Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
Department of Oral Radiology, School of Dentistry, University of Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
Clin Oral Investig. 2020 Apr;24(4):1499-1508. doi: 10.1007/s00784-020-03227-2. Epub 2020 Feb 7.
Dolichofacial (long-faced) and brachyfacial (short-faced) individuals show specific and well-differentiated craniofacial morphology. Here, we hypothesise that differences in the basicranial orientation and topology between dolicho- and brachyfacial subjects could be associated with differences in the supporting brain tissues.
Brain volumes (total intracranial, grey matter, and white matter volume), cortical thickness, and the volumes and shapes of fifteen subcortical nuclei were assessed on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging in 185 subjects. Global, voxel-wise and shape analyses, as well as multiple regression models, were generated to evaluate the association between vertical facial variations (dolicho- and brachyfacial spectrum) and brain morphology.
Several differences in brain anatomy between dolicho- and brachyfacial subjects, along with relevant associations between vertical facial indices and brain structure and shape, were found. The most relevant finding of this study is related to the strong association of vertical facial indices with the volumes and shapes of subcortical nuclei, as the dolichofacial pattern increased, the bilateral hippocampus and brain stem expanded, while the left caudate, right pallidus, right amygdala, and right accumbens decreased in volume.
Long- and short-faced human subjects present differences in brain structure and shape.
The results of our study increase the clinician's knowledge about brain structure in dolicho- and brachyfacial patients. The findings could be of interest since the affected brain areas are involved in higher cognitive functions in humans, including language, memory, and attention.
长面型（长面）和短面型（短面）个体具有特定且明显不同的颅面形态。在这里，我们假设长面型和短面型个体之间的颅底方位和拓扑结构的差异可能与支持脑组织的差异有关。
基于 185 名受试者的磁共振成像，评估了大脑体积（总颅内、灰质和白质体积）、皮质厚度以及 15 个皮质下核的体积和形状。进行了全局、体素和形状分析以及多元回归模型，以评估垂直面变异（长面型和短面型谱）与大脑形态之间的关联。
发现了长面型和短面型个体之间的几种大脑解剖结构差异，以及垂直面指数与大脑结构和形状之间的相关关联。这项研究的最相关发现与垂直面指数与皮质下核的体积和形状之间的强烈关联有关，随着长面型模式的增加，双侧海马体和脑干扩张，而左侧尾状核、右侧苍白球、右侧杏仁核和右侧伏隔核的体积减小。
长面型和短面型的人类个体在大脑结构和形状上存在差异。
我们研究的结果增加了临床医生对长面型和短面型患者大脑结构的了解。由于受影响的大脑区域涉及人类的更高认知功能，包括语言、记忆和注意力，因此这些发现可能会引起兴趣。
