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Gerrits R, Vingerhoets G. Brain functional segregation, handedness and cognition in situs inversus totalis: A replication study. Neuropsychologia 2023; 191:108731. [PMID: 37949213 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare congenital anomaly in which the arrangement of the visceral organs is completely left-right mirrored. A previous study by our lab suggests that SIT (N = 15) correlated with more heterogeneous asymmetrical brain organization and increased left-handedness. In addition, visceral reversal correlated with poorer cognitive performance, especially when hemisphere organization was atypical. The current study sought to replicate these findings in a larger sample. We scanned 23 volunteers with SIT as well as an equal number of controls with usual organ arrangement, and used fMRI to determine their hemisphere dominance for two left hemisphere functions (language and manual praxis) and two right hemisphere functions (spatial attention and face recognition). Effects of SIT etiology were explored by pooling data from the original cohort with the replication sample. Our results reveal that each of those four cognitive functions demonstrated the expected population dominance in SIT, albeit they were less pronounced - but not significantly so - compared to controls. Unusual patterns of hemispheric crowding and mirror-reversal of functional brain organization was observed more often in SIT (48%) than in the controls (30%), but this difference also did not reach statistical significance. However, left-handedness was found to be significantly more common in SIT (26%) than in the overall population (10.6%). Finally, cognitive ability, as assessed by a neuropsychological test battery, was not associated with organ situs or hemisphere organization. Taken together, our data adds to the growing evidence that the determinants of visceral and neural asymmetries are largely independent from one another and that complete situs inversus does not co-occur with an obligatory transposition of the brain's functional architecture. There nevertheless might be instances in which (genetic) mechanisms could simultaneously cause complete visceral reversal and atypical brain laterality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Gerrits
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Guy Vingerhoets
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
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Steger C, Moatti C, Payette K, De Silvestro A, Nguyen TD, Coraj S, Yakoub N, Natalucci G, Kottke R, Tuura R, Knirsch W, Jakab A. Characterization of dynamic patterns of human fetal to neonatal brain asymmetry with deformation-based morphometry. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1252850. [PMID: 38130698 PMCID: PMC10734644 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1252850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite established knowledge on the morphological and functional asymmetries in the human brain, the understanding of how brain asymmetry patterns change during late fetal to neonatal life remains incomplete. The goal of this study was to characterize the dynamic patterns of inter-hemispheric brain asymmetry over this critically important developmental stage using longitudinally acquired MRI scans. Methods Super-resolution reconstructed T2-weighted MRI of 20 neurotypically developing participants were used, and for each participant fetal and neonatal MRI was acquired. To quantify brain morphological changes, deformation-based morphometry (DBM) on the longitudinal MRI scans was utilized. Two registration frameworks were evaluated and used in our study: (A) fetal to neonatal image registration and (B) registration through a mid-time template. Developmental changes of cerebral asymmetry were characterized as (A) the inter-hemispheric differences of the Jacobian determinant (JD) of fetal to neonatal morphometry change and the (B) time-dependent change of the JD capturing left-right differences at fetal or neonatal time points. Left-right and fetal-neonatal differences were statistically tested using multivariate linear models, corrected for participants' age and sex and using threshold-free cluster enhancement. Results Fetal to neonatal morphometry changes demonstrated asymmetry in the temporal pole, and left-right asymmetry differences between fetal and neonatal timepoints revealed temporal changes in the temporal pole, likely to go from right dominant in fetal to a bilateral morphology in neonatal timepoint. Furthermore, the analysis revealed right-dominant subcortical gray matter in neonates and three clusters of increased JD values in the left hemisphere from fetal to neonatal timepoints. Discussion While these findings provide evidence that morphological asymmetry gradually emerges during development, discrepancies between registration frameworks require careful considerations when using DBM for longitudinal data of early brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Steger
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Pediatric Heart Center, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Charles Moatti
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kelly Payette
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra De Silvestro
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Pediatric Heart Center, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thi Dao Nguyen
- Newborn Research, Department of Neonatology, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Seline Coraj
- Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ninib Yakoub
- Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giancarlo Natalucci
- Newborn Research, Department of Neonatology, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Raimund Kottke
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ruth Tuura
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Walter Knirsch
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Pediatric Heart Center, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andras Jakab
- Center for MR Research, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
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Bartha-Doering L, Kollndorfer K, Schwartz E, Fischmeister FP, Langs G, Weber M, Lackner-Schmelz S, Kienast P, Stümpflen M, Taymourtash A, Mandl S, Alexopoulos J, Prayer D, Seidl R, Kasprian G. Fetal temporal sulcus depth asymmetry has prognostic value for language development. Commun Biol 2023; 6:109. [PMID: 36707693 PMCID: PMC9883513 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04503-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In most humans, the superior temporal sulcus (STS) shows a rightward depth asymmetry. This asymmetry can not only be observed in adults, but is already recognizable in the fetal brain. As the STS lies adjacent to brain areas important for language, STS depth asymmetry may represent an anatomical marker for language abilities. This study investigated the prognostic value of STS depth asymmetry in healthy fetuses for later language abilities, language localization, and language-related white matter tracts. Less right lateralization of the fetal STS depth was significantly associated with better verbal abilities, with fetal STS depth asymmetry explaining more than 40% of variance in verbal skills 6-13 years later. Furthermore, less right fetal STS depth asymmetry correlated with increased left language localization during childhood. We hypothesize that earlier and/or more localized fetal development of the left temporal cortex is accompanied by an earlier development of the left STS and is favorable for early language learning. If the findings of this pilot study hold true in larger samples of healthy children and in different clinical populations, fetal STS asymmetry has the potential to become a diagnostic biomarker of the maturity and integrity of neural correlates of language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Bartha-Doering
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kathrin Kollndorfer
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria ,grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Division of Neuroradiology and Muscoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ernst Schwartz
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Computational Imaging Research Lab, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Ph.S. Fischmeister
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Division of Neuroradiology and Muscoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria ,grid.5110.50000000121539003Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria ,grid.452216.6BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Georg Langs
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Computational Imaging Research Lab, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Weber
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Division of Neuroradiology and Muscoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sonja Lackner-Schmelz
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria ,grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Division of Neuroradiology and Muscoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Patric Kienast
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Division of Neuroradiology and Muscoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marlene Stümpflen
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Division of Neuroradiology and Muscoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Athena Taymourtash
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Computational Imaging Research Lab, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sophie Mandl
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Johanna Alexopoulos
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria ,grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela Prayer
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Division of Neuroradiology and Muscoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Seidl
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gregor Kasprian
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Division of Neuroradiology and Muscoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Boulinguez-ambroise G, Aychet J, Pouydebat E. Limb Preference in Animals: New Insights into the Evolution of Manual Laterality in Hominids. Symmetry (Basel) 2022; 14:96. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14010096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Until the 1990s, the notion of brain lateralization—the division of labor between the two hemispheres—and its more visible behavioral manifestation, handedness, remained fiercely defined as a human specific trait. Since then, many studies have evidenced lateralized functions in a wide range of species, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In this review, we highlight the great contribution of comparative research to the understanding of human handedness’ evolutionary and developmental pathways, by distinguishing animal forelimb asymmetries for functionally different actions—i.e., potentially depending on different hemispheric specializations. Firstly, lateralization for the manipulation of inanimate objects has been associated with genetic and ontogenetic factors, with specific brain regions’ activity, and with morphological limb specializations. These could have emerged under selective pressures notably related to the animal locomotion and social styles. Secondly, lateralization for actions directed to living targets (to self or conspecifics) seems to be in relationship with the brain lateralization for emotion processing. Thirdly, findings on primates’ hand preferences for communicative gestures accounts for a link between gestural laterality and a left-hemispheric specialization for intentional communication and language. Throughout this review, we highlight the value of functional neuroimaging and developmental approaches to shed light on the mechanisms underlying human handedness.
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Vingerhoets G, Gerrits R, Verhelst H. Atypical Brain Asymmetry in Human Situs Inversus: Gut Feeling or Real Evidence? Symmetry (Basel) 2021; 13:695. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13040695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The alignment of visceral and brain asymmetry observed in some vertebrate species raises the question of whether this association also exists in humans. While the visceral and brain systems may have developed asymmetry for different reasons, basic visceral left–right differentiation mechanisms could have been duplicated to establish brain asymmetry. We describe the main phenotypical anomalies and the general mechanism of left–right differentiation of vertebrate visceral and brain laterality. Next, we systematically review the available human studies that explored the prevalence of atypical behavioral and brain asymmetry in visceral situs anomalies, which almost exclusively involved participants with the mirrored visceral organization (situs inversus). The data show no direct link between human visceral and brain functional laterality as most participants with situs inversus show the typical population bias for handedness and brain functional asymmetry, although an increased prevalence of functional crowding may be present. At the same time, several independent studies present evidence for a possible relation between situs inversus and the gross morphological asymmetry of the brain torque with potential differences between subtypes of situs inversus with ciliary and non-ciliary etiologies.
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