bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: May 14, 2023
Abstract
One
fundamental
challenge
in
diffusion
MRI
(dMRI)
harmonization
is
to
disentangle
the
contributions
of
scanner-related
effects
from
variable
brain
anatomy
for
observed
imaging
signals.
Conventional
methods
rely
on
establishing
an
atlas
space
resolve
anatomical
variability
and
generate
a
unified
inter-site
mapping
function.
However,
this
approach
limited
accounting
misalignment
neuroanatomy
that
still
widely
persists
even
after
registration,
especially
regions
close
cortical
boundaries.
To
overcome
challenge,
we
propose
personalized
framework
paper
more
effectively
address
confounding
dMRI
harmonization.
Instead
using
common
template
representing
site-effects
all
subjects,
main
novelty
our
method
adaptive
computation
templates
both
source
target
scanning
sites
estimate
We
integrate
with
rotation
invariant
spherical
harmonics
(RISH)
features
achieve
signals
between
sites.
In
experiments,
proposed
applied
harmonize
data
acquired
two
platforms:
Siemens
Prisma
GE
MR750
Adolescent
Brain
Cognitive
Development
(ABCD)
dataset
compared
state-of-the-art
based
RISH
features.
Our
results
indicate
achieves
superior
performance
not
only
reducing
variations
due
scanner
differences
but
also
preserving
sex-related
biological
original
cohorts.
Moreover,
assess
impact
estimation
fiber
orientation
distributions
(FOD)
show
robustness
procedure
JAMA Network Open,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
6(6), P. e2320276 - e2320276
Published: June 27, 2023
Importance
Lower
neighborhood
and
household
socioeconomic
status
(SES)
are
associated
with
negative
health
outcomes
altered
brain
structure
in
children.
It
is
unclear
whether
such
findings
extend
to
white
matter
via
what
mechanisms.
Objective
To
assess
how
SES
independently
children’s
microstructure
examine
obesity
cognitive
performance
(reflecting
environmental
sensory
stimulation)
plausible
mediators.
Design,
Setting,
Participants
This
cross-sectional
study
used
baseline
data
from
participants
the
Adolescent
Brain
Cognitive
Development
(ABCD)
study.
Data
were
collected
at
21
US
sites,
school-based
recruitment
was
represent
population.
Children
aged
9
11
years
their
parents
or
caregivers
completed
assessments
between
October
1,
2016,
31,
2018.
After
exclusions,
8842
of
875
children
ABCD
included
analyses.
analysis
conducted
July
December
19,
2022.
Exposures
Neighborhood
disadvantage
derived
area
deprivation
indices
participants’
primary
residence.
Household
factors
total
income
highest
parental
educational
attainment.
Main
Outcomes
Measures
A
restriction
spectrum
imaging
(RSI)
model
quantify
restricted
normalized
directional
(RND;
reflecting
oriented
myelin
organization)
isotropic
(RNI;
glial
neuronal
cell
bodies)
diffusion
31
major
tracts.
The
RSI
measurements
scanner
harmonized.
Obesity
assessed
through
body
mass
index
(BMI;
calculated
as
weight
kilograms
divided
by
height
meters
squared),
age-
sex-adjusted
BMI
z
scores,
waist
circumference,
cognition
National
Institutes
Health
Toolbox
Cognition
Battery.
Analyses
adjusted
for
age,
sex,
pubertal
development
stage,
intracranial
volume,
mean
head
motion,
twin
siblingship.
Results
Among
children,
4543
(51.4%)
boys,
(SD)
age
9.9
(0.7)
years.
Linear
mixed-effects
models
revealed
that
greater
lower
RSI-RND
left
superior
longitudinal
fasciculus
(β
=
−0.055;
95%
CI,
−0.081
−0.028)
forceps
−0.040;
−0.067
−0.013).
attainment
bilateral
(eg,
right
hemisphere:
β
0.053;
0.025-0.080)
corticospinal
pyramidal
tract
0.042;
0.015-0.069).
Structural
equation
score
higher
disadvantage:
−0.012;
−0.016
−0.009)
−0.004;
−0.006
−0.001)
partially
accounted
associations
RSI-RND.
RSI-RNI
most
tracts
inferior
fasciculus:
−0.042
[95%
−0.073
−0.012];
anterior
thalamic
radiations:
−0.045
−0.075
−0.014]),
had
similar
primarily
frontolimbic
fornix:
0.046
0.019-0.074];
0.045
0.018-0.072]).
−0.048;
−0.077
−0.020).
Greater
these
0.015;
0.011-0.020).
Findings
robust
sensitivity
analyses
corroborated
using
tensor
imaging.
Conclusions
Relevance
In
this
study,
both
contexts
suggested
possible
mediators
associations.
Future
research
on
may
benefit
considering
multiple
perspectives.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Feb. 27, 2024
Age-related
white
matter
(WM)
microstructure
maturation
and
decline
occur
throughout
the
human
lifespan
with
a
unique
trajectory
in
brain,
complementing
process
of
gray
development
degeneration.
Normative
modeling
can
establish
reference
curves
for
typical
WM
microstructural
aging
patterns
by
pooling
data
from
many
independent
studies
that
span
different
age
ranges.
Here,
we
create
such
harmonizing
diffusion
MRI
(dMRI)-derived
ten
public
datasets
(N
=
40,898
subjects;
age:
3-95
years;
47.6%
male).
We
tested
three
ComBat
harmonization
methods
to
normative
regional
tensor
imaging
(DTI)
based
fractional
anisotropy
(FA),
widely
used
metric
microstructure,
extracted
using
ENIGMA-DTI
pipeline.
ComBat-GAM
provided
multi-study
trajectories
most
consistent
neuroscientific
knowledge
regarding
peaks.
Harmonized
FA
metrics
were
curves,
which
validated
test-retest
assess
effect
ApoE4
risk
factor
dementia
across
lifespan.
found
significant
associations
between
regions
associated
neurodegenerative
disease
even
healthy
individuals
lifespan,
age-by-genotype
interactions.
Within-study
not
affected
harmonization,
ensuring
large-scale
harmonized
be
conducted
distinct
age-restricted
studies,
without
compromising
individual
study
findings.
Our
tools
harmonize
new
dMRI
are
available
through
our
Python
package,
eHarmonize
(https://github.com/ahzhu/eharmonize).
Communications Medicine,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
4(1)
Published: Aug. 1, 2024
Air
pollution
is
ubiquitous,
yet
questions
remain
regarding
its
impact
on
the
developing
brain.
Large
changes
occur
in
white
matter
microstructure
across
adolescence,
with
notable
differences
by
sex.
We
investigate
sex-stratified
effects
of
annual
exposure
to
fine
particulate
(PM2.5),
nitrogen
dioxide
(NO2),
and
ozone
(O3)
at
ages
9–10
years
longitudinal
patterns
over
a
2-year
period.
Diffusion-weighted
imaging
was
collected
3T
MRI
scanners
for
8182
participants
(1–2
scans
per
subject;
45%
two
scans)
from
Adolescent
Brain
Cognitive
Development
(ABCD)
Study®.
Restriction
spectrum
performed
quantify
intracellular
isotropic
(RNI)
directional
(RND)
diffusion.
Ensemble-based
air
concentrations
were
assigned
each
child's
primary
residential
address.
Multi-pollutant,
linear
mixed-effect
models
assessed
associations
between
pollutants
RNI/RND
age
time,
adjusting
sociodemographic
factors.
Here
we
show
higher
PM2.5
associated
RND
9
both
sexes,
no
significant
change
time.
Higher
NO2
RNI
as
well
attenuating
time
females.
O3
9,
sexes.
Criteria
influence
maturation
9–13
old,
some
sex-specific
magnitude
anatomical
locations
affected
tracts.
This
occurs
that
are
below
current
U.S.
standards,
suggesting
low-level
during
adolescence
may
have
long-term
consequences.
known
affect
health,
but
it
unclear
whether
affects
growing
human
investigated
there
development
connections,
which
allow
faster
communication
different
brain
regions,
children
aged
9-13
living
areas
relatively
low
or
high
USA.
In
large
group
teens,
find
polluted
linked
9-10
old
next
years.
cases,
males
females
showed
part
showing
amount
change.
Our
study
suggests
levels
deemed
acceptable
under
regulations
USA
could
how
grows.
Further
studies
needed
better
understand
these
changes.
Cotter
et
al.
ambient
pollutant
microstructural
transition
childhood
adolescence.
There
associations,
primarily
affecting
sexes
Human Brain Mapping,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
45(5)
Published: April 1, 2024
Abstract
There
remains
little
consensus
about
the
relationship
between
sex
and
brain
structure,
particularly
in
early
adolescence.
Moreover,
few
pediatric
neuroimaging
studies
have
analyzed
both
gender
as
variables
of
interest—many
which
included
small
sample
sizes
relied
on
binary
definitions
gender.
The
current
study
examined
diversity
with
a
continuous
felt‐gender
score
categorized
based
X
Y
allele
frequency
large
children
ages
9–11
years
old
(
N
=
7195).
Then,
statistical
model‐building
approach
was
employed
to
determine
whether
independently
or
jointly
relate
morphology,
including
subcortical
volume,
cortical
thickness,
gyrification,
white
matter
microstructure.
Additional
sensitivity
analyses
found
that
male
versus
female
differences
gyrification
were
largely
accounted
for
by
total
rather
than
per
se.
model
sex,
but
not
diversity,
best‐fitting
60.1%
gray
regions
61.9%
after
adjusting
volume.
proportion
variance
negligible
all
cases.
While
models
explained
greater
amount
regions,
alone
significant
predictor
its
own
any
examined.
Overall,
these
findings
demonstrate
at
old,
accounts
while
is
directly
associated
neurostructural
diversity.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
121(31)
Published: July 23, 2024
Some
mental
health
problems
such
as
depression
and
anxiety
are
more
common
in
females,
while
others
autism
attention
deficit/hyperactivity
(AD/H)
males.
However,
the
neurobiological
origins
of
these
sex
differences
poorly
understood.
Animal
studies
have
shown
substantial
neuronal
glial
cell
structure,
human
brain
imaging
only
small
differences,
which
largely
reflect
overall
body
size.
Advanced
diffusion
MRI
techniques
can
be
used
to
examine
intracellular,
extracellular,
free
water
signal
contributions
provide
unique
insights
into
microscopic
cellular
structure.
extent
exist
metrics
subcortical
gray
matter
structures
implicated
psychiatric
disorders
is
not
known.
Here,
we
show
large
sex-related
microstructure
regions,
including
hippocampus,
thalamus,
nucleus
accumbens
a
sample
young
adults.
Unlike
conventional
T1-weighted
structural
imaging,
remained
after
adjustment
for
age
volume.
Further,
thalamus
amygdala
were
associated
with
depression,
anxiety,
AD/H,
antisocial
personality
problems.
Diffusion
may
mechanistic
origin
behavior
over
life
course
help
bridge
gap
between
findings
from
experimental,
epidemiological,
clinical
research.
Human Brain Mapping,
Journal Year:
2022,
Volume and Issue:
44(2), P. 535 - 548
Published: Sept. 29, 2022
Sex
differences
in
white
matter
microstructure
have
been
robustly
demonstrated
the
adult
brain
using
both
conventional
and
advanced
diffusion-weighted
magnetic
resonance
imaging
approaches.
However,
sex
prior
to
adulthood
remain
poorly
understood;
previous
developmental
work
focused
on
metrics
yielded
mixed
results.
Here,
we
rigorously
characterized
among
over
6000
children
from
Adolescent
Brain
Cognitive
Development
study
who
were
between
9
10
years
old.
Microstructure
was
quantified
model-diffusion
tensor
(DTI)-and
an
model,
restriction
spectrum
(RSI).
DTI
included
fractional
anisotropy
(FA)
mean,
axial,
radial
diffusivity
(MD,
AD,
RD).
RSI
normalized
isotropic,
directional,
total
intracellular
diffusion
(N0,
ND,
NT).
We
found
significant
replicable
or
every
region
examined
across
brain.
FA
regionally
specific.
Across
regions,
boys
exhibited
greater
MD,
RD
than
girls,
average.
Girls
displayed
increased
N0,
NT
compared
boys,
average,
suggesting
cell
neurite
density
girls.
Together,
these
robust
findings
provide
important
foundation
for
understanding
health
disease.
Brain Behavior and Immunity,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Feb. 1, 2025
Adolescence
is
marked
by
significant
maturation
of
brain
white
matter
microstructure,
with
evidence
for
sex-specific
maturational
trajectory.
Most
studies
have
examined
conventional
diffusion
tensor
imaging
(DTI)
metrics,
which
lack
specificity
to
the
underlying
tissue
modifications.
In
this
study,
we
characterized
sex-differences
in
microstructure
cross-sectionally
using
DTI,
advanced
spectrum
(DSI)
and
kurtosis
(DKI),
as
well
tract
integrity-Watson
(WMTI-W)
biophysical
model.
We
also
aimed
explore
effect
age
biological
systems
undergoing
changes
during
adolescence,
namely
pubertal
hormones,
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
(HPA)-axis
function,
glutathione-redox
cycle
homeostasis.
The
results
indicate
widespread
all
derived
suggesting
more
females
compared
males
distinct
modifications
between
narrow
developmental
period.
Additionally,
three
factors
explored
appeared
be
associated
indices
specifically,
emphasizing
period
critical
female
development
sensitivity
environmental
factors.
Cerebral Cortex Communications,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
4(2)
Published: Jan. 1, 2023
Abstract
Neuroinflammation
is
both
a
consequence
and
driver
of
overfeeding
weight
gain
in
rodent
obesity
models.
Advances
magnetic
resonance
imaging
(MRI)
enable
investigations
brain
microstructure
that
suggests
neuroinflammation
human
obesity.
To
assess
the
convergent
validity
across
MRI
techniques
extend
previous
findings,
we
used
diffusion
basis
spectrum
(DBSI)
to
characterize
obesity-associated
alterations
601
children
(age
9–11
years)
from
Adolescent
Brain
Cognitive
DevelopmentSM
Study.
Compared
with
normal-weight,
greater
DBSI
restricted
fraction
(RF),
reflecting
neuroinflammation-related
cellularity,
was
seen
widespread
white
matter
overweight
Greater
DBSI-RF
hypothalamus,
caudate
nucleus,
putamen,
and,
particular,
nucleus
accumbens,
correlated
higher
baseline
body
mass
index
related
anthropometrics.
Comparable
findings
were
striatum
previously
reported
restriction
(RSI)
model.
Gain
waist
circumference
over
1
2
years
related,
at
nominal
significance,
RSI-assessed
accumbens
respectively.
Here
demonstrate
childhood
associated
microstructural
matter,
striatum.
Our
results
also
support
reproducibility,
methods,
obesity-related
putative
children.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Feb. 16, 2025
Air
pollution
is
a
ubiquitous
neurotoxicant
associated
with
alterations
in
structural
connectivity.
Good
habitual
sleep
may
be
an
important
protective
lifestyle
factor
due
to
its
involvement
the
brain
waste
clearance
and
bidirectional
relationship
immune
function.
Wearable
multisensory
devices
provide
more
objective
measures
of
quantity
quality.
We
investigated
whether
duration
efficiency
moderated
between
prenatal
childhood
pollutant
exposure
whole-brain
white
matter
microstructural
integrity
at
ages
10-13
years.
used
multi-shell
diffusion-weighted
imaging
data
collected
on
3T
MRI
scanners
Fitbit
Charge
2
from
2-year
follow-up
visit
for
2178
subjects
Adolescent
Brain
Cognitive
Development
Study®.
White
tracts
were
identified
using
probabilistic
atlas.
Restriction
spectrum
was
performed
extract
restricted
normalized
isotropic
(RNI)
directional
(RND)
signal
fraction
parameters
all
tracts,
then
averaged
calculate
global
measures.
Sleep
calculated
by
summing
time
spent
each
stage;
dividing
bed.
Using
ensemble-based
modeling
approach,
air
concentrations
PM
2.5
,
NO
O
3
assigned
child's
residential
addresses
during
period
(9-month
average
before
birthdate)
as
well
9-
10
Multi-pollutant
linear
mixed
effects
models
assessed
associations
RNI
RND
sleep-by-pollutant
interactions,
adjusting
appropriate
covariates.
interacted
affect
Longer
higher
context
lower
compared
those
similar
but
shorter
efficiency.
Low-level
poses
risk
health
youth,
healthy
increase
resilience
harmful
integrity.
Future
studies
should
evaluate
generalizability
these
results
diverse
cohorts
utilize
longitudinal
understand
how
impact
trajectories
over
time.