Sex steroid hormones-related structural plasticity in the human hypothalamus

Baroncini, Marc; Jissendi, Patrice; Catteau-Jonard, Sophie; Dewailly, Didier; Pruvo, Jean‐Pierre; Francke, J P; Prévot, Vincent

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.11.074

Cited by 46 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Indeed, the hypothalamus serves as a crucial centre for the integration and coordination of various brain functions, and as such, it is prone to involvement in several major brain disorders (Saper, 1990;Overeem et al, 2002;Sisk and Foster, 2004;Swaab, 2006;Aziz et al, 2007;Bao et al, 2008;Willis, 2008;Gordon, 2010;Kalsbeek et al, 2010). Precise MRI identification of the gray and white structures of the hypothalamus would also be of great help in developing new research approaches aimed at investigating hypothalamic connectivity (Lemaire et al, 2011) and the functional and/or metabolic changes that occur naturally within the hypothalamus with fluctuating physiological conditions (Baroncini et al, 2010) and/or upon changes to the external environment (Goldstein et al, 2010), as well as in routine clinical examination using 1.5T MRI. Besides, detailed knowledge of hypothalamic topography in vivo is a prerequisite for the future development of automatic algorithms (Wang et al, 2011) that enable the accurate segmentation of the hypothalamus and its subregions (Goldstein et al, 2007), and thus the performance of morphometric MRI studies on an automated scale.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MRI atlas of the human hypothalamus

et al. 2012

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Gaining new insights into the anatomy of the human hypothalamus is crucial for the development of new treatment strategies involving functional stereotactic neurosurgery. Here, using anatomical comparisons between histology and magnetic resonance images of the human hypothalamus in the coronal plane, we show that discrete gray and white hypothalamic structures are consistently identifiable by MRI. Macroscopic and microscopic images were used to precisely annotate the MRI sequences realized in the coronal plane in twenty healthy volunteers. MRI was performed on a 1.5T scanner, using a protocol including T1-weighted 3D fast field echo, T1-weighted inversionrecovery, turbo spin echo and T2-weighted 2D fast field echo imaging. For each gray matter structure as well as for white matter bundles, the different MRI sequences were analyzed in comparison to each other. The anterior commissure and the fornix were often identifiable, while the mammillothalamic tract was more difficult to spot. Qualitative analyses showed that MRI could also highlight finer structures such as the paraventricular nucleus, the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and the infundibular (arcuate) nucleus, brain nuclei that play key roles in the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis. The posterior hypothalamic area, a target for deep brain stimulation in the treatment of cluster headaches, was readily identified, as was the lateral hypothalamic area, which similar to the aforementioned hypothalamic nuclei, could be a putative target for deep brain stimulation in the treatment of obesity. Finally, each of the identified structures was mapped to Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space. Please find enclosed the revised version of our manuscript "MRI atlas of the human hypothalamus" which we have modified according to the minor comment made by the reviewer#3.We appreciated the careful and incisive evaluation of our data made by the reviewers throughout the reviewing process. We hope that the manuscript is now in suitable form for publication in Neuroimage.  New insights into the anatomy of the human hypothalamus  Specific 1.5T MRI sequences approach histological resolution within the hypothalamus  White matter bundles within the hypothalamus can be identified using 1.5T MRI  Hypothalamic gray structures can be identified using 1.5T MRI *4. HighlightsWe have revised our manuscript to address the minor point raised by reviewer 3.In the "Data analysis" paragraph of the materials and methods section it now reads: "Structures were identified visually based on our knowledge of specific landmarks obtained from anatomical-histological cross sections and with reference to previously published atlases (Swaab et al., 1993;Koutcherov et al., 2000Koutcherov et al., , 2004Koutcherov et al., 2007;Mai et al., 2008); the landmarks used, such as the optic tract, the floor of the diencephalon, the third ventricle, and the fornix, were readily and reliably identifiable in MR scans." AbstractGaining new insights into the anatomy of the hu...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MRI atlas of the human hypothalamus

et al. 2012

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“…Since hypothalamic plasticity appears to be a widely conserved process (Peinado et al, 2002;Pinto et al, 2004;Ebling and Barrett, 2008;Appelbaum et al, 2010;Baroncini et al, 2010), dietinduced hypothalamic plasticity could be present in humans as well. Indeed, haploinsufficiency of BDNF, the typical permissive factor of brain plasticity, is associated with childhood-onset obesity (Han et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Intake Adaptation to Dietary Fat Involves PSA-Dependent Rewiring of the Arcuate Melanocortin System in Mice

et al. 2012

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Hormones such as leptin and ghrelin can rapidly rewire hypothalamic feeding circuits when injected into rodent brains. These experimental manipulations suggest that the hypothalamus might reorganize continually in adulthood to integrate the metabolic status of the whole body. In this study, we examined whether hypothalamic plasticity occurs in naive animals according to their nutritional conditions. For this purpose, we fed mice with a short-term high-fat diet (HFD) and assessed brain remodeling through its molecular and functional signature. We found that HFD for 3 d rewired the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, increasing the anorexigenic tone due to activated pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. We identified the polysialic acid molecule (PSA) as a mediator of the diet-induced rewiring of arcuate POMC. Moreover, local pharmacological inhibition and genetic disruption of the PSA signaling limits the behavioral and metabolic adaptation to HFD, as treated mice failed to normalize energy intake and showed increased body weight gain after the HFD challenge. Altogether, these findings reveal the existence of physiological hypothalamic rewiring involved in the homeostatic response to dietary fat. Furthermore, defects in the hypothalamic plasticitydriven adaptive response to HFD are obesogenic and could be involved in the development of metabolic diseases.

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“…Metabolic magnetic resonance imaging studies performed on young women have revealed sex-steroid-driven plasticity in the hypothalamus in vivo [100]. During the pill-free period, when the hypothalamus is active and normal early-follicular-phase pulsatile LH release occurs, there is higher water molecule diffusion and lower levels of choline [100], a metabolite enriched in astrocytes [102,103], than in the pill-supplemented period, when the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is fully inhibited [101].…”

Section: Do Glial Cells Regulate the Gnrh System In The Human Brain?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the pill-free period, when the hypothalamus is active and normal early-follicular-phase pulsatile LH release occurs, there is higher water molecule diffusion and lower levels of choline [100], a metabolite enriched in astrocytes [102,103], than in the pill-supplemented period, when the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is fully inhibited [101]. Although the underlying mechanisms remain to be determined, the increase in water diffusion and reduction in choline levels may reflect a decrease in the tortuosity of the extracellular space due to diminished astroglial cell size, as shown for other neuroendocrine systems [104].…”

Section: Do Glial Cells Regulate the Gnrh System In The Human Brain?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Glia in the Regulation of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neuronal Activity and Secretion

Sharif

Baroncini

Prévot³

2013

Neuroendocrinology

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Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are the final common pathway for the central control of reproduction. The coordinated and timely activation of these hypothalamic neurons, which determines sexual development and adult reproductive function, lies under the tight control of a complex array of excitatory and inhibitory transsynaptic inputs. In addition, research conducted over the past 20 years has unveiled the major contribution of glial cells to the control of GnRH neurons. Glia use a variety of molecular and cellular strategies to modulate GnRH neuronal function both at the level of their cell bodies and at their nerve terminals. These mechanisms include the secretion of bioactive molecules that exert paracrine effects on GnRH neurons, juxtacrine interactions between glial cells and GnRH neurons via adhesive molecules and the morphological plasticity of the glial coverage of GnRH neurons. It now appears that glial cells are integral components, along with upstream neuronal networks, of the central control of GnRH neuronal function. This review attempts to summarize our current knowledge of the mechanisms used by glial cells to control GnRH neuronal activity and secretion.

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Sex steroid hormones-related structural plasticity in the human hypothalamus

Cited by 46 publications

References 32 publications

MRI atlas of the human hypothalamus

MRI atlas of the human hypothalamus

Food Intake Adaptation to Dietary Fat Involves PSA-Dependent Rewiring of the Arcuate Melanocortin System in Mice

Role of Glia in the Regulation of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neuronal Activity and Secretion

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