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Global and Regional Development of the Human Cerebral Cortex: Molecular Architecture and Occupational Aptitudes.
Shin, J, Ma, S, Hofer, E, Patel, Y, Vosberg, DE, Tilley, S, Roshchupkin, GV, Sousa, AMM, Jian, X, Gottesman, R, et al
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991). 2020;(7):4121-4139
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Abstract
We have carried out meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) (nā=ā23ā784) of the first two principal components (PCs) that group together cortical regions with shared variance in their surface area. PC1 (global) captured variations of most regions, whereas PC2 (visual) was specific to the primary and secondary visual cortices. We identified a total of 18 (PC1) and 17 (PC2) independent loci, which were replicated in another 25ā746 individuals. The loci of the global PC1 included those associated previously with intracranial volume and/or general cognitive function, such as MAPT and IGF2BP1. The loci of the visual PC2 included DAAM1, a key player in the planar-cell-polarity pathway. We then tested associations with occupational aptitudes and, as predicted, found that the global PC1 was associated with General Learning Ability, and the visual PC2 was associated with the Form Perception aptitude. These results suggest that interindividual variations in global and regional development of the human cerebral cortex (and its molecular architecture) cascade-albeit in a very limited manner-to behaviors as complex as the choice of one's occupation.
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Why acute unilateral vestibular cortex lesions mostly manifest without vertigo.
Dieterich, M, Brandt, T
Neurology. 2015;(16):1680-4
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of the current study was, first, to determine the critical causative vestibular areas that in exceptional cases manifest with transient vertigo or dizziness in acute strokes of the middle cerebral artery, and second, to try to explain why in most cases unilateral lesions of these areas manifest without vertigo. METHODS We determined the ischemic areas of the 10 published cases by overlapping the CT/MRI lesions and attributed them to the temporoparietal vestibular network. RESULTS These overlap areas were located either in the posterior retroinsular cortex (n = 8), i.e., the parieto-insular vestibular cortex, or the separate parietal vestibular cortex (n = 2). CONCLUSION Thus, rare vestibular cortical vertigo is mostly elicited by acute lesions of the core region of the retroinsular vestibular network. However, the more interesting question is related to the lack of cortical vertigo when this area is affected. We propose a concept to explain how the unaffected opposite hemisphere can suppress vertigo. This is based on visual-vestibular interaction for motion perception and orientation. It is the hemisphere in which vestibular and visual inputs are in agreement, which is the more reliable and determines the global perception of body orientation and motion.