AUTHOR=Li Zhen , Li Chunlin , Liang Yuting , Wang Keyang , Wang Li , Zhang Xu , Wu Qingqing 

TITLE=Anomalous cerebral morphology of pregnant women with cleft fetuses

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.959710

DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2022.959710

ISSN=1662-5161

ABSTRACT=Objective: Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in brain structure for healthy women; however, little is known regarding alterations in the cortical features for pregnant women with malformed fetuses. Isolated clefts of the lip and/or palate (ICL/P) is the most common congenital anomaly in craniofacial region, which is highly gene-associated. We speculated that pregnant women carrying fetuses with ICL/P may have associated risk genes and specific brain changes during pregnancy. Methods: In this study, we investigated T1 weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 48 pregnant women: 24 women carrying fetuses with ICL/P (ICL/P group) and 24 women carrying normal fetuses (normal controls), then explored intergroup differences of grey matter volume (GMV), cortical thickness (CT) and cortical complexity (gyrification). Results: Compared with controls, the ICL/P group had decreased total intracranial volume than normal controls; besides, they exhibited increased GMV in the left cuneus, decreased GMV in the right superior temporal gyrus; increased CT in the left precuneus and left superior parietal gyrus, decreased CT involving parsopercularis, fusiform, middle temporal in the left hemisphere and supramarginal, precentral gyrus in the right hemisphere; increased gyrification in the left insula and precentral gyrus, the left middletemporal and the right supratemporal gyrus. Conclusion: Pregnant women with ICL/P fetuses had brain morphology changes involving language, auditory, vision and sensory cortex, which may be their special brain changes compared to normal pregnant women. This study may provide clues for early detection of fetuses with ICL/P, and be vital for preconception and prenatal counseling with non-invasive methods.