Evolution of Brain Connections: Integrating Diffusion MR Tractography With Gene Expression Highlights Increased Corticocortical Projections in Primates
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Diffusion MR tractography permits investigating the 3D structure of cortical pathways as interwoven paths across the entire brain. We use high-resolution scans from diffusion spectrum imaging and high angular resolution diffusion imaging to investigate the evolution of cortical pathways within the euarchontoglire (i.e., primates, rodents) lineage. More specifically, we compare cortical fiber pathways between macaques (Macaca mulatta), marmosets (Callithrix jachus), and rodents (mice, Mus musculus). We integrate these observations with comparative analyses of Neurofilament heavy polypeptide (NEFH) expression across the cortex of mice and primates. We chose these species because their phylogenetic position serves to trace the early evolutionary history of the human brain. Our comparative analysis from diffusion MR tractography, cortical white matter scaling, and NEFH expression demonstrates that the examined primates deviate from mice in possessing increased long-range cross-cortical projections, many of which course across the anterior to posterior axis of the cortex. Our study shows that integrating gene expression data with diffusion MR data is an effective approach in identifying variation in connectivity patterns between species. The expansion of corticocortical pathways and increased anterior to posterior cortical integration can be traced back to an extension of neurogenetic schedules during development in primates.
Source: Cerebral Cortex
Language: English
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Massachusetts General Hospital, Centre d'Imagerie BioMédicale, National Institutes of Health, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Center for Research Resources, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G3549079774, MRI-based biomarkers for regional brain abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder: From newborns to young adults, Development of Brain Connectivity in Human Fetus, Newborn, and Toddler Ages, Center for Functional Imaging Technologies, G5951230003, Computeserver Structural &Functional Image Analysis, Development of Brain Connectivity in the Human Fetus, Renewal of Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, A Storage Area Network for Structural and Functional Image Analysis, Aberrant Patterns of Human Brain Connectivity and Gyral Structures, Silicon Graphics Prism Extreme 128P/1TB
OpenAlex ID: W2930345663