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Striatal morphology as a biomarker in neurodegenerative disease

Molecular Psychiatry volume 18, pages 417–424 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

The striatum, comprising the caudate nucleus, putamen and nucleus accumbens, occupies a strategic location within cortico-striato-pallido-thalamic–cortical (corticostriatal) re-entrant neural circuits. Striatal neurodevelopment is precisely determined by phylogenetically conserved homeobox genes. Consisting primarily of medium spiny neurons, the striatum is strictly topographically organized based on cortical afferents and efferents. Particular corticostriatal neural circuits are considered to subserve certain domains of cognition, emotion and behaviour. Thus, the striatum may serve as a map of structural change in the cortical afferent pathways owing to deafferentation or neuroplasticity, and conversely, structural change in the striatum per se may structurally disrupt corticostriatal pathways. The morphology of the striatum may be quantified in vivo using advanced magnetic resonance imaging, as may cognitive functioning pertaining to corticostriatal circuits. It is proposed that striatal morphology may be a biomarker in neurodegenerative disease and potentially the basis of an endophenotype.

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Acknowledgements

Much of the work cited in this review has been the fruit of international interdisciplinary collaboration with many colleagues, whose contribution to such research formed part of the foundations of the arguments expounded. We thank all the following key collaborators: Phyllis Chua, Olof Lindberg, Matthew D Macfarlane, Sarah K Madsen, Christer Nilsson, Priya Rajagopalan, Martin Styner, Leif Svensson, Paul M Thompson, Danielle van Westen, Dennis Velakoulis, Lars-Olof Wahlund, Bram B Zandbelt (and all co-authors on collaborative papers in this domain). The majority of the collaborative research travel funding has been self-funded by JCLL, who also acknowledges funding/leave contributions from the Canberra Hospital Private Practice Trust Fund, and ACT Health.

Author contributions

JCLL conceived and wrote the first draft of this paper, based mainly upon research projects in collaboration with MW, who conducted many of the shape analyses discussed and co-authored the paper. MD Macfarlane and MW created Figure 1 and JCLL created Figures 2, 3, 4, 5. These figures have previously been used in other papers,12, 21 and are reproduced with permission.

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  1. Research Centre for the Neurosciences of Ageing, Academic Unit of Psychological and Addiction Medicine, Australian National University Medical School, Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    J C L Looi

  2. Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    M Walterfang

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Correspondence to J C L Looi.

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Looi, J., Walterfang, M. Striatal morphology as a biomarker in neurodegenerative disease. Mol Psychiatry 18, 417–424 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2012.54

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