Are the Variants of the Circle of Willis Determined by Genetic or Environmental Factors? Results of a Twin Study and Review of the Literature

Anatomical variations of the intracranial arteries and their association with intracranial aneurysms: Insights from digital subtraction angiographies

The purpose of this study was to identify the anatomical variants (AVs) in the intracranial arterial circulation of patients who underwent neuro-interventional procedures (NIPs) and to describe their relationship with intracranial aneurysms (IA). We performed a cross-sectional analysis of angiographic images from patients who underwent NIP at the Interventional Neuroradiology Department of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in México between July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2022. After reviewing images from 150 NIPs, we found 144 AVs., yielding a prevalence of 81%. Of these, 49 AVs (34%) were located in the anterior circulation (AC) and 95 (66%) in the posterior circulation (PC); 23 NIPs (16%) showed AVs in both the AC and PC. The most frequent AVs were the fetal pattern of the posterior cerebral artery (19%) and hypoplasia of the A1 segment (12%). AVs were significantly more common in patients with neurovascular disorders than those without (80% vs 49%, p = .003) and in patients with IA compared to those without (68% vs 47%, p = .048). In the studied population, AVs were predominantly located in the PC and are significantly more frequent in patients with neurovascular disorders, particularly those with IA.

Correlation between Circle of Willis configuration and intracranial arterial dolichoectasia, and genetic contributions

OBJECTIVES

Intracranial arterial dolichoectasia (IADE) is characterized by the dilation, elongation, and tortuosity of intracranial arteries. We aimed to investigate the association between variations of the Circle of Willis (COW) and IADE in the general population, as well as estimate the genetic correlation between COW variations and IADE.

METHODS

A total of 981 individuals from a population-based cohort were included. Brain magnetic resonance angiography was performed to assess COW variants and measure the diameters of intracranial arteries. IADE was defined as a total intracranial volume-adjusted diameter ≥ 2 standard deviations. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between COW variations and IADE. The heritability and genetic correlation were estimated using genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA) based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array data.

RESULTS

The prevalence of IADE was 6.2 %. Hypoplastic/absent A1 segments were associated with an increase in contralateral ICA diameter (β ± SE, 0.279 ± 0.049; p = 0.001) and a decrease in ipsilateral ICA diameter (β ± SE, -0.300 ± 0.050; p = 0.001). Fetal-type posterior cerebral artery (FTP) was associated with a larger ICA diameter (β ± SE, 0.326 ± 0.048; p = 0.001) and a smaller BA diameter (β ± SE, -0.662 ± 0.043; p = 0.001). FTP revealed a positive genetic correlation with ICA dilation (rG = 0.259 ± 0.175; p = 0.0009) and a negative genetic correlation with BA dilation (rG = -0.192 ± 0.153, p = 0.015).

CONCLUSIONS

There was an association between COW variations and larger intracranial arterial diameters in the general population. Genetic factors may play a role in the development of intracranial arterial dilation and the formation of COW variants.

Anatomical variations in the circle of Willis on magnetic resonance angiography in a south Trinidad population

Objectives

This article seeks to determine the prevalence of a complete circle of Willis (CoW) and its common morphological variations in a south Trinidad population, while also investigating the influence of gender, age, and ethnicity on CoW morphology.

Methods

A prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was done on the magnetic resonance images for consecutive patients who had a brain MRI/magnetic resonance angiography at a tertiary health institution in south Trinidad between October 2019 and September 2020. Patients with significant cerebrovascular disease and/or a history of prior neurosurgical intervention were excluded.

Results

A complete CoW was seen in 24.3%, with more complete circles observed in younger participants (≤45 years) and Afro-Trinidadians. No gender predilection for a complete CoW was demonstrated. The most common variations in the anterior and posterior parts of the circle were a hypoplastic anterior communicating artery (8.6%, n = 13) and bilateral aplastic posterior communicating arteries (18.4%, n = 28), respectively.

Conclusions

Significant variations exist in the CoW of a south Trinidad population with a frequency of complete in 24.3%, and more complete circles in younger patients and Afro-Trinidadians. Gender did not influence CoW morphology.

Advances in knowledge

Structural abnormalities in the CoW may be linked to future incidence of cerebrovascular diseases and should therefore be communicated to the referring physician in the written radiology report. Knowledge of variant anatomy and its frequency for a particular populations is also required by neurosurgeons and neuro-interventional radiologists to help with preprocedural planning and to minimize complications.

Studies of twin responses to understand exercise THerapy (STRUETH): Cerebrovascular function

KEY POINTS

Characterising individual responses to resistance and endurance exercise training can inform optimal strategies for exercise prescription. This study utilised monozygotic and dizygotic twins in a randomised cross-over study to determine individual responsiveness to different modalities of exercise training. The influence of environment versus genetics in cerebrovascular responses to training was determined. It is apparent that individuals respond differently to distinct exercise stimuli and that switching modality may be a beneficial way to obtain positive responses in cerebrovascular function. This study has implications for improving individualised exercise prescription to maintain or improve cerebral structure and function.

ABSTRACT

Introduction We studied monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs following resistance (RES) and endurance (END) training to assess genetic and environmental contributions to cerebrovascular function. Methods Cerebrovascular function (rest, autoregulation, hypercapnia, exercise) was assessed in 86 healthy same-sex MZ (30 pairs) and DZ (13 pairs) twins, who underwent three-months of END and RES. Carbon dioxide (P_ET CO₂ ), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv) were measured and MCAv resistance (MCA_CVRi ) was calculated. Results Resting MCAv reduced by -2.8 cm/s following RES (P = 0.024), with no change following END (-0.3 cm/s, P = 0.758). Change in MCA_CVRi following RES was +0.11 mmHg/cm/s (P < 0.001), which was significantly greater than END (+0.02 mmHg/cm/s, P = 0.030). MAP also increased following RES (+4 mmHg, P = 0.010), but not END (+1 mmHg, P = 0.518). No changes were apparent in P_ET CO₂ . At rest, positive response rates following RES ranged from 27-71% and 40-64% following END. Intraclass correlations between twins were moderate for most variables at baseline. In response to training, only MZ pairs were significantly correlated for change in MCAv (P = 0.005) and low frequency phase (P = 0.047) following RES. Conclusion This study is the first to compare cerebrovascular function following RES and END in MZ and DZ twins. Most individuals who did not respond to one modality were able to respond by switching modality and baseline heritability estimates were higher than training response. Exercise professionals should therefore consider modality and environmental factors when optimising interventions. Abstract figure legend Schematic summary of the assessment battery of cerebrovascular measures of function and health developed by Ainslie and Green. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) measures are complemented by contemporaneous assessment of whole brain blood flow, derived from simultaneous high-resolution ultrasound via insonation of the internal carotid and vertebral arteries. Results show that group response does not always reflect individual responses, and that switching exercise modality can increase individual responsiveness to exercise training. Low twin correlations in response to exercise training indicate nurture has a larger contribution to training response than nature. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

An information-based framework for development national twin registry: Scoping review and focus group discussion

BACKGROUND

Registries in various clinical domains have been established in the last decades. The specific genetic structure of twins has enabled researchers to find answers to the role of genetics and the environment in medical sciences. Thus, twin registries were developed across the world to support twin studies. Our main objective was to devise a conceptual model for developing the national twin registry to ensure the success of this registry.

METHODS

In this descriptive and qualitative study, the combination of literature review and focus group discussions was applied to achieve suitable models for developing a national twin registry based on lessons learned from founded registries. The qualitative synthesis and reporting results were conducted based on the COREQ checklist.

RESULTS

According to a systematic literature review, the characteristics and employed strategies employed by established twin registries were recognized. Moreover, based on our objectives, suitable models for registry development were defined. The source of information, the different levels of data, and the information flow were determined based on this model.

CONCLUSION

Suggesting a conceptual framework for twin registry development at the national level based on the experiences of other countries could contribute to a greater understanding of twin registry implementation efficiently.

Circle of Willis variants and their association with outcome in patients with middle cerebral artery-M1-occlusion stroke

Background

An incomplete circle of Willis (CoW) has been associated with a higher risk of stroke and might affect collateral flow in large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke. We aimed to investigate the distribution of CoW variants in a LVO stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) cohort and analyze their impact on 3‐month functional outcome.

Methods

CoW anatomy was assessed with time‐of‐flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF‐MRA) in 193 stroke patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA)‐M1‐occlusion receiving endovascular treatment (EVT) and 73 TIA patients without LVO. The main CoW variants were categorized into four vascular models of presumed collateral flow via the CoW.

Results

82.4% (n = 159) of stroke and 72.6% (n = 53) of TIA patients had an incomplete CoW. Most variants affected the posterior circulation (stroke: 77.2%, n = 149; TIA: 58.9%, n = 43; p = 0.004). Initial stroke severity defined by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission was similar for patients with and without CoW variants. CoW integrity did not differ between groups with favorable (modified Rankin Scale [mRS]): 0–2) and unfavorable (mRS: 3–6) 3‐month outcome. However, we found trends towards a higher mortality in patients with any type of CoW variant (p = 0.08) and a higher frequency of incomplete CoW among patients dying within 3 months after stroke onset (p = 0.119). In a logistic regression analysis adjusted for the potential confounders age, sex and atrial fibrillation, neither the vascular models nor anterior or posterior variants were independently associated with outcome.

Conclusion

Our data provide no evidence for an association of CoW variants with clinical outcome in LVO stroke patients receiving EVT.

Variants of the circle of Willis in ischemic stroke patients

PURPOSE

We aim to provide prevalence and pattern of anatomical variants of circle of Willis in over one thousand ischemic stroke patients compared to an age- and sex-matched control group, and to determine their role in the severity and in-hospital prognosis.

METHODS

Two groups of neuroradiologists evaluated all vascular images of ischemic stroke patients and controls to identify anatomical variants using a preexisted classification. We collected data concerning patient characteristics, stroke severity on admission and discharge, in-hospital mortality, hemorrhagic transformation, acute treatment performed, and etiology.

RESULTS

We included 1131 patients with acute ischemic stroke and 562 controls. Among stroke patients, 702 (62.1%) had one or more vascular variants, compared to 308 (54.8%) of the control group (p < 0.01), 165/702 (23.5%) had an anterior circulation variant only, 384/702 (54.7%) had a posterior circulation variant only, and 153/702 (21.8%) patients had variants in both anterior and posterior circulation. Patients with variants were older (69.7 ± 13.9 years vs 72.0 ± 12.9 years; p = 0.039). The most prevalent variant was the agenesis/hypoplasia of the ACA (201/1131; 17.8%) followed by the unilateral fetal type of the PCA (137/1131; 12.11%).

CONCLUSIONS

We provided the prevalence and the pattern of the brain vascular variants of the circle of Willis in a cohort of patients with ischemic stroke. The prevalence of variants was higher in stroke patients compared to controls. Patients with variants were older but had no differences in sex, neurological admission severity, hemorrhagic transformation, etiology, and in-hospital outcome compared to patients with a typical circle of Willis.

Variations in the Circle of Willis in a large population sample using 3D TOF angiography: The Tromsø Study

The main arteries that supply blood to the brain originate from the Circle of Willis (CoW). The CoW exhibits considerable anatomical variations which may have clinical importance, but the variability is insufficiently characterised in the general population. We assessed the anatomical variability of CoW variants in a community-dwelling sample (N = 1,864, 874 men, mean age = 65.4, range 40–87 years), and independent and conditional frequencies of the CoW’s artery segments. CoW segments were classified as present or missing/hypoplastic (w/1mm diameter threshold) on 3T time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography images. We also examined whether age and sex were associated with CoW variants. We identified 47 unique CoW variants, of which five variants constituted 68.5% of the sample. The complete variant was found in 11.9% of the subjects, and the most common variant (27.8%) was missing both posterior communicating arteries. Conditional frequencies showed patterns of interdependence across most missing segments in the CoW. CoW variants were associated with mean-split age (P = .0147), and there was a trend showing more missing segments with increasing age. We found no association with sex (P = .0526). Our population study demonstrated age as associated with CoW variants, suggesting reduced collateral capacity with older age.

Assessment of cerebrovascular responses to physiological stimuli in identical twins using multimodal imaging and computational fluid dynamics

There is acknowledged variability in the Circle of Willis (CoW) in the general population, yet the structure and function relationship of the cerebrovasculature is poorly understood. We aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of combining high-resolution imaging techniques and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to describe cerebrovascular structure and function in vivo. We tested our methodology by examining the null hypothesis that monozygotic twins (18-30 yr) would exhibit similar CoW structure and function. Six twin pairs underwent 3T magnetic resonance angiography of the head and neck and B-mode Doppler ultrasound for velocity and diameter recordings in the vertebral and internal carotid arteries under three conditions (rest, hypercapnia, and exercise). Artery diameter, length, tortuosity, and bifurcation angle were assessed in regions of interest of the CoW. We simulated hemodynamics to determine the cardiac-cycle time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), oscillatory shear index (OSI), and relative residence time (RRT). We observed low and insignificant intraclass correlations (ICC) between twins in all regions for diameter (ICC range 0.000-0.657, P > 0.05), two of four regions for length (ICC range 0.355-0.368, P > 0.05), all regions for tortuosity (ICC range 0.270-0.505, P > 0.05), and all bifurcation angles (ICC range 0.000-0.547, P > 0.05). Similarly, no significant correlations were apparent for cerebral blood flow or CFD-derived measures of TAWSS, OSI, and RRT, at rest or in response to hypercapnia or exercise. Therefore, differences exist in CoW structure and associated shear stress in response to physiological stimulation. These data suggest that the structure, function, and health of cerebrovascular arteries are not primarily genetically dependent.NEW & NOTEWORTHY There is acknowledged variability in the Circle of Willis in the general population, yet the structure and function relationship of the cerebrovasculature is poorly understood. Using a combination of magnetic resonance imaging, high-resolution Doppler ultrasound, and computational fluid dynamic modeling, we show that monozygotic twins exhibit differences in cerebrovascular structure and function when exposed to physiological stimuli. These data suggest that the morphology, function, and health of cerebrovascular arteries are not primarily genetically determined.

Demographic age-related variation in Circle of Willis completeness assessed by digital subtraction angiography

OBJECTIVE:

Incomplete circle of Willis (CoW) configuration is an important risk factor for cerebrovascular pathology, namely aneurysm formation and ischemic stroke. This study was performed to characterize CoW variation using digital subtraction angiography and to identify demographic and physiologic features that may influence the risk of having an incomplete CoW configuration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A retrospective review of 274 patients who underwent cerebral angiography by a single surgeon for any indication was conducted. Each CoW branch was graded as normal, hypoplastic, or aplastic. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to assess the impact of age, gender, race, and certain comorbidities on CoW configuration.

RESULTS:

A complete CoW was identified in 37.23% of patients. In univariate analysis, patients <40 years old were more likely to have a complete CoW (odds ratio [OR]: 4.973, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.610–9.476, P < 0.001) as were patients <70 years old (OR: 2.849, 95% CI: 1.131–7.194, P < 0.05). Univariate analysis on demographic factors and comorbidities revealed CoW completeness to decrease with hypertension (OR: 0.575, 95% CI: 0.347–0.951, P = 0.031) and diabetes mellitus (OR: 0.368, 95% CI: 0.180–0.754, P = 0.006). Multivariable logistic regression analysis used to assess the impact of age on CoW completeness showed age to be an independent predictor of complete CoW, with an inverse correlation between increasing age and CoW completeness (OR: 0.955, 95% CI: 0.937–0.973, P < 0.001) after controlling for potential confounders including hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

CONCLUSIONS:

CoW configuration shows considerable variation with age; however, further investigation is required to elucidate the full impact of other demographic and vascular risk factors on CoW anatomy.