ANA TEREZA DI LORENZO ALHO
Projetos de Pesquisa
Unidades Organizacionais
LIM/44 - Laboratório de Ressonância Magnética em Neurorradiologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina
8 resultados
Resultados de Busca
Agora exibindo 1 - 8 de 8
- Use of computational fluid dynamics for 3D fiber tract visualization on human high-thickness histological slices: histological mesh tractography(2021) ALHO, Eduardo Joaquim Lopes; FONOFF, Erich T.; ALHO, Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo; NAGY, Jozsef; HEINSEN, HelmutUnderstanding the intricate three-dimensional relationship between fiber bundles and subcortical nuclei is not a simple task. It is of paramount importance in neurosciences, especially in the field of functional neurosurgery. The current methods for in vivo and post mortem fiber tract visualization have shortcomings and contributions to the field are welcome. Several tracts were chosen to implement a new technique to help visualization of white matter tracts, using high-thickness histology and dark field images. Our study describes the use of computational fluid dynamic simulations for visualization of 3D fiber tracts segmented from dark field microscopy in high-thickness histological slices (histological mesh tractography). A post mortem human brain was MRI scanned prior to skull extraction, histologically processed and serially cut at 430 mu m thickness as previously described by our group. High-resolution dark field images were used to segment the outlines of the structures. These outlines served as basis for the construction of a 3D structured mesh, were a Finite Volume Method (FVM) simulation of water flow was performed to generate streamlines representing the geometry. The simulations were accomplished by an open source computer fluid dynamics software. The resulting simulation rendered a realistic 3D impression of the segmented anterior commissure, the left anterior limb of the internal capsule, the left uncinate fascicle, and the dentato-rubral tracts. The results are in line with clinical findings, diffusion MR imaging and anatomical dissection methods.
- Peduncolopontine DBS improves balance in progressive supranuclear palsy: Instrumental analysis(2016) SOUZA, Carolina de Oliveira; LIMA-PARDINI, Andrea Cristina de; COELHO, Daniel Boari; MACHADO, Rachael Brant; ALHO, Eduardo Joaquim Lopes; ALHO, Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo; TEIXEIRA, Luis Augusto; TEIXEIRA, Manoel Jacobsen; BARBOSA, Egberto Reis; FONOFF, Erich Talamoni
- High thickness histological sections as alternative to study the three-dimensional microscopic human sub-cortical neuroanatomy(2018) ALHO, Eduardo Joaquim Lopes; ALHO, Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo; GRINBERG, Lea; AMARO JR., Edson; SANTOS, Glaucia Aparecida Bento dos; SILVA, Rafael Emidio da; NEVES, Ricardo Caires; ALEGRO, Maryana; COELHO, Daniel Boari; TEIXEIRA, Manoel Jacobsen; FONOFF, Erich Talamoni; HEINSEN, HelmutStereotaxy is based on the precise image-guided spatial localization of targets within the human brain. Even with the recent advances in MRI technology, histological examination renders different (and complementary) information of the nervous tissue. Although several maps have been selected as a basis for correlating imaging results with the anatomical locations of sub-cortical structures, technical limitations interfere in a point-to-point correlation between imaging and anatomy due to the lack of precise correction for post-mortem tissue deformations caused by tissue fixation and processing. We present an alternative method to parcellate human brain cytoarchitectural regions, minimizing deformations caused by post-mortem and tissue-processing artifacts and enhancing segmentation by means of modified high thickness histological techniques and registration with MRI of the same specimen and into MNI space (ICBM152). A three-dimensional (3D) histological atlas of the human thalamus, basal ganglia, and basal forebrain cholinergic system is displayed. Structure's segmentations were performed in high-resolution dark-field and light-field microscopy. Bidimensional non-linear registration of the histological slices was followed by 3D registration with in situ MRI of the same subject. Manual and automated registration procedures were adopted and compared. To evaluate the quality of the registration procedures, Dice similarity coefficient and normalized weighted spectral distance were calculated and the results indicate good overlap between registered volumes and a small shape difference between them in both manual and automated registration methods. High thickness high-resolution histological slices in combination with registration to in situ MRI of the same subject provide an effective alternative method to study nuclear boundaries in the human brain, enhancing segmentation and demanding less resources and time for tissue processing than traditional methods.
- The Ansa Subthalamica: A Neglected Fiber Tract(2020) ALHO, Eduardo Joaquim Lopes; ALHO, Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo; HORN, Andreas; MARTIN, Maria da Graca M.; EDLOW, Brian L.; FISCHL, Bruce; NAGY, Jozsef; FONOFF, Erich T.; HAMANI, Clement; HEINSEN, Helmut
- Layer-specific reduced neuronal density in the orbitofrontal cortex of older adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder(2019) OLIVEIRA, Katia Cristina de; GRINBERG, Lea Tenenholz; HOEXTER, Marcelo Queiroz; BRENTANI, Helena; SUEMOTO, Claudia Kimie; NERY, Fabiano Goncalves; LIMA, Luzia Carreira; ALHO, Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo; FARFEL, Jose Marcelo; FERRETTI-REBUSTINI, Renata Eloah de Lucena; LEITE, Renata Elaine Paraizo; MORETTO, Ariane Cristine; SILVA, Alexandre Valotta da; LAFER, Beny; MIGUEL, Euripedes Constantino; NITRINI, Ricardo; JACOB-FILHO, Wilson; HEINSEN, Helmut; PASQUALUCCI, Carlos AugustoNeurobiological models have provided consistent evidence of the involvement of cortical-subcortical circuitry in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), involved in motivation and emotional responses, is an important regulatory node within this circuitry. However, OFC abnormalities at the cellular level have so far not been studied. To address this question, we have recruited a total of seven senior individuals from the Sao Paulo Autopsy Services who were diagnosed with OCD after an extensive post-mortem clinical evaluation with their next of kin. Patients with cognitive impairment were excluded. The OCD cases were age- and sex-matched with 7 control cases and a total of 14 formalin-fixed, serially cut, and gallocyanin-stained hemispheres (7 subjects with OCD and 7 controls) were analyzed stereologically. We estimated laminar neuronal density, volume of the anteromedial (AM), medial orbitofrontal (MO), and anterolateral (AL) areas of the OFC. We found statistically significant layer- and region-specific lower neuron densities in our OCD cases that added to a deficit of 25% in AM and AL and to a deficit of 21% in MO, respectively. The volumes of the OFC areas were similar between the OCD and control groups. These results provide evidence of complex layer and region-specific neuronal deficits/loss in old OCD cases which could have a considerable impact on information processing within orbitofrontal regions and with afferent and efferent targets.
- Three-dimensional and stereological characterization of the human substantia nigra during aging(2016) ALHO, Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo; SUEMOTO, Claudia Kimie; POLICHISO, Livia; TAMPELLINI, Edilaine; OLIVEIRA, Katia Cristina de; MOLINA, Mariana; SANTOS, Glaucia Aparecida Bento; NASCIMENTO, Camila; LEITE, Renata Elaine Paraizo; FERRETI-REBUSTINI, Renata Eloah de Lucena; SILVA, Alexandre Valotta da; NITRINI, Ricardo; PASQUALUCCI, Carlos Augusto; JACOB-FILHO, Wilson; HEINSEN, Helmut; GRINBERG, Lea TenenholzThe human brain undergoes non-uniform changes during aging. The substantia nigra (SN), the source of major dopaminergic pathways in the brain, is particularly vulnerable to changes in the progression of several age-related neurodegenerative diseases. To establish normative data for high-resolution imaging, and to further clinical and anatomical studies we analyzed SNs from 15 subjects aged 50-91 cognitively normal human subjects without signs of parkinsonism. Complete brains or brainstems with substantia nigra were formalin-fixed, celloidin-mounted, serially cut and Nissl-stained. The shapes of all SNs investigated were reconstructed using fast, high-resolution computer-assisted 3D reconstruction software. We found a negative correlation between age and SN volume (p = 0.04, rho = -0.53), with great variability in neuronal numbers and density across participants. The 3D reconstructions revealed SN inter- and intra-individual variability. Furthermore, we observed that human SN is a neuronal reticulum, rather than a group of isolated neuronal islands. Caution is required when using SN volume as a surrogate for SN status in individual subjects. The use of multimodal sequences including those for fiber tracts may enhance the value of imaging as a diagnostic tool to assess SN in vivo. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed for understanding the structure-function interaction of human SN.
- Enrichment of single neurons and defined brain regions from human brain tissue samples for subsequent proteome analysis(2015) MOLINA, Mariana; STEINBACH, Simone; PARK, Young Mok; YUN, Su Yeong; ALHO, Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo; HEINSEN, Helmut; GRINBERG, Lea. T.; MARCUS, Katrin; LEITE, Renata E. Paraizo; MAY, CarolineBrain function in normal aging and neurological diseases has long been a subject of interest. With current technology, it is possible to go beyond descriptive analyses to characterize brain cell populations at the molecular level. However, the brain comprises over 100 billion highly specialized cells, and it is a challenge to discriminate different cell groups for analyses. Isolating intact neurons is not feasible with traditional methods, such as tissue homogenization techniques. The advent of laser microdissection techniques promises to overcome previous limitations in the isolation of specific cells. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for isolating and analyzing neurons from postmortem human brain tissue samples. We describe a workflow for successfully freezing, sectioning and staining tissue for laser microdissection. This protocol was validated by mass spectrometric analysis. Isolated neurons can also be employed for western blotting or PCR. This protocol will enable further examinations of brain cell-specific molecular pathways and aid in elucidating distinct brain functions.
- Higher Prevalence of TDP-43 Proteinopathy in Cognitively Normal Asians: A Clinicopathological Study on a Multiethnic Sample(2016) NASCIMENTO, Camila; SUEMOTO, Claudia K.; RODRIGUEZ, Roberta D.; ALHO, Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo; LEITE, Renata P.; FARFEL, Jose Marcelo; PASQUALUCCI, Carlos Augusto Goncalves; JACOB-FILHO, Wilson; GRINBERG, Lea T.Transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) proteinopathy is the major hallmark of frontotemporal lobar degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is also present in a subset of Alzheimer's disease cases. Recently, few reports showed TDP-43 changes in cognitively normal elderly. In Caucasians, TDP-43 proteinopathy independently correlate with cognitive decline. However, it is challenging to establish direct links between cognitive and/or neuropsychiatric symptoms and protein inclusions in neurodegenerative diseases because individual cognitive reserves modify the threshold for clinical disease expression. Cognitive reserve is influenced by demographic, environmental and genetic factors. We investigated the relationships between demographic, clinical and neuropathological variables and TDP-43 proteinopathy in a large multiethnic sample of cognitively normal elderly. TDP-43 proteinopathy was identified in 10.5%, independently associated with older age (P=0.03) and Asian ethnicity (P=0.002). Asians showed a higher prevalence of TDP-43 proteinopathy than Caucasians, even after adjustment for sex, age, Braak stage and schooling (odds ratio=3.50, confidence interval 1.41-8.69, P=0.007). These findings suggested that Asian older adults may be protected from the clinical manifestation of brain TDP-43 proteinopathy. Future studies are needed to identify possible race-related protective factors against clinical expression of TDP-43 proteinopathies.