Brain Development Disorders Research Articles

Test–Retest Reliability of Deep Learning Analysis of Brain Volumes in Adolescent Brain

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is essential for studying brain development and psychiatric disorders in adolescents. However, the imaging consistency remains challenging, highlighting the need for advanced methodologies to improve the diagnostic and research reliability in this unique developmental period. Adolescence is marked by significant neuroanatomical changes, distinguishing adolescent brains from those of adults and making age-specific imaging research crucial for understanding the neuropsychiatric conditions in youth. This study examines the test–retest reliability of anatomical brain MRI scans in adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorders, emphasizing a developmental perspective on neuropsychiatric disorders. Using a sample of 42 adolescents, we assessed the consistency of structural imaging metrics across 95 brain regions with deep learning-based neuroimaging analysis pipelines. The results demonstrated moderate to excellent reliability, with the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) ranging from 0.57 to 0.99 across regions. Notably, regions such as the pallidum, amygdala, entorhinal cortex, and white matter hypointensities showed moderate reliability, likely reflecting the challenges in the segmentation or inherent anatomical variability unique to this age group. This study highlights the necessity of integrating advanced imaging technologies to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the neuroimaging data specific to adolescents. Addressing the regional variability and strengthening the methodological rigor are essential for advancing the understanding of brain development and psychiatric disorders in this distinct developmental stage. Future research should focus on larger, more diverse samples, multi-site studies, and emerging imaging techniques to further validate the neuroimaging biomarkers. Such advancements could improve the clinical outcomes and deepen our understanding of the neuropsychiatric conditions unique to adolescence.

Assessment of the Depiction of Superficial White Matter Using Ultra-High-Resolution Diffusion MRI.

The superficial white matter (SWM) consists of numerous short-range association fibers connecting adjacent and nearby gyri and plays an important role in brain function, development, aging, and various neurological disorders. Diffusion MRI (dMRI) tractography is an advanced imaging technique that enables in vivo mapping of the SWM. However, detailed imaging of the small, highly-curved fibers of the SWM is a challenge for current clinical and research dMRI acquisitions. This work investigates the efficacy of mapping the SWM using in vivo ultra-high-resolution dMRI data. We compare the SWM mapping performance from two dMRI acquisitions: a high-resolution 0.76-mm isotropic acquisition using the generalized slice-dithered enhanced resolution (gSlider) protocol and a lower resolution 1.25-mm isotropic acquisition obtained from the Human Connectome Project Young Adult (HCP-YA) database. Our results demonstrate significant differences in the cortico-cortical anatomical connectivity that is depicted by these two acquisitions. We perform a detailed assessment of the anatomical plausibility of these results with respect to the nonhuman primate (macaque) tract-tracing literature. We find that the high-resolution gSlider dataset is more successful at depicting a large number of true positive anatomical connections in the SWM. An additional cortical coverage analysis demonstrates significantly higher cortical coverage in the gSlider dataset for SWM streamlines under 40 mm in length. Overall, we conclude that the spatial resolution of the dMRI data is one important factor that can significantly affect the mapping of SWM. Considering the relatively long acquisition time, the application of dMRI tractography for SWM mapping in future work should consider the balance of data acquisition efforts and the efficacy of SWM depiction.

Clinical and genetic delineation of autosomal recessive and dominant ACTL6B-related developmental brain disorders

PurposeThis study aims to comprehensively delineate the phenotypic spectrum of ACTL6B-related disorders, previously associated with both autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorders. Molecularly, the role of the nucleolar protein ACTL6B in contributing to the disease has remained unclear. MethodsWe identified 105 affected individuals, including 39 previously reported cases, and systematically analyzed detailed clinical and genetic data for all individuals. Additionally, we conducted knockdown experiments in neuronal cells to investigate the role of ACTL6B in ribosome biogenesis. ResultsBiallelic variants in ACTL6B are associated with severe-to-profound global developmental delay/intellectual disability, infantile intractable seizures, absent speech, autistic features, dystonia, and increased lethality. De novo monoallelic variants result in moderate-to-severe global developmental delay/intellectual disability, absent speech, and autistic features, whereas seizures and dystonia were less frequently observed. Dysmorphic facial features and brain abnormalities, including hypoplastic corpus callosum, and parenchymal volume loss/atrophy, are common findings in both groups. We reveal that in the nucleolus, ACTL6B plays a crucial role in ribosome biogenesis, particularly in pre-rRNA processing. ConclusionThis study provides a comprehensive characterization of the clinical spectrum of both autosomal recessive and dominant forms of ACTL6B-associated disorders. It offers a comparative analysis of their respective phenotypes provides a plausible molecular explanation and suggests their inclusion within the expanding category of “ribosomopathies.”

Chronic social isolation leads to abnormal behavior in male mice through the hippocampal METTL14 mediated epitranscriptomic RNA m6A modifications

BackgroundSocial isolation not only increases the risk of mortality in later life but also causes depressive symptoms, cognitive and physical disabilities. Although RNA m6A modifications are suggested to play key roles in brain development, neuronal signaling and neurological disorders, both the roles of m6A and the enzymes that regulate RNA m6A modification in social isolation induced abnormal behavior is unknown. The present study aims to explore the possible epitranscriptomic role of RNA m6A modifications and its enzymes in social isolation induced impaired behavior. Methods3–4 weeks mice experiencing 8 weeks social isolation stress (SI) were used in the present study. We quantified m6A levels in brain regions related to mood and cognitive behavior. And the expression of hippocampal m6A enzymes was also determined. The role of hippocampal m6A and its enzymes in SI induced abnormal behavior was further verified by the virus tool. ResultsSI led to not only depressive and anxiety-like behaviors but also cognitive impairment, with corresponding decreases in hippocampal m6A and METTL14. Hippocampal over-expression METTL14 with lentivirus not only rescued these behaviors but also enhanced the hippocampal m6A level. Hippocampal over-expression METTL14 resulted in increased synaptic related genes. ConclusionsWe provide the first evidence that post-weaning social isolation reduces hippocampal m6A level and causes altered expression of m6A enzyme in mice. Importantly, hippocampal METTL14 over-expression alleviated the SI-induced depression/anxiety-like and impaired cognitive behaviors and enhanced m6A level and synaptic related genes expression.

Cross-talk between adipose tissue and microbiota-gut-brain-axis in brain development and neurological disorder

The gut microbiota is an important factor responsible for the physiological processes as well as pathogenesis of host. The communication between central nervous system (CNS) and microbiota occurs by different pathways i.e., chemical, neural, immune, and endocrine. Alteration in gut microbiota i.e., gut dysbiosis causes alteration in the bidirectional communication between CNS and gut microbiota and linked to the pathogenesis of neurological and neurodevelopmental disorder. Therefore, now-a-days microbiota-gut-brain-axis (MGBA) has emerged as therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic disorder. But, experimental data available on MGBA from basic research has limited application in clinical study. In present study we first summarized molecular mechanism of microbiota interaction with brain physiology and pathogenesis via collecting data from different sources i.e., PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science. Furthermore, evidence shows that adipose tissue (AT) is active during metabolic activities and may also interact with MGBA. Hence, in present study we have focused on the relationship among MGBA, brown adipose tissue, and white adipose tissue. Along with this, we have also studied functional specificity of AT, and understanding heterogeneity among MGBA and different types of AT. Therefore, molecular interaction among them may provide therapeutic target for the treatment of neurological disorder.

Fusing multi-scale functional connectivity patterns via Multi-Branch Vision Transformer (MB-ViT) for macaque brain age prediction

Brain age (BA) is defined as a measure of brain maturity and could help characterize both the typical brain development and neuropsychiatric disorders in mammals. Various biological phenotypes have been successfully applied to predict BA of human using chronological age (CA) as label. However, whether the BA of macaque, one of the most important animal models, can also be reliably predicted is largely unknown. To address this question, we propose a novel deep learning model called Multi-Branch Vision Transformer (MB-ViT) to fuse multi-scale (i.e., from coarse-grained to fine-grained) brain functional connectivity (FC) patterns derived from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data to predict BA of macaques. The discriminative functional connections and the related brain regions contributing to the prediction are further identified based on Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) method. Our proposed model successfully predicts BA of 450 normal rhesus macaques from the publicly available PRIMatE Data Exchange (PRIME-DE) dataset with lower mean absolute error (MAE) and mean square error (MSE) as well as higher Pearson's correlation coefficient (PCC) and coefficient of determination (R2) compared to other baseline models. The correlation between the predicted BA and CA reaches as high as 0.82 of our proposed method. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that the functional connections predominantly contributing to the prediction results are situated in the primary motor cortex (M1), visual cortex, area v23 in the posterior cingulate cortex, and dysgranular temporal pole. In summary, our proposed deep learning model provides an effective tool to accurately predict BA of primates (macaque in this study), and lays a solid foundation for future studies of age-related brain diseases in those animal models.

Lost in translation: How neurons cope with tRNA decoding.

Post-transcriptional tRNA modifications contribute to the decoding efficiency of tRNAs by supporting codon recognition and tRNA stability. Recent work shows that the molecular and cellular functions of tRNA modifications and tRNA-modifying-enzymes are linked to brain development and neurological disorders. Lack of these modifications affects codon recognition and decoding rate, promoting protein aggregation and translational stress response pathways with toxic consequences to the cell. In this review, we discuss the peculiarity of local translation in neurons, suggesting a role for fine-tuning of translation performed by tRNA modifications. We provide several examples of tRNA modifications involved in physiology and pathology of the nervous system, highlighting their effects on protein translation and discussing underlying mechanisms, like the unfolded protein response (UPR), ribosome quality control (RQC), and no-go mRNA decay (NGD), which could affect neuronal functions. We aim to deepen the understanding of the roles of tRNA modifications and the coordination of these modifications with the protein translation machinery in the nervous system.

Fun learning activities about nutritious food as an effort to introduce stunting at SDN Ligarmanah

Stunting has become a particular focus of national health issues. Stunting is when a child is less tall than other children his age, which also affects brain development and metabolic disorders in children. Stunting is caused by a lack of nutritious food intake in children over a long period. This service activity tries to provide stunting education related to healthy food to students at SDN Ligarmanah with fun learning activities. SDN Ligarmanah is one of the schools that has not received sufficient education about stunting, so it is the right target for getting an education. The method used is the compression method, which actively involves students in the learning process, consisting of students from classes 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B, who were taken using the cluster random sampling technique. This service provides understanding and knowledge to Ligarmanah Elementary School students regarding nutritious food to prevent increased stunting, and the students can display an understanding response to stunting material.

Dip2a regulates stress susceptibility in the basolateral amygdala.

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202506000-00025/figure1/v/2024-08-05T133530Z/r/image-tiff Dysregulation of neurotransmitter metabolism in the central nervous system contributes to mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Monoamines and amino acids are important types of neurotransmitters. Our previous results have shown that disco-interacting protein 2 homolog A (Dip2a) knockout mice exhibit brain development disorders and abnormal amino acid metabolism in serum. This suggests that DIP2A is involved in the metabolism of amino acid-associated neurotransmitters. Therefore, we performed targeted neurotransmitter metabolomics analysis and found that Dip2a deficiency caused abnormal metabolism of tryptophan and thyroxine in the basolateral amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex. In addition, acute restraint stress induced a decrease in 5-hydroxytryptamine in the basolateral amygdala. Additionally, Dip2a was abundantly expressed in excitatory neurons of the basolateral amygdala, and deletion of Dip2a in these neurons resulted in hopelessness-like behavior in the tail suspension test. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that DIP2A in the basolateral amygdala may be involved in the regulation of stress susceptibility. This provides critical evidence implicating a role of DIP2A in affective disorders.

Difficulties and Psychological Experiences of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorders are brain development disorders with multifactorial etiology, identified by difficulties in communication and social interrelation, like recurrent and stereotyped attitudes, activities, and interests. Families with children with developmental disorders may experience more difficulties than families with children without disorders. Therefore there is a need Finding ways to reduce or manage parental stress for improve the family's quality of life through the evaluation of the causes. This study aims to analyze the difficulties experienced by caregivers and the perceived inclusion and inclusion of parents and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the social fabric, thereby examining the difficulties parents face in daily life. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted online through snowball sampling until data saturation from November 2020 - March 2023, through the administration of an online questionnaire made through a Google form and disseminated through social media. Data analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Software version 17. Results: 404 parents of children with ASD 94.8% of whom are mothers with an average age of 40.23 years. The prevalence of parents correctly defined autism as "a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, limited interests, and repetitive behaviors". At final diagnosis, the study results reported for 87.9% of parents sadness and grief at diagnosis, followed by fear (83.9%). Conclusions: Research in this area is critical as it can assist health care providers and scholars in understanding the unique issues parents face in raising a child with ASD, as well as support parents themselves in identifying factors that contribute to their stress level in order to take the right steps to reduce it and improve their overall well-being.

Single-cell RNA-seq data analysis reveals functionally relevant biomarkers of early brain development and their regulatory footprints in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

The complicated process of neuronal development is initiated early in life, with the genetic mechanisms governing this process yet to be fully elucidated. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a potent instrument for pinpointing biomarkers that exhibit differential expression across various cell types and developmental stages. By employing scRNA-seq on human embryonic stem cells, we aim to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) crucial for early-stage neuronal development. Our focus extends beyond simply identifying DEGs. We strive to investigate the functional roles of these genes through enrichment analysis and construct gene regulatory networks to understand their interactions. Ultimately, this comprehensive approach aspires to illuminate the molecular mechanisms and transcriptional dynamics governing early human brain development. By uncovering potential links between these DEGs and intelligence, mental disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders, we hope to shed light on human neurological health and disease. In this study, we have used scRNA-seq to identify DEGs involved in early-stage neuronal development in hESCs. The scRNA-seq data, collected on days 26 (D26) and 54 (D54), of the in vitro differentiation of hESCs to neurons were analyzed. Our analysis identified 539 DEGs between D26 and D54. Functional enrichment of those DEG biomarkers indicated that the up-regulated DEGs participated in neurogenesis, while the down-regulated DEGs were linked to synapse regulation. The Reactome pathway analysis revealed that down-regulated DEGs were involved in the interactions between proteins located in synapse pathways. We also discovered interactions between DEGs and miRNA, transcriptional factors (TFs) and DEGs, and between TF and miRNA. Our study identified 20 significant transcription factors, shedding light on early brain development genetics. The identified DEGs and gene regulatory networks are valuable resources for future research into human brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Evaluation of serotonin levels in full-term newborns of diabetic mothers

BACKGROUND: The growth of neurological and mental diseases in the offspring of patients with pre- and gestational diabetes mellitus determines the need to study the regulatory function of the serotoninergic system of the brain in newborns. This plays a key role in its morphofunctional development in early ontogenesis, which is necessary for timely diagnosis of disorders and prevention of long-term consequences.
 AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate serotonin levels in full-term newborns with diabetic fetopathy from mothers with pre- and gestational diabetes mellitus.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: The main group consisted of 45 newborns with diabetic fetopathy, of whom 30 individuals were from mothers with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 15 ones from mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus. The control group comprised 20 healthy full-term newborns from healthy mothers without pregnancy complications. Serotonin concentrations were determined in platelet-rich plasma of blood from the umbilical cord vein, and in a platelet suspension prepared from venous blood taken on the first day of life, using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.
 RESULTS: Platelet-rich plasma serotonin level in umbilical cord blood taken from newborns of the main group was more than two times lower compared to children of healthy mothers. This parameter in venous blood taken from mothers with type 1 diabetes (0.744 ± 0.117 µmol/l) corresponded to that in healthy patients, while in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus, it was significantly lower and amounted to 0.331 ± 0.071 µmol/l (p 0.05). Moreover, platelet-rich plasma serotonin level in all newborns correlated with that in their mothers (R = 0.505; p 0.05). Serotonin levels in venous blood platelets of newborns of the main group was almost 2.5 times lower than in healthy ones.
 CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained indicate the need to use platelet serotonin values as a biochemical marker of disorders of functional brain development in children with diabetic fetopathy.

Diving into the zebrafish brain: exploring neuroscience frontiers with genetic tools, imaging techniques, and behavioral insights.

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is increasingly used in neuroscience research. Zebrafish are relatively easy to maintain, and their high fecundity makes them suitable for high-throughput experiments. Their small, transparent embryos and larvae allow for easy microscopic imaging of the developing brain. Zebrafish also share a high degree of genetic similarity with humans, and are amenable to genetic manipulation techniques, such as gene knockdown, knockout, or knock-in, which allows researchers to study the role of specific genes relevant to human brain development, function, and disease. Zebrafish can also serve as a model for behavioral studies, including locomotion, learning, and social interactions. In this review, we present state-of-the-art methods to study the brain function in zebrafish, including genetic tools for labeling single neurons and neuronal circuits, live imaging of neural activity, synaptic dynamics and protein interactions in the zebrafish brain, optogenetic manipulation, and the use of virtual reality technology for behavioral testing. We highlight the potential of zebrafish for neuroscience research, especially regarding brain development, neuronal circuits, and genetic-based disorders and discuss its certain limitations as a model.

Ribosome inactivation regulates translation elongation in neurons

Cellular plasticity is crucial for adapting to ever-changing stimuli. As a result, cells consistently reshape their translatome, and, consequently, their proteome. The control of translational activity has been thoroughly examined at the stage of translation initiation. However, the regulation of ribosome speed in cells is widely unknown. In this study, we utilized a timed ribosome runoff approach along with proteomics and transmission electron microscopy, to investigate global translation kinetics in cells. We found that ribosome speeds vary amongst various cell types, such as astrocytes, induced pluripotent human stem cells, human neural stem cells, and human and rat neurons. Of all cell types studied, mature cortical neurons exhibit the highest rate of translation. This finding is particularly remarkable because mature cortical neurons express eEF2 at lower levels than other cell types. Neurons solve this conundrum by inactivating a fraction of their ribosomes. As a result, the increase in eEF2 levels leads to a reduction of inactive ribosomes and an enhancement of active ones. Processes that alter the demand for active ribosomes, like neuronal excitation, cause increased inactivation of redundant ribosomes in an eEF2-dependent manner.Our data suggest a novel regulatory mechanism in which neurons dynamically inactivate ribosomes to facilitate translational remodelling. These findings have important implications for developmental brain disorders characterised by, among other things, aberrant translation.

HUBUNGAN BERAT BADAN LAHIR RENDAH DENGAN KEJADIAN STUNTING PADA ANAK USIA 1-5 TAHUN DI WILAYAH KERJA PUSKESMAS JORONGAN

Toddlers are individuals or groups of individuals from a population who are within a certain age range. Toddler age can be grouped into three groups, namely infant age groups (0-2 years), toddler groups (2-3 years), and preschool groups (> 3-5 years) (Chandra Juita, 2021). The purpose of this study was to analyze low birth weight with stunting in children aged 1-5 years in the working area of ​​the Jorongan Health Center.The research design used correlational analysis. The population was all children aged 1-5 years and experience LBW in February 2023 as many as 194 people. The research sample included 131 toddlers aged 1-5 years who had LBW according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria in February 2023 used the Random Sampling technique. Collecting data using a questionnaire then the data is processed using SPSS using Chi square. The results of the analysis showed that the majority of respondents who experienced LBW were 130 people (100%), the incidence of stunting was 76 people (58%). while the results of the Chi-Square test between LBW and the incidence of stunting obtained a p-value of 0.000 (p-value) (smaller than 0.05) so there was a significant relationship between the LBW variable and the incidence of One stunting of the causes of stunting in LBW children is influenced by socio-economic factors, such as education level, income, and number of household members which causes chronic nutritional problems, in the short term is disruption of brain development, intelligence, physical growth, and metabolic disorders in the body.

Role of Omega-3PUFA: A Nutraceutical for Brain Functioning and Treatment of Mental Disorders

Abstract: Concerning the past few years in terms of health and nature, the globe has witnessed an upsurge in the use of nutraceuticals and nutritional and natural products in therapeutics. The major reason for this step is the conventional pharmacological treatment using synthetic drugs that do not meet the status of health and therapeutic requirements for various pathological conditions. Nutraceuticals promise prominent health and therapeutic benefits with no adverse or side effects, providing extra health benefits besides their action in any defined pathological condition. Nutraceuticals are extensive biological therapies that include herbs, vitamins, fatty acids, prebiotics, and probiotics used to promote and maintain health to prevent and cure pathological conditions, malignant processes, syndromes, and symptoms. Nutraceuticals have multidirectional therapeutic benefits and are claimed to be effective products in aiding human health. The addition of omega-3 for the treatment of mental and mood disorders was found to have safer, more valuable, and better therapeutic results in comparison to the use of synthetic drugs. Omega-3 is available in the regular diet through soybeans, walnuts, codfish, and salmon fish, and its constituents have been found to play a promising role in brain development, including brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders, in the pathology of mental and mood disorders, and treatment of the same. Supplementation with Omega-3 PUFA provides a promising effect in better brain development, treatment, prevention and cure of mental and mood disorders. This review endeavours to display and assert the clinical relevance of omega-3 PUFA in brain development, pathology, and treatment of mental and mood disorders.

The Application and Challenge of Non-Human Primate Experimental Animals in the Field of Neuroscience

Non-human primates (NHPs) are highly valued in the field of neuroscience due to their similarity to humans in terms of brain structure and function. They exhibit complex social behaviors and cognitive abilities, and their use in research has led to significant breakthroughs in the understanding of brain development, neurodegenerative diseases, and psychiatric disorders. In recent years, the breeding and use of NHPs has expanded, making them increasingly important as experimental animals. However, with this expansion comes the need for researchers to address important biosafety and animal ethics concerns. It is critical that animal welfare is ensured and that scientific objectives are achieved while observing ethical guidelines. This paper aims to provide an overview of NHPs in neuroscience, their applications in research, and the ethical considerations that must be taken into account. It highlights the various breeding and handling practices that are employed to ensure the health and welfare of NHPs in experimental settings. Additionally, the paper summarizes the challenges associated with the use of NHPs in research and the benefits that have been realized from their use. Overall, this paper underscores the importance of recognizing the role of NHPs in neuroscience, and the responsibility that researchers have to ensure their welfare and to address ethical considerations. By doing so, researchers can continue to advance our understanding of the brain and develop new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

DNA methylation differences in genes associated with human personal disorders and deviant behavior.

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is involved in the progression of mental disorders, including deviant behavior, brain developmental, and personality disorders. The large number of genes has been studied for their activity association with stress and depression; however, the obtained results for the majority of these genes are contradictory. The aim of our study was to investigate the possible contribution of methylation level changes to the development of personality disorders and deviant behavior. A systematic study of CpG Islands in 21 target regions, including the promoter and intron regions of the 12 genes was performed in DNA samples extracted from peripheral blood cells, to obtain an overview of their methylation status. High-throughput sequencing of converted DNA samples was performed and calling of the methylation sites on the "original top strand" in CpG islands was carried out in the Bismark pipeline. The initial methylation profile of 77 patients and 48 controls samples revealed a significant difference in 7 CpG sites in 6 genes. The most significant hypermethylation was found for the target sites of the HTR2A (p-value = 1.2 × 10-13) and OXTR (p-value = 2.3 × 10-7) genes. These data support the previous reports that alterations in DNA methylation may play an important role in the dysregulation of gene expression associated with personality disorders and deviant behavior, and confirm their potential use as biomarkers to improve thediagnosis, prognosis, and assessment of response to treatment.

Magnetic resonance imaging techniques for indirect assessment of myelin content in the brain using standard T1w and T2w MRI sequences and postprocessing analysis.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has revolutionized our ability to non-invasively study the brain's structural and functional properties. However, detecting myelin, a crucial component of white matter, remains challenging due to its indirect visibility on conventional MRI scans. Myelin plays a vital role in neural signal transmission and is associated with various neurological conditions. Understanding myelin distribution and content is crucial for insights into brain development, aging, and neurological disorders. Although specialized MRI sequences can estimate myelin content, these are time-consuming. Also, many patients sent to specialized neurological centers have an MRI of the brain already scanned. In this study, we focused on techniques utilizing standard MRI T1-weighted (T1w) and T2 weighted (T2w) sequences commonly used in brain imaging protocols. We evaluated the applicability of the T1w/T2w ratio in assessing myelin content by comparing it to quantitative T1 mapping (qT1). Our study included 1 healthy adult control and 7 neurologic patients (comprising both pediatric and adult populations) with epilepsy originating from focal epileptogenic lesions visible on MRI structural scans. Following image acquisition on a 3T Siemens Vida scanner, datasets were co registered, and segmented into anatomical regions using the Fastsurfer toolbox, and T1w/T2w ratio maps were calculated in Matlab software. We further assessed interhemispheric differences in volumes of individual structures, their signal intensity, and the correlation of the T1w/T2w ratio to qT1. Our data demonstrate that in situations where a dedicated myelin-sensing sequence such as qT1 is not available, the T1w/T2w ratio provides significantly better information than T1w alone. By providing indirect information about myelin content, this technique offers a valuable tool for understanding the neurobiology of myelin-related conditions using basic brain scans.

Penanggulangan Stunting Melalui Sosialisasi dan Edukasi Gizi Seimbang di Desa Tambang, Kabupaten Ponorogo, Jawa Timur

Stunting has become a serious health problem in Indonesia as it is associated with failure to thrive, brain development disorders, decreased mental abilities, poor health conditions, and low socio-economic capabilities. In 2020, the United Nations recorded that around 6.3 million Indonesian early childhood or toddler aged children experienced stunting, caused by nutritional deficiencies within the first two years of their lives, maternal malnutrition during pregnancy, and poor sanitation. Through the "Ibu Hebat Keluarga Sehat" (Great Mother, Healthy Family) program, which focuses on balanced nutrition education, it is hoped that the issue of stunting can be addressed by improving individuals' knowledge and skills. Posyandu cadres and PKK officials can implement the 10 common messages of balanced nutrition to combat stunting. Balanced nutrition, categorized by age, is also crucial for every family to know as it contributes to achieving a generation without stunting. This education includes 1. Providing knowledge on balanced nutritional health in addressing stunting and processing local food materials available in the Tambang Village into nutritious meals. 2. Conducting question-and-answer sessions with participants to assess their understanding of the provided material.