Cortical thickness reduction of normal appearing cortex in patients with polymicrogyria.
OBJECTIVE
To examine cortical thickness and volumetric changes in the cortex of patients with polymicrogyria, using an automated image analysis algorithm.


METHODS
Cortical thickness of patients with polymicrogyria was measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cortical surface-based analysis and compared with age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. We studied 3 patients with disorder of cortical development (DCD), classified as polymicrogyria, and 15 controls. Two experienced neuroradiologists performed a conventional visual assessment of the MRIs. The same data were analyzed using an automated algorithm for tissue segmentation and classification. Group and individual average maps of cortical thickness differences were produced by cortical surface-based statistical analysis.


RESULTS
Patients with polymicrogyria showed increased thickness of the cortex in the same areas identified as abnormal by radiologists. We also identified a reduction in the volume and thickness of cortex within additional areas of apparently normal cortex relative to controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that there may be regions of reduced cortical thickness, which appear normal from radiological analysis, in the cortex of patients with polymicrogyria. This finding suggests that alterations in neuronal migration may have an impact in the cortical formation of the cortical areas that are visually normal. These areas are associated or occur concurrently with polymicrogyria.
Oliveira
Pedro Paulo de Magalhães
PP
Neuroimagem Funcional (NIF), Departamento de Radiologia da Faculdade de Medicina do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. ppj@netfilter.com.br
Valente
Kette Dualibi
KD
Shergill
Sukhwinder S
SS
Leite
Claudia da Costa
Cda C
Amaro
Edson
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001331:Automation; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D054220:Malformations of Cortical Development / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D055815:Young Adult