Journal
CORTEX
Volume 121, Issue -, Pages 454-467Publisher
ELSEVIER MASSON, CORP OFF
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.09.014
Keywords
Agenesis of the corpus callosum; Alternative inter-hemispheric pathway; Anterior and posterior commissures; Attention processes; Development
Funding
- Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute
- Societe Academique de Geneve
- Swiss National Science Foundation
- European Research Council Consolidator Fellowship [682734]
- Melbourne Children's Clinician Scientist Fellowship
- Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Practitioner Fellowship
- European Research Council (ERC) [682734] Funding Source: European Research Council (ERC)
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Developmental absence (agenesis) of the corpus callosum (AgCC) is a congenital brain malformation resulting from disruption of corpus callosum formation, a structure that is crucial for the transfer and integration of information, including attention processes, across the brain. This study aimed to investigate previously proposed candidates for alternative inter-hemispheric pathways in AgCC by examining (1) white matter volume and microstructure of the anterior and posterior commissures in children with AgCC compared to typically developing controls (TDC), and (2) in children with AgCC, examine the associations of white matter volume and microstructure of the anterior and posterior commissures and any remaining corpus callosum with attention processes. Participants were 21 children with AgCC (13 complete, 8 partial) recruited from The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, and 30 TDC aged 8-17 years. T1-and diffusion-weighted MR sequences were used to calculate volume and microstructural parameters. Neuropsychological testing assessed attention processes. We found the anterior commissure was significantly larger in volume in children with AgCC than TDC (p = .027), with reduced mean FA (p = .001) associated with increased mean RD (p < .001). In children with AgCC, we found microstructural properties of the anterior commissure associated with attentional processes, specifically, mean FA of the anterior commissure was associated with better divided attention (p = .03), and the association between alerting attention and mean AD and RD was found to be moderated by age (p = .027, p = .008) and the degree of corpus callosum agenesis (p = .025, p = .016). Furthermore, in partial AgCC, larger posterior commissure volume was associated with better orienting attention (p = .035). In conclusion, we provide evidence that the volume and microstructure of the anterior commissure are altered in children with AgCC, and this neuroplastic response might have an influence on attention processes. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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