Age-related regional variations of the corpus callosum identified by diffusion tensor tractography

Lebel, Catherine; Caverhill-Godkewitsch, Saul; Beaulieu, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.03.072

Cited by 189 publications

(222 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(78 reference statements)

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“…Throughout the developmental period, females displayed higher FA and lower MD in the midadolescent age (12-14 y) (23), and this result was established on a larger sample size (114 subjects) as well (24). On the other hand, sex differences on the entire age range (childhood to old age) demonstrated higher FA and lower MD in males (19,25,26). Similar findings of higher FA in males were obtained with tractography on major WM tracts (27,28).…”

supporting

confidence: 74%

Sex differences in the structural connectome of the human brain

Ingalhalikar

Smith

Parker

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

1,000

621

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Sex differences in human behavior show adaptive complementarity: Males have better motor and spatial abilities, whereas females have superior memory and social cognition skills. Studies also show sex differences in human brains but do not explain this complementarity. In this work, we modeled the structural connectome using diffusion tensor imaging in a sample of 949 youths (aged 8-22 y, 428 males and 521 females) and discovered unique sex differences in brain connectivity during the course of development. Connection-wise statistical analysis, as well as analysis of regional and global network measures, presented a comprehensive description of network characteristics. In all supratentorial regions, males had greater within-hemispheric connectivity, as well as enhanced modularity and transitivity, whereas between-hemispheric connectivity and cross-module participation predominated in females. However, this effect was reversed in the cerebellar connections. Analysis of these changes developmentally demonstrated differences in trajectory between males and females mainly in adolescence and in adulthood. Overall, the results suggest that male brains are structured to facilitate connectivity between perception and coordinated action, whereas female brains are designed to facilitate communication between analytical and intuitive processing modes. diffusion imaging | gender differences S ex differences are of enduring scientific and societal interest because of their prominence in the behavior of humans and nonhuman species (1). Behavioral differences may stem from complementary roles in procreation and social structure; examples include enhanced motor and spatial skills and greater proclivity for physical aggression in males and enhanced verbally mediated memory and social cognition in females (2, 3). With the advent of neuroimaging, multiple studies have found sex differences in the brain (4) that could underlie the behavioral differences. Males have larger crania, proportionate to their larger body size, and a higher percentage of white matter (WM), which contains myelinated axonal fibers, and cerebrospinal fluid (5), whereas women demonstrate a higher percentage of gray matter after correcting for intracranial volume effect (6). Sex differences in the relative size and shape of specific brain structures have also been reported (7), including the hippocampus, amygdala (8, 9), and corpus callosum (CC) (10). Furthermore, developmental differences in tissue growth suggest that there is an anatomical sex difference during maturation (11,12), although links to observed behavioral differences have not been established.Recent studies have used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to characterize WM architecture and underlying fiber tracts by exploiting the anisotropic water diffusion in WM (13-15). Examination of DTI-based scalar measures (16) of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) has demonstrated diverse outcomes that include increased FA and decreased MD in males in major WM regions (17-19), higher CC-specific...

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supporting

confidence: 74%

Sex differences in the structural connectome of the human brain

Ingalhalikar

Smith

Parker

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

1,000

621

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“…WM FA tends to decrease with aging in men and women (reviewed in Moseley 2002). Similar to the volumetric data, FA peaks in early middle age when myelination peaks (Kemper 1994) and then declines in the elderly at a rate that parallels or precedes WM volumetric loss (Hasan et al 2007;Hasan et al 2008;Hasan et al 2010;Lebel et al 2010;Westlye et al 2010). Regionally, age-related deficits of FA have been described in the genu of the CC centrum semiovale, frontal, and parietal pericallosal WM of men (Pfefferbaum et al 2000), with a similar pattern found in both sexes (Sullivan et al 2001).…”

Section: Diffusion Tensor Imaging In Humansmentioning

confidence: 79%

Age-related changes in human and non-human primate white matter: from myelination disturbances to cognitive decline

Kohama

Rosene

Sherman

2011

AGE

118

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The cognitive decline associated with normal aging was long believed to be due primarily to decreased synaptic density and neuron loss. Recent studies in both humans and non-human primates have challenged this idea, pointing instead to disturbances in white matter (WM) including myelin damage. Here, we review both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in humans and non-human primates that collectively support the hypothesis that WM disturbances increase with age starting at middle age in humans, that these disturbances contribute to age-related cognitive decline, and that age-related WM changes may occur as a result of free radical damage, degenerative changes in cells in the oligodendrocyte lineage, and changes in microenvironments within WM.

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“…34,65,66,70 The genu and splenium reach 90% of peak FA by age 11, 34 followed by a much slower increase in FA until peak levels are reached in the early 20s. 34,64,65 Snook and colleagues 66 showed a greater slope of increase in FA in the genu than in the splenium between ages 8-12, suggesting greater anterior CC development during this time. The genu and anterior midbody of the CC contain small-diameter, lightly-myelinated fibers, and the genu has the highest proportion of unmyelinated fibers in the adult CC.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…26,[60][61][62][63] Key aspects of CC development, including high rates of myelination and axonal growth, occur between ages 8-12. 34,[64][65][66] However, the relationship between RHI experienced during this critical neurodevelopmental period and later-life CC microstructure has not been examined.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age at First Exposure to Football Is Associated with Altered Corpus Callosum White Matter Microstructure in Former Professional Football Players

Stamm

Koerte

Muehlmann

et al. 2015

Journal of Neurotrauma

156

131

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Youth football players may incur hundreds of repetitive head impacts (RHI) in one season. Our recent research suggests that exposure to RHI during a critical neurodevelopmental period prior to age 12 may lead to greater later-life mood, behavioral, and cognitive impairments. Here, we examine the relationship between age of first exposure (AFE) to RHI through tackle football and later-life corpus callosum (CC) microstructure using magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Forty retired National Football League (NFL) players, ages 40-65, were matched by age and divided into two groups based on their AFE to tackle football: before age 12 or at age 12 or older. Participants underwent DTI on a 3 Tesla Siemens (TIM-Verio) magnet. The whole CC and five subregions were defined and seeded using deterministic tractography. Dependent measures were fractional anisotropy (FA), trace, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. Results showed that former NFL players in the AFE <12 group had significantly lower FA in anterior three CC regions and higher radial diffusivity in the most anterior CC region than those in the AFE ‡12 group. This is the first study to find a relationship between AFE to RHI and later-life CC microstructure. These results suggest that incurring RHI during critical periods of CC development may disrupt neurodevelopmental processes, including myelination, resulting in altered CC microstructure.

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Age-related regional variations of the corpus callosum identified by diffusion tensor tractography

Cited by 189 publications

References 56 publications

Sex differences in the structural connectome of the human brain

Sex differences in the structural connectome of the human brain

Age-related changes in human and non-human primate white matter: from myelination disturbances to cognitive decline

Age at First Exposure to Football Is Associated with Altered Corpus Callosum White Matter Microstructure in Former Professional Football Players

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