Clustering probabilistic tractograms using independent component analysis applied to the thalamus

O’Muircheartaigh, Jonathan; Vollmar, Christian; Traynor, Catherine R.; Barker, Gareth J.; Kumari, Veena; Symms, Mark R.; Thompson, Pamela J.; Duncan, John S.; Koepp, Matthias J.; Richardson, Mark P.

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.09.054

Cited by 60 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These areas connect to cingulate, caudate, putamen, frontal cortex, supplementary motor area, postcentral cortex, and occipital cortex,41 all cortical areas that are associated with GGE 36, 42, 43…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thalamic volume reduction in drug‐naive patients with new‐onset genetic generalized epilepsy

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryObjectivePatients with genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE) have subtle morphologic abnormalities of the brain revealed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly in the thalamus. However, it is unclear whether morphologic abnormalities of the brain in GGE are a consequence of repeated seizures over the duration of the disease, or are a consequence of treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), or are independent of these factors. Therefore, we measured brain morphometry in a cohort of AED‐naive patients with GGE at disease onset. We hypothesize that drug‐naive patients at disease onset have gray matter changes compared to age‐matched healthy controls.MethodsWe performed quantitative measures of gray matter volume in the thalamus, putamen, caudate, pallidum, hippocampus, precuneus, prefrontal cortex, precentral cortex, and cingulate in 29 AED‐naive patients with new‐onset GGE and compared them to 32 age‐matched healthy controls. We subsequently compared the shape of any brain structures found to differ in gray matter volume between the groups.ResultsThe thalamus was the only structure to show reduced gray matter volume in AED‐naive patients with new‐onset GGE compared to healthy controls. Shape analysis revealed that the thalamus showed deflation, which was not uniformly distributed, but particularly affected a circumferential strip involving anterior, superior, posterior, and inferior regions with sparing of medial and lateral regions.SignificanceStructural abnormalities in the thalamus are present at the initial onset of GGE in AED‐naive patients, suggesting that thalamic structural abnormality is an intrinsic feature of GGE and not a consequence of AEDs or disease duration.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thalamic volume reduction in drug‐naive patients with new‐onset genetic generalized epilepsy

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is possible that leftward asymmetry of mesial frontal cortex is anatomically related to the thalamic and caudate myelin asymmetry as it overlaps spatially with thalamofrontal projections (Fair et al, 2010;O'Muircheartaigh et al, 2011). However, this is unlikely given their differing relationship and direction with language abilities (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between White Matter Asymmetry and Language during Neurodevelopment

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The human brain is asymmetric in gross structure as well as functional organization. However, the developmental basis and trajectory of this asymmetry is unclear, and its relationship(s) to functional and cognitive development, especially language, remain to be fully elucidated. During infancy and early childhood, in concert with cortical gray matter growth, underlying axonal bundles become progressively myelinated. This myelination is critical for efficient and coherent interneuronal communication and, as revealed in animal studies, the degree of myelination changes in response to environment and neuronal activity. Using a novel quantitative magnetic resonance imaging method to investigate myelin content in vivo in human infants and young children, we investigated gross asymmetry of myelin in a large cohort of 108 typically developing children between 1 and 6 years of age, hypothesizing that asymmetry would predict language abilities in this cohort. While asymmetry of myelin content was evident in multiple cortical and subcortical regions, language ability was predicted only by leftward asymmetry of caudate and frontal cortex myelin content and rightward asymmetry in the extreme capsule. Importantly, the influence of this asymmetry was found to change with age, suggesting an age-specific influence of structure and myelin on language function. The relationship between language ability and asymmetry of myelin stabilized at ϳ4 years, indicating anatomical evidence for a critical time during development before which environmental influence on cognition may be greatest.

show abstract

“…Until now, a number of human brain studies explored thalamic segmentation with diffusion tractography or based on orientation in dMRI data (e.g., O’Muircheartaigh et al 2011; Kumar et al 2015). Within the context of this article, studies specifically focussed on either thalamo-cortical connectivity (Behrens et al 2003; Johansen-Berg et al 2005; Klein et al 2010; O’Muircheartaigh et al 2015; Seifert et al 2011), cerebello-thalamic connectivity (Magnotta et al 2008; Argyelan et al 2009; Pelzer et al 2013) or on connectivity patterns in the human basal ganglia per se (including the thalamus, e.g., Draganski et al 2008; Rozanski et al 2013; Sharman et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Basal ganglia and cerebellar interconnectivity within the human thalamus

Pelzer

Melzer

Timmermann³

et al. 2016

Brain Struct Funct

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Basal ganglia and the cerebellum are part of a densely interconnected network. While both subcortical structures process information in basically segregated loops that primarily interact in the neocortex, direct subcortical interaction has been recently confirmed by neuroanatomical studies using viral transneuronal tracers in non-human primate brains. The thalamus is thought to be the main relay station of both projection systems. Yet, our understanding of subcortical basal ganglia and cerebellar interconnectivity within the human thalamus is rather sparse, primarily due to limitation in the acquisition of in vivo tracing. Consequently, we strive to characterize projections of both systems and their potential overlap within the human thalamus by diffusion MRI and tractography. Our analysis revealed a decreasing anterior-to-posterior gradient for pallido-thalamic connections in: (1) the ventral-anterior thalamus, (2) the intralaminar nuclei, and (3) midline regions. Conversely, we found a decreasing posterior-to-anterior gradient for dentato-thalamic projections predominantly in: (1) the ventral-lateral and posterior nucleus; (2) dorsal parts of the intralaminar nuclei and the subparafascicular nucleus, and (3) the medioventral and lateral mediodorsal nucleus. A considerable overlap of connectivity pattern was apparent in intralaminar nuclei and midline regions. Notably, pallidal and cerebellar projections were both hemispherically lateralized to the left thalamus. While strikingly consistent with findings from transneuronal studies in non-human primates as well as with pre-existing anatomical studies on developmentally expressed markers or pathological human brains, our assessment provides distinctive connectional fingerprints that illustrate the anatomical substrate of integrated functional networks between basal ganglia and the cerebellum. Thereby, our findings furnish useful implications for cerebellar contributions to the clinical symptomatology of movement disorders.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00429-016-1223-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Clustering probabilistic tractograms using independent component analysis applied to the thalamus

Cited by 60 publications

References 21 publications

Thalamic volume reduction in drug‐naive patients with new‐onset genetic generalized epilepsy

Thalamic volume reduction in drug‐naive patients with new‐onset genetic generalized epilepsy

Interactions between White Matter Asymmetry and Language during Neurodevelopment

Basal ganglia and cerebellar interconnectivity within the human thalamus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About