Age of onset of blindness affects brain anatomical networks constructed using diffusion tensor tractography

Jiajia Li; Yong Liu; Wen Qin; Jiefeng Jiang; Zhaoxiong Qiu; Jiacheng Xu; Chunshui Yu; Tianzi Jiang

doi:10.1093/cercor/bhs034

Back

Age of onset of blindness affects brain anatomical networks constructed using diffusion tensor tractography

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Age of onset of blindness affects brain anatomical networks constructed using diffusion tensor tractography

Jiajia Li, Yong Liu, Wen Qin, Jiefeng Jiang, Zhaoxiong Qiu, Jiacheng Xu, Chunshui Yu and Tianzi Jiang

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991), Vol.23(3), pp.542-551

03/2013

DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhs034

PMID: 22371309

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhs034View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Studying blindness with various onset ages may elucidate the ways that unimodal sensory deprivation at different periods of development shape the human brain. In order to determine the effect of the onset age on brain anatomical networks, we extended a previous study of 17 early blind (EB) subjects with an additional 97 subjects with various onset ages. We constructed binary anatomical networks of these subjects and sighted controls (SC) using diffusion tensor tractography and calculated the topological properties of the network. Based on onset age, the subjects were divided into congenitally blind (CB), EB, adolescent-blind (AB), and late-blind (LB) subgroups. The LB subjects demonstrated a greater connectivity density and a higher global efficiency, similar to the SC. The CB and EB subgroups showed large group differences from the other groups in their topological networks, specifically, a reduced connectivity density and a decreased global efficiency compared with the SC, especially in the frontal and occipital cortices. Additionally, significant correlations were found between age of onset and the topological properties of the anatomical network in the blind. Our results suggest that visual experience during an early period of development is critical for establishing an intact efficient anatomical network in the human brain.

Humans

Middle Aged

Blindness - pathology

Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted

Male

Blindness - epidemiology

Brain Mapping - methods

Neural Pathways - pathology

Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Young Adult

Adolescent

Age of Onset

Brain - pathology

Adult

Female

Details

Title: Subtitle: Age of onset of blindness affects brain anatomical networks constructed using diffusion tensor tractography
Creators: Jiajia Li - LIAMA Center for Computational Medicine, National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Yong Liu
Wen Qin
Jiefeng Jiang
Zhaoxiong Qiu
Jiacheng Xu
Chunshui Yu
Tianzi Jiang
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991), Vol.23(3), pp.542-551
Publisher: United States
DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhs034
PMID: 22371309
ISSN: 1047-3211
eISSN: 1460-2199
Language: English
Date published: 03/2013
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984065831302771

Metrics

18 Record Views

130 Times Cited - Web of Science

See more details