Non-Cochrane · aetiology · PM40129165
A Review and Meta-Analysis on Altered Brain Structure in Patients Born with Non-Syndromic Cleft Lip and/or Palate.
Homoud N N, Ireland A J, Sherriff M, et al. · The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1177/10556656251327526
Findings
Population Individuals born with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P)
6 findings
| Presence of NSCL/P (exposure) | Unaffected healthy controls | Overall brain structure (all five subgroups combined) Cross-sectional | SMD (Hedges' g) -0.36 [-0.54, -0.17] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 856 participants |
| Presence of NSCL/P (exposure) | Unaffected healthy controls | Intracranial volume Cross-sectional | SMD (Hedges' g) -0.36 [-0.65, -0.08] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 292 participants |
| Presence of NSCL/P (exposure) | Unaffected healthy controls | Total cerebral volume Cross-sectional | SMD (Hedges' g) 0.0 [-0.38, 0.39] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 347 participants |
| Presence of NSCL/P (exposure) | Unaffected healthy controls | Cortical gray matter volume Cross-sectional | SMD (Hedges' g) -0.08 [-0.51, 0.34] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 116 participants |
| Presence of NSCL/P (exposure) | Unaffected healthy controls | Total cerebellar volume Cross-sectional | SMD (Hedges' g) -0.69 [-0.84, -0.53] GRADE not reported 6 studies · 667 participants |
| Presence of NSCL/P (exposure) | Unaffected healthy controls | Straight gyrus volume Cross-sectional | SMD (Hedges' g) -0.06 [-1.02, 0.91] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 165 participants |
Included primary studies 11
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adamson 2014 Regional brain morphometric characteristics of nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate. PMID:25171633 | 2014 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Bodoni 2020 Neuropsychological functioning and its relationship with brain anatomical measures of children and adolescents with non-syndromic cleft… PMID:32546116 | 2021 | this review only | Cortical gray matter volume; Intracranial volume | not extracted yet |
| Boes 2007 Social function in boys with cleft lip and palate: relationship to ventral frontal cortex morphology. PMID:17537526 | 2007 | this review only | Straight gyrus volume | not extracted yet |
| Conrad 2010 Cerebellum structure differences and relationship to speech in boys and girls with nonsyndromic cleft of the lip and/or palate. PMID:20180711 | 2010 | this review only | Total cerebellar volume | not extracted yet |
| Conrad 2021 Brain structure and neural activity related to reading in boys with isolated oral clefts. PMID:33557685 | 2021 | this review only | Total cerebellar volume; Total cerebral volume | not extracted yet |
| Devolder 2013 Abnormal cerebellar structure is dependent on phenotype of isolated cleft of the lip and/or palate. PMID:23055082 | 2013 | this review only | Total cerebellar volume | not extracted yet |
| Nopoulos 2000 Abnormal brain morphology in patients with isolated cleft lip, cleft palate, or both: a preliminary analysis. PMID:11034025 | 2000 | this review only | Intracranial volume; Total cerebellar volume; Total cerebral volume | not extracted yet |
| Nopoulos 2002 Structural brain abnormalities in adult males with clefts of the lip and/or palate. PMID:11839951 | 2002 | this review only | Cortical gray matter volume; Intracranial volume; Total cerebellar volume; Total cerebral volume | not extracted yet |
| Nopoulos 2005 Ventral frontal cortex morphology in adult males with isolated orofacial clefts: relationship to abnormalities in social function. PMID:15748104 | 2005 | this review only | Straight gyrus volume | not extracted yet |
| Nopoulos 2007 Abnormal brain structure in children with isolated clefts of the lip or palate. PMID:17679656 | 2007 | this review only | Intracranial volume; Total cerebellar volume; Total cerebral volume | not extracted yet |
| Van der Plas 2010 Effects of unilateral clefts on brain structure. PMID:20679168 | 2010 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Patients born with cleft lip and/or palate, live births, any ethnic group, both sexes, no associated syndromes, hospital or community settings | NSCL/P cases (398 in meta-analysis) with unaffected controls (458) |
| Intervention | Exposure: non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate | NSCL/P (cleft lip, cleft lip and palate, cleft palate) |
| Comparison | Healthy unaffected comparators | Unaffected healthy controls |
| Outcomes | Difference in brain structure between cleft and healthy individuals; alteration in quality of life | Cortical gray matter, straight gyrus, intracranial volume, total cerebellar volume and total cerebral volume (cm3) on MRI |
| Study designs | Any study assessing brain structure; English language | 11 case-control studies (9 in the meta-analysis; 9 of 11 from the University of Iowa) |
| Timing | Publications from January 1969 to June 2024 | Cross-sectional |