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Extra-axial Cerebrospinal Fluid Relationships to Infant Brain Structure, Cognitive Development, and Risk for

Veronica A Murphy1, Mark D Shen2, Sun Hyung Kim3

  • 1Curriculum in Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Biological Psychiatry. Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
|May 28, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid (EA-CSF) volume correlates with brain size and surface area in typically developing children. Increased EA-CSF is linked to delayed motor development, potentially serving as an early biomarker for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid (EA-CSF) volume is linked to autism spectrum disorder.
  • Limited data exists on EA-CSF development in typically developing (TD) children and those at risk for schizophrenia (SCZHR).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate EA-CSF volume development in TD and SCZHR infants.
  • To explore associations between EA-CSF volume and brain structure and early development.

Main Methods:

  • Acquired 3T MRI scans from 105 TD and 38 SCZHR children at 1 and 2 years of age.
  • Measured EA-CSF volume, brain structure (tissue volumes, cortical thickness, surface area).
  • Assessed cognitive and motor abilities using Mullen Scales of Early Learning.

Main Results:

  • In TD children, EA-CSF volume positively correlated with brain volume, gray/white matter, and total surface area.
  • EA-CSF volume negatively correlated with average cortical thickness.
  • Lower motor ability at 1 year was associated with increased EA-CSF volume.
  • No significant EA-CSF increase was observed in SCZHR children compared to TD children.

Conclusions:

  • EA-CSF volume correlates with brain size and surface area but inversely with cortical thickness.
  • Increased EA-CSF is associated with delayed motor development, suggesting it as a potential early biomarker for abnormal infant brain development.
  • The absence of increased EA-CSF in SCZHR infants may indicate specificity to earlier-onset neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.
Abstract

Keywords:
Early brain developmentExtra-axial cerebrospinal fluidHigh riskInfancyMRISchizophrenia

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