognitive faculties arise from flexible interplay between specific local neural modules, with hemispheric asymmetries in functional specialization. Here, we discuss how these computational design principles provide a scaffold that enables some of the most advanced cognitive operations, such as semantic understanding of world structure, logical reasoning, and communication via language. We draw parallels to dual-processing theories of cognition by placing a focus on Kahneman's System 1 and System 2. We propose integration of these ideas with the global workspace theory to explain dynamic relay of information products between both systems. Deepening the current understanding of how neurocognitive asymmetry makes humans special can ignite the next wave of neuroscience-inspired artificial intelligence.

Comparative morphology of the corpus callosum across the adult lifespan in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and humans

The human corpus callosum exhibits substantial atrophy in old age, which is stronger than what would be predicted from parallel changes in overall brain anatomy. To date, however, it has not been conclusively established whether this accentuated decline represents a common feature of brain aging across species, or whether it is a specific characteristic of the aging human brain. In the present cross-sectional study, we address this question by comparing age-related difference in corpus callosum morphology of chimpanzees and humans. For this purpose, we measured total midsagittal area and regional thickness of the corpus callosum from T1-weighted MRI data from 213 chimpanzees, aged between 9 and 54 years. The results were compared with data drawn from a large-scale human sample which was age-range matched using two strategies: (a) matching by chronological age (human sample size: n = 562), or (b) matching by accounting for differences in longevity and various maturational events between the species (i.e., adjusted human age range: 13.6 to 80.9 years; n = 664). Using generalized additive modeling to fit and compare aging trajectories, we found significant differences between the two species. The chimpanzee aging trajectory compared with the human trajectory was characterized by a slower increase from adolescence to middle adulthood, and by a lack of substantial decline from middle to old adulthood, which, however, was present in humans. Thus, the accentuated decline of the corpus callosum found in aging humans is not a universal characteristic of the aging brain, and appears to be human-specific.

Corpus callosum morphology across the lifespan in baboons (Papio anubis): A cross-sectional study of relative mid-sagittal surface area and thickness

The corpus callosum enables integration and coordination of cognitive processing between the cerebral hemispheres. In the aging human brain, these functions are affected by progressive axon and myelin deteriorations, reflected as atrophy of the midsagittal corpus callosum in old age. In non-human primates, these degenerative processes are less pronounced as previous morphometric studies on capuchin monkey, rhesus monkeys, and chimpanzees do not find old-age callosal atrophy. In the present study, we extend these previous findings by studying callosal development of the olive baboon (Papio anubis) across the lifespan and compare it to chimpanzee and human data. For this purpose, total relative (to forebrain volume) midsagittal area, subsectional area, and regional thickness of the corpus callosum were assessed in 91 male and female baboons using non-invasive MRI-based morphometry. The studied age range was 2.5-26.6 years and lifespan trajectories were fitted using general additive modelling. Relative area of the total and anterior corpus callosum showed a positive linear trajectory. That is, both measures increased slowly but continuously from childhood into old age, and no decline was observed in old age. Thus, comparable with all other non-human primates studied to-date, baboons do not show callosal atrophy in old age. This observation lends supports to the notion that atrophy of the corpus callosum is a unique characteristic of human brain aging.

Asymmetric thinning of the cerebral cortex across the adult lifespan is accelerated in Alzheimer's disease

Aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are associated with progressive brain disorganization. Although structural asymmetry is an organizing feature of the cerebral cortex it is unknown whether continuous age- and AD-related cortical degradation alters cortical asymmetry. Here, in multiple longitudinal adult lifespan cohorts we show that higher-order cortical regions exhibiting pronounced asymmetry at age ~20 also show progressive asymmetry-loss across the adult lifespan. Hence, accelerated thinning of the (previously) thicker homotopic hemisphere is a feature of aging. This organizational principle showed high consistency across cohorts in the Lifebrain consortium, and both the topological patterns and temporal dynamics of asymmetry-loss were markedly similar across replicating samples. Asymmetry-change was further accelerated in AD. Results suggest a system-wide dedifferentiation of the adaptive asymmetric organization of heteromodal cortex in aging and AD.