Cortical folding (gyrification) is determined during the first months of life, so that adverse events occurring during this period leave traces that will be identifiable at any age. As recently reviewed by Mangin and colleagues 2 , several methods exist to quantify different characteristics of gyrification. For instance, sulcal morphometry can be used to measure shape descriptors such as the depth, length or indices of inter-hemispheric asymmetry 3 . These geometrical properties have the advantage of being easy to interpret. However, sulcal morphometry tightly relies on the accurate identification of a given set of sulci and hence provides a fragmented description of gyrification. A more fine-grained quantification of gyrification can be achieved with curvature-based measurements, where smoothed absolute mean curvature is typically computed at thousands of points over the cortical surface 4 . The curvature is however not straightforward to comprehend, as it remains unclear if there is any direct relationship between the curvedness and a biologically meaningful correlate such as cortical volume or surface. To address the diverse issues raised by the measurement of cortical folding, we previously developed an algorithm to quantify local gyrification with an exquisite spatial resolution and of simple interpretation. Our method is inspired of the Gyrification Index 5 , a method originally used in comparative neuroanatomy to evaluate the cortical folding differences across species. In our implementation, which we name local Gyrification Index (lGI 1 ), we measure the amount of cortex buried within the sulcal folds as compared with the amount of visible cortex in circular regions of interest. Given that the cortex grows primarily through radial expansion 6 , our method was specifically designed to identify early defects of cortical development.
Previous research implicates alterations in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We sought to test whether genetic variants within OXPHOS genes increase the risk of AD. We first used gene-set enrichment analysis to identify associations, and then applied a previously replicated stroke genetic risk score to determine if OXPHOS genetic overlap exists between stroke and AD. Gene-set enrichment analysis identified associations between variation in OXPHOS genes and AD versus control status (p = 0.012). Conversion from cognitively normal controls to mild cognitive impairment was also associated with the OXPHOS gene-set (p = 0.045). Subset analyses demonstrated association for complex I genes (p < 0.05), but not for complexes II–V. Among neuroimaging measures, hippocampal volume and entorhinal cortex thickness were associated with OXPHOS genes (all p < 0.025). The stroke genetic risk score demonstrated association with clinical status, baseline and longitudinal imaging measures (p < 0.05). OXPHOS genetic variation influences clinical status and neuroimaging intermediates of AD. OXPHOS genetic variants associated with stroke are also linked to AD progression. Further studies are needed to explore functional consequences of these OXPHOS variants.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.