title: Visualization and segmentation of reciprocal cerebrocerebellar pathways in the healthy and injured brain.
abstract: Detailed information regarding the neuroanatomy of reciprocal cerebrocerebellar pathways is based on well-documented animal models. This knowledge has not yet been fully translated to humans, in that the structure of reciprocal cerebrocerebellar pathways connecting the cerebellum with frontal lobe has not been shown in its entirety. We investigated the impact of injury and age on cerebrocerebellar pathway microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and probabilistic tractography. We used medulloblastoma (MB) as an injury model due to the known impact of tumor/treatment on the cerebellum, one of the main nodes of cerebrocerebellar pathways. We delineated and segmented reciprocal cerebrocerebellar pathways connecting the cerebellum with frontal lobe in 38 healthy children (HC) and 34 children treated for MB, and compared pathway segment DTI measures between HC and MB and across three age cohorts: childhood, early adolescence, and late adolescence. Pathway compromise was evident for the MB group compared to HC, particularly within posterior segments (Ps<0.01). Though we found no age effect, group differences in microstructure were driven by pathway segment (posterior) and age cohort (adolescence), which may reflect the extent of injury to the posterior fossa following treatment for MB and age cohort differences in radiation treatment protocol in our sample. We have examined the microstructure of reciprocal cerebrocerebellar connections in the pediatric brain and have found that these pathways are injured in MB, a clinical population treated with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Our findings support the late effects literature describing white matter injury emergence in the years following treatment for MB.
authors: Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Psychology, Collaborative Program in Neuroscience, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Nicole
authors: N
authors: Law
authors: Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Greenberg
authors: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Bouffet
authors: Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Suzanne
authors: S
authors: Laughlin
authors: Division of Neurosurgery, Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Michael D
authors: MD
authors: Taylor
authors: Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Malkin
authors: Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Fang
authors: F
authors: Liu
authors: Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Psychology, Collaborative Program in Neuroscience, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Iska
authors: I
authors: Moxon-Emre
authors: Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Nadia
authors: N
authors: Scantlebury
authors: Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Jovanka
authors: J
authors: Skocic
authors: Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Psychology, Collaborative Program in Neuroscience, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Donald
authors: D
authors: Mabbott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology*; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000473:pathology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology
keywords: cerebrocerebellar pathways; diffusion tensor imaging; medulloblastoma; posterior fossa tumor; probabilistic tractography; radiation; white matter injury