Exploring the role of different cell types on cortical folding in the developing human brain through computational modeling
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Author(s)
Zarzor, Mohammad Saeed
Ma, Qiang
Almurey, Median
Kainz, Bernhard
Budday, Silvia
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The human brain’s distinctive folding pattern has attracted the attention of researchers from different fields. Neuroscientists have provided insights into the role of four fundamental cell types crucial during embryonic development: radial glial cells, intermediate progenitor cells, outer radial glial cells, and neurons. Understanding the mechanisms by which these cell types influence the number of cortical neurons and the emerging cortical folding pattern necessitates accounting for the mechanical forces that drive the cortical folding process. Our research aims to explore the correlation between biological processes and mechanical forces through computational modeling. We introduce cell-density fields, characterized by a system of advection-diffusion equations, designed to replicate the characteristic behaviors of various cell types in the developing brain. Concurrently, we adopt the theory of finite growth to describe cortex expansion driven by increasing cell density. Our model serves as an adjustable tool for understanding how the behavior of individual cell types reflects normal and abnormal folding patterns. Through comparison with magnetic resonance images of the fetal brain, we explore the correlation between morphological changes and underlying cellular mechanisms. Moreover, our model sheds light on the spatiotemporal relationships among different cell types in the human brain and enables cellular deconvolution of histological sections.
Date Issued
2024-10-30
Date Acceptance
2024-10-09
Citation
Scientific Reports, 2024, 14
ISSN
2045-2322
Publisher
Nature Portfolio
Journal / Book Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
14
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2024 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-75952-7
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
26103
Date Publish Online
2024-10-30