Biology subjects

Drori, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Drori, E..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Postnatal maturation of putamen microstructure accompanies topographic white matter connectivity and altered circuits in autism

The putamen is a major hub of the basal ganglia that emerges early in gestation. However, whether its mature organization is established before birth or emerges postnatally remains unknown. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal quantitative MRI (R1 and R2*, related to tissue density and iron, respectively) and diffusion MRI, we characterized the development of putamen's microstructure and its white matter connectivity with cortex from birth to 12 months and compared their trajectories with those in adults. Despite its prenatal emergence, the putamen undergoes substantial postnatal development. R1 increases from birth to 12 months, producing a prominent anterior-posterior gradient, whereas R2* increases primarily between age one and adulthood, producing a medial-lateral gradient. Cortico-putamen white matter connectivity is diffuse in infants but becomes topographic in adults, with anterior putamen linked to frontal cortex and posterior putamen to sensorimotor cortex. In autism spectrum disorder, this organization is largely preserved and accompanied by increased anterior putamen-prefrontal connectivity. Our findings reveal distinct spatial developmental trajectories of putamen microstructure and cortical connectivity providing a developmental framework for understanding the organization of the putamen in infancy, which has implications for assessing neurodevelopmental disorders of the basal ganglia.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Sensorimotor basal ganglia circuit asymmetry explains lateralized motor dysfunction in early Parkinson's disease

Parkinsons disease (PD) is characterized by an early spatial pattern of degeneration in the basal ganglia. This pattern includes both posterior predominance and hemispheric asymmetry that correspond to lateralized motor symptoms. While these spatial features are well established in the striatum using dopaminergic imaging, it remains unclear whether they reflect local or circuit-level pathology across the broader basal ganglia system. It is also unknown whether widely available structural MRI can detect these spatial characteristics with comparable sensitivity. Here, we investigate the spatial pattern of basal ganglia pathology in harmonized clinical MRI data of 136 early-stage PD patients and 60 healthy controls from the PPMI database. Using gradient analyses, we identified anterior-posterior variations and selective posterior alterations in the putamen and external globus pallidus, revealing early subregional "PD hotspots". Hemispheric asymmetry analyses across the basal ganglia showed associations with motor symptom lateralization that were most substantial in the substantia nigra, posterior putamen, and posterior external globus pallidus, indicating preferential early involvement of the sensorimotor basal ganglia circuit in lateralized PD pathology. Joint models integrating multiple regions and MRI measurements approached the explanatory power of DaTSCAN and were consistent longitudinally. In addition, they achieved robust out-of-sample cross-validated motor asymmetry prediction across visits, providing non-redundant information beyond DaTSCAN. Together, our findings demonstrate that anatomically guided spatial analysis of routine MRI reveals subregional basal ganglia pathology that underlies motor symptom lateralization in PD. This study extends spatial characterization of the basal ganglia beyond the striatum and uncovers multiple regions and data-driven posterior "hotspots" that predict motor dysfunction asymmetry. Thus, this work advances the development of MRI-based circuit-level biomarkers of PD neurodegeneration.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Multiparametric quantitative MRI uncovers putamen microstructural changes in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinsons disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder dominated by motor and non-motor dysfunction. Despite extensive research, the in vivo characterization of PD-related microstructural brain changes remains an ongoing challenge, limiting advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The putamen, a critical structure within the basal ganglia, plays a key role in regulating movement and is profoundly affected in early PD-related neurodegeneration. In this study, we collected multiparametric quantitative MRI (qMRI) brain data of PD patients and healthy controls, to investigate microstructural alterations in the putamen in PD. We utilized a gradient analysis technique to analyze the spatial variations of various qMRI parameters, including relaxation rates (R1, R2, R2*), water fraction (WF), susceptibility, magnetization transfer saturation (MTsat), and diffusion metrics (MD, FA). Our findings reveal significant spatial gradients and interhemispheric asymmetries in these biophysical properties along the anterior-posterior axis of the putamen. Notably, PD patients exhibited increased water fraction and altered transverse relaxation rate R2*, particularly in the posterior putamen, correlated with motor symptom laterality. These microstructural changes suggest underlying tissue atrophy or neuroinflammatory processes associated with PD. The study underscores the importance of the posterior putamen as a focal point for PD pathology and highlights the potential of localized gradient analysis in detecting subtle yet clinically significant brain changes. The new qMRI dataset provides valuable insights into PD pathology, potentially aiding in the development of more precise diagnostic tools and targeted therapies.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Isolation and characterization of live yeast cells from ancient vessels as a tool in bio-archeology

Ancient fermented food has been studied based on recipes, residue analysis and ancient-DNA techniques and reconstructed using modern domesticated yeast. Here, we present a novel approach. We hypothesize that enriched yeast populations in fermented beverages could have become the dominant species in storage vessels and the descendants of these yeast could be isolated and studied long after. To this end, using a pipeline of yeast isolation from clay vessels developed here, we screened for yeast cells in beverage-related and non-related ancient vessels and sediments, from several archeological sites. We found that yeast cells could be successfully isolated specifically from clay containers of fermented beverages. Genomic analysis revealed that these yeast are similar to those found in traditional African beverages. Phenotypically, they grow similar to modern-beer producing yeast. Both strongly suggesting that they are descendants of the original fermenting yeast. These findings provide modern microorganisms as a new tool in bio-archeology. ImportanceSo far, most of the study of ancient organisms was based mainly on the analysis of ancient DNA. Here we show that it is possible to isolate and study microorganisms, yeast in this case, from thousands of years old clay vessels, used for fermentation. We demonstrate that it is highly likely that these cells are descendants of the original yeast strains which participated in the fermentation process and were absorbed into the pottery vessels. Moreover, we characterize the isolated yeast their genome and the beer they produce. These results open new and exciting avenues in the study of domesticated microorganisms and contribute significantly to the fields of bio and experimental -archeology that aims to reconstruct ancient artifacts and products.

ecology↗