Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Milos, Ruxandra-Iulia
• Jovanov-Milošević, Nataša
• Mitter, Christian
• Bobić-Rasonja, Mihaela
• Pogledic, Ivana
• Gruber, Gerlinde M.
• Kasprian, Gregor
• Brugger, Peter C.
• Weber, Michael
• Judaš, Miloš
• Prayer, Daniela

Titel

Developmental dynamics of the periventricular parietal crossroads of growing cortical pathways in the fetal brain – In vivo fetal MRI with histological correlation

Ist Teil von

• NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.), 2020-04, Vol.210, p.116553-116553, Article 116553

Ort / Verlag

United States: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2020

Quelle

Free E-Journal (出版社公開部分のみ）

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The periventricular crossroads have been described as transient structures of the fetal brain where major systems of developing fibers intersect. The triangular parietal crossroad constitutes one major crossroad region. By combining in vivo and post-mortem fetal MRI with histological and immunohistochemical methods, we aimed to characterize these structures. Data from 529 in vivo and 66 post-mortem MRI examinations of fetal brains between gestational weeks (GW) 18–39 were retrospectively reviewed. In each fetus, the area adjacent to the trigone of the lateral ventricles at the exit of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) was assessed with respect to signal intensity, size, and shape on T2-weighted images. In addition, by using in vivo diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), the main fiber pathways that intersect in these areas were identified. In order to explain the in vivo features of the parietal crossroads (signal intensity and developmental profile), we analyzed 23 post-mortem fetal human brains, between 16 and ​40 GW of age, processed by histological and immunohistochemical methods. The parietal crossroads were triangular-shaped areas with the base in the continuity of the PLIC, adjacent to the germinal matrix and the trigone of the lateral ventricles, with the tip pointing toward the subplate. These areas appeared hyperintense to the subplate, and corresponded to a convergence zone of the developing external capsule, the PLIC, and the fronto-occipital association fibers. They were best detected between GW 25–26, and, at term, they became isointense to the adjacent structures. The immunohistochemical results showed a distinct cellular, fibrillar, and extracellular matrix arrangement in the parietal crossroads, depending on the stage of development, which influenced the MRI features. The parietal crossroads are transient, but important structures in white matter maturation and their damage may be indicative of a poor prognosis for a fetus with regard to neurological development. In addition, impairment of this region may explain the complex neurodevelopmental deficits in preterm infants with periventricular hypoxic/ischemic or inflammatory lesions. •The parietal periventricular crossroads are transient structures of the fetal brain.•They contain an assembly of growing axonal pathways situated adjacent to the trigone.•The parietal crossroads can be detected during the second half of gestation.•There is a good correlation between MRI and histology for the crossroads components.•Impairment of the parietal crossroads may be indicative of a poor prognosis.