Faculty
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry: Faculty of Anatomy & Cell Biology
Supervisor Name
Dr. Sandrine de Ribaupierre
Keywords
Hydrocephalus, Hippocampus, Children, Memory, MRI
Description
Hydrocephalus is one of the most common pediatric neurological problems that requires brain surgery in children. Pediatric hydrocephalus is characterized as an abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) buildup in the brain’s ventricles due to ineffective CSF reabsorption. When this fluid builds up in these cavities, it increases intracranial pressure and has a direct mass effect on the surrounding brain tissue and structures. Ultimately, various functions are affected including—but not limited to—vision, learning, memory, motor control, and hearing. Despite current literature suggesting that hydrocephalus may be associated with reduced hippocampal volume among rats and human adults, findings remain limited in the human pediatric population, and whether or not a difference in hippocampal volume would impede working memory in children. Therefore, the goal of this project was to explore the relationship between hippocampal size and functional effects in terms of working memory between pediatric hydrocephalus patients and healthy controls.
Acknowledgements
This project is supported by Western University’s Undergraduate Student Research Internship (USRI) program, and my supervisor, Dr. De Ribaupierre. I would like to thank all participants and families involved in this project, as well as Ikhlas Hashi, Daamoon Ghahari, and everyone who took the time to provide me with feedback and mentorship. Further, I would like to acknowledge the USRI Partners: Western Research, Western Libraries, and Student Experience.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Exploring the structural and functional effects of pediatric hydrocephalus on the hippocampus
Hydrocephalus is one of the most common pediatric neurological problems that requires brain surgery in children. Pediatric hydrocephalus is characterized as an abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) buildup in the brain’s ventricles due to ineffective CSF reabsorption. When this fluid builds up in these cavities, it increases intracranial pressure and has a direct mass effect on the surrounding brain tissue and structures. Ultimately, various functions are affected including—but not limited to—vision, learning, memory, motor control, and hearing. Despite current literature suggesting that hydrocephalus may be associated with reduced hippocampal volume among rats and human adults, findings remain limited in the human pediatric population, and whether or not a difference in hippocampal volume would impede working memory in children. Therefore, the goal of this project was to explore the relationship between hippocampal size and functional effects in terms of working memory between pediatric hydrocephalus patients and healthy controls.