The genetic organization of longitudinal subcortical volumetric change is stable throughout the lifespan.

ABSTRACT: Development and aging of the cerebral cortex show similar topographic organization and are governed by the same genes. It is unclear whether the same is true for subcortical regions, which follow fundamentally different ontogenetic and phylogenetic principles. We tested the hypothesis that genetically governed neurodevelopmental processes can be traced throughout life by assessing to which degree brain regions that develop together continue to change together through life. Analyzing over 6000 longitudinal MRIs of the brain, we used graph theory to identify five clusters of coordinated development, indexed as patterns of correlated volumetric change in brain structures. The clusters tended to follow placement along the cranial axis in embryonic brain development, suggesting continuity from

SUBMITTER: Fjell AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8260220 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature