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Corpus callosum and posterior fossa development in monozygotic females: a morphometric MRI study of Turner syndrome
Author(s) -
Fryer Susannah L,
Kwon Hower,
Eliez Stephan,
Reiss Allan L
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2003.tb00403.x
Subject(s) - corpus callosum , cerebellar vermis , turner syndrome , hypoplasia , anatomy , fourth ventricle , parietal lobe , pons , cerebellum , medicine , psychology , neuroscience
Previous neuroimaging research in Turner syndrome (TS) has indicated parietal lobe anomalies, while anomalies in other brain loci have been less well‐substantiated. This study focused on potential cerebellar abnormalities and possible disruptions of interhemispheric (parietal) callosal connections in individuals with TS. Twenty‐seven female children and adolescents with TS (mean age 13 years, SD 4 years 2 months) and 27 age‐matched female control individuals (mean age 13 years 2 months, SD 4 years 1 month) underwent MRI. Age range of all participants was 7 to 20 years. Morphometric analyses of midline brain structures were conducted using standardized, reliable methods. When compared with control participants, females with TS showed reduced areas of the genu of the corpus callosum, the pons, and vermis lobules VI–VII, and an increased area of the fourth ventricle. No group difference in intracranial area measurements was observed. The reduced area of the genu in TS may reflect compromised connectivity between inferior parietal regions. Further, cerebellar vermis hypoplasia associated with TS agrees with literature that suggests the posterior fossa as a region prone to structural alterations in the face of early developmental insult.