scholarly journals Sex differences in cortical and subcortical human brain anatomy

F1000Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Herron ◽  
Xiaojian Kang ◽  
David L. Woods
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Brain Anatomy ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Cortical Surface ◽  
Bending Energy ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Automated Methods

Previous research has reported many sex differences in cortical and subcortical anatomy, but only a subset of findings is consistent across studies. Here, we used improved Freesurfer-based automated methods to analyze the properties of the cortex and seven subcortical structures in young, right-handed subjects (69 male and 69 female), carefully matched in age and education. Significant sex differences were observed. Females had greater gyral complexity (i.e., greater bending energy). In contrast, males had greater unadjusted cortical surface area (+10.3%), but area differences were reduced (to +2.8%) when area was adjusted for total intracranial volume (ICV). There were no significant omnibus sex differences in cortical thickness. Males showed larger unadjusted subcortical gray matter structural volumes, as well as larger ICV-adjusted volumes in the amygdala. These results help to resolve some of the inconsistencies in previous studies of sex differences in brain anatomy.

scholarly journals Mapping Cortical Brain Asymmetry in 17,141 Healthy Individuals Worldwide via the ENIGMA Consortium

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang-Zhen Kong ◽  
Samuel R. Mathias ◽  
Tulio Guadalupe ◽  
Christoph Abé ◽  
Ingrid Agartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Brain Asymmetry ◽  
Brain Anatomy ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Future Studies

AbstractHemispheric asymmetry is a cardinal feature of human brain organization. Altered brain asymmetry has also been linked to some cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. Here the ENIGMA consortium presents the largest ever analysis of cerebral cortical asymmetry and its variability across individuals. Cortical thickness and surface area were assessed in MRI scans of 17,141 healthy individuals from 99 datasets worldwide. Results revealed widespread asymmetries at both hemispheric and regional levels, with a generally thicker cortex but smaller surface area in the left hemisphere relative to the right. Regionally, asymmetries of cortical thickness and/or surface area were found in the inferior frontal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and entorhinal cortex. These regions are involved in lateralized functions, including language and visuospatial processing. In addition to population-level asymmetries, variability in brain asymmetry was related to sex, age, and brain size (indexed by intracranial volume). Interestingly, we did not find significant associations between asymmetries and handedness. Finally, with two independent pedigree datasets (N = 1,443 and 1,113, respectively), we found several asymmetries showing modest but highly reliable heritability. The structural asymmetries identified, and their variabilities and heritability provide a reference resource for future studies on the genetic basis of brain asymmetry and altered laterality in cognitive, neurological, and psychiatric disorders.Significance StatementLeft-right asymmetry is a key feature of the human brain's structure and function. It remains unclear which cortical regions are asymmetrical on average in the population, and how biological factors such as age, sex and genetic variation affect these asymmetries. Here we describe by far the largest ever study of cerebral cortical brain asymmetry, based on data from 17,141 participants. We found a global anterior-posterior 'torque' pattern in cortical thickness, together with various regional asymmetries at the population level, which have not been previously described, as well as effects of age, sex, and heritability estimates. From these data, we have created an on-line resource that will serve future studies of human brain anatomy in health and disease.

scholarly journals Greater male than female variability in regional brain structure across the lifespan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara M Wierenga ◽  
Gaelle E Doucet ◽  
Danai Dima ◽  
Ingrid Agartz ◽  
Moji Aghajani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Imaging Genetics ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Cortical Surface ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Cortical Surface Area

AbstractFor many traits, males show greater variability than females, with possible implications for understanding sex differences in health and disease. Here, the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis) Consortium presents the largest-ever mega-analysis of sex differences in variability of brain structure, based on international data spanning nine decades of life. Subcortical volumes, cortical surface area and cortical thickness were assessed in MRI data of 16,683 healthy individuals 1-90 years old (47% females). We observed significant patterns of greater male than female between-subject variance for all subcortical volumetric measures, all cortical surface area measures, and 60% of cortical thickness measures. This pattern was stable across the lifespan for 50% of the subcortical structures, 70% of the regional area measures, and nearly all regions for thickness. Our findings that these sex differences are present in childhood implicate early life genetic or gene-environment interaction mechanisms. The findings highlight the importance of individual differences within the sexes, that may underpin sex-specific vulnerability to disorders.

scholarly journals The contribution of cortical thickness and surface area to gray matter asymmetries in the healthy human brain

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 6011-6022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Koelkebeck ◽  
Jun Miyata ◽  
Manabu Kubota ◽  
Waldemar Kohl ◽  
Shuraku Son ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Healthy Human

scholarly journals Brain structural differences between 73- and 92-year olds matched for childhood intelligence, social background, and intracranial volume

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart J. Ritchie ◽  
David Alexander Dickie ◽  
Simon R. Cox ◽  
Maria del C. Valdés Hernández ◽  
Alison Pattie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
White Matter Hyperintensity ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Cortical Surface ◽  
Age Cohorts ◽  
Cortical Surface Area

AbstractFully characterizing age differences in the brain is a key task for combatting ageing-related cognitive decline. Using propensity score matching on two independent, narrow-age cohorts, we used data on childhood cognitive ability, socioeconomic background, and intracranial volume to match participants at mean age 92 years (n = 42) to very similar participants at mean age 73 (n = 126). Examining a variety of global and regional structural neuroimaging variables, there were large differences in grey and white matter volumes, cortical surface area, cortical thickness, and white matter hyperintensity volume and spatial extent. In a mediation analysis, the total volume of white matter hyperintensities and total cortical surface area jointly mediated 24.9% of the relation between age and general cognitive ability (tissue volumes and cortical thickness were not significant mediators in this analysis). These findings provide an unusual and valuable perspective on neurostructural ageing, in which brains from the eighth and tenth decades of life differ widely despite the same cognitive, socio-economic, and brain-volumetric starting points.

scholarly journals Exploring Cortical Thickness Alteration in Parkinson Disease Patients with Freezing of Gaits

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
E. Li ◽  
Xiuhang Ruan ◽  
Yuting Li ◽  
Guoqin Zhang ◽  
Mengyan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Freezing Of Gait ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mri Protocol ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
The Right

Background: Freezing of gait (FoG) is a disabling gait disorder that commonly occurs in advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying FoG in PD are still unclear. The present study aims to explore alterations of structural gray matter (GM) in PD patients with FoG. Method: Twenty-four PD patients with FoG (FoG+), 37 PD patients without FoG (FoG-) and 24 healthy controls (HC) were included. All subjects underwent a standardized MRI protocol. The cortical thickness (CTh), segmentation volume without ventricles (BrainSegVolNotVent) and estimated total intracranial volume (eTIV) were analysed using the FreeSurfer pipeline. Results: CTh differences were found in the right middle temporal gyrus (rMTG) generally. Compared to that in HCs, the CTh of the rMTG in both the FoG+ and FoG- groups was smaller, while no significant difference between the FoG+ and FoG- groups. Correlation analyses demonstrated a negative correlation between the CTh of the rMTG and the UPDRS part II score in PD subjects, and a borderline significant correlation between the score of Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FoGQ) and rMTG CTh. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis revealed a cut-off point of CTh =3.08 mm in the rMTG that could be used to differentiate PD patients and HCs (AUC =0.79, P <0.01). There were no differences in the BrainSegVolNotVent or eTIV among the 3 groups. Conclusions: Our findings currently suggest no significant difference between FoG+ and FoG- patients in terms of structural gray matter changes. However, decreased CTh in the rMTG related to semantic control may be used as a biomarker to differentiate PD patients and HCs.

scholarly journals Absence of changes in cortical thickness in patients with migraine

Cephalalgia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (14) ◽  
pp. 1452-1458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritobrato Datta ◽  
John A Detre ◽  
Geoffrey K Aguirre ◽  
Brett Cucchiara
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Motion Processing ◽  
Brain Anatomy ◽  
Cingulate Gyrus ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Visual Motion Processing ◽  
Surface Based Morphometry

Objective: Previous studies have reported gray matter alterations in patients with migraine, particularly thinning of the cingulate gyrus, and thickening of the somatosensory cortex (SSC) and visual motion processing areas (V3A/MT+). We attempted to replicate these findings in a larger patient population. Methods: Brain anatomy was collected with 3T MRI. Surface-based morphometry was used to segment each brain volume, reconstruct and inflate the cortical sheet, and estimate gray matter thickness. Results: Eighty-four age and sex-matched participants (28 migraine with aura, 28 migraine without aura, and 28 controls) were studied. No significant differences in somatosensory, cingulate gyrus, or V3A/MT+ cortical thickness were found between the groups, including analysis of specific subregions previously reported to be affected. Whole brain analysis found no regions of differential gray matter thickness between groups. A highly significant inverse correlation between age and whole brain and regional cortical thickness was identified. Power analyses indicate that even a small difference (∼0.07 to 0.14 mm) in cortical thickness could have been detected between groups given the sample size. Interpretation: Using highly sensitive surface-based morphometry, no differences in cortical thickness between patients with migraine and controls could be identified.

scholarly journals Age-Related Effects and Sex Differences in Gray Matter Density, Volume, Mass, and Cortical Thickness from Childhood to Young Adulthood

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (20) ◽  
pp. 5065-5073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efstathios D. Gennatas ◽  
Brian B. Avants ◽  
Daniel H. Wolf ◽  
Theodore D. Satterthwaite ◽  
Kosha Ruparel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Matter Density ◽  
Gray Matter Density ◽  
Age Related

scholarly journals Variations in structural MRI quality significantly impact commonly used measures of brain anatomy

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alysha D. Gilmore ◽  
Nicholas J. Buser ◽  
Jamie L. Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Brain Anatomy ◽  
Cortical Surface ◽  
Cortical Surface Area ◽  
Multiple Regions ◽  
Subcortical Volumes

AbstractSubject motion can introduce noise into neuroimaging data and result in biased estimations of brain structure. In-scanner motion can compromise data quality in a number of ways and varies widely across developmental and clinical populations. However, quantification of structural image quality is often limited to proxy or indirect measures gathered from functional scans; this may be missing true differences related to these potential artifacts. In this study, we take advantage of novel informatic tools, the CAT12 toolbox, to more directly measure image quality from T1-weighted images to understand if these measures of image quality: (1) relate to rigorous quality-control checks visually completed by human raters; (2) are associated with sociodemographic variables of interest; (3) influence regional estimates of cortical surface area, cortical thickness, and subcortical volumes from the commonly used Freesurfer tool suite. We leverage public-access data that includes a community-based sample of children and adolescents, spanning a large age-range (N = 388; ages 5–21). Interestingly, even after visually inspecting our data, we find image quality significantly impacts derived cortical surface area, cortical thickness, and subcortical volumes from multiple regions across the brain (~ 23.4% of all areas investigated). We believe these results are important for research groups completing structural MRI studies using Freesurfer or other morphometric tools. As such, future studies should consider using measures of image quality to minimize the influence of this potential confound in group comparisons or studies focused on individual differences.

scholarly journals Asymmetry Map of Human Brain in Young Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Malekzadeh ◽  
Alireza Kashani
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Cortical Surface ◽  
Cortical Surface Area ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Cortical Regions

AbstractAlthough, asymmetry is a central organizational aspect of human brain, it has not been clearly described yet. Here, we have studied structural brain asymmetry in 1113 young adults using data obtained from Human Connectome Project. A significant rightward asymmetry in mean global cerebral cortical thickness, surface area and gray matter volume as well as volumes of cerebral white matter, cerebellar cortex and white matter, hippocampus, putamen, caudate nucleus, nucleus accumbens and amygdala was observed. Thalamus showed a leftward asymmetry. Regionally, most cerebral cortical regions show a significant rightward asymmetry in thickness. However, cortical surface area and gray matter volume are more evenly distributed between two hemispheres with almost half of the regions showing a leftward asymmetry. In addition, a strong correlation between cortical surface area and gray matter volume as well as their asymmetry indices was noted which results in concordant asymmetry patterns between cortical surface area and gray matter volume in most cortical regions.

Surface anatomical profile of the cerebral cortex in obsessive–compulsive disorder: a study of cortical thickness, folding and surface area

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1081-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Fan ◽  
L. Palaniyappan ◽  
L. Tan ◽  
J. Wang ◽  
X. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Unbiased Estimation ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Cortical Surface ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Compulsive Disorder

BackgroundStudying the distribution of anatomical abnormalities over the entire cortical surface can help to identify key neural circuits implicated in generating symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders. There is a significant inconsistency among studies investigating the neuroanatomy of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) because of the confounding influence of co-morbid depression and medication use and the lack of unbiased estimation of whole-brain morphometric changes. It is also unknown whether the distinct surface anatomical properties of thickness, surface area and gyrification, which collectively contribute to grey matter volume (GMV), are independently affected in OCD.MethodThe cortical maps of thickness, gyrification and surface areal change were acquired from 23 unmedicated OCD patients and 20 healthy controls using an unbiased whole-brain surface-based morphometric (SBM) method to detect regional changes in OCD. Subcortical structures were not assessed in this study.ResultsPatients showed a significant increase in the right inferior parietal cortical thickness. Significant increases in gyrification were also noted in the left insula, left middle frontal and left lateral occipital regions extending to the precuneus and right supramarginal gyrus in OCD. Areal contraction/expansion maps revealed no significant regional differences between the patients and controls. In patients, gyrification of the insula significantly predicted the symptom severity measured using Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (YBOCS).ConclusionsAn alteration in the cortical surface anatomy is an important feature of OCD seen in unmedicated samples that relates to the severity of the illness. The results underscore the presence of a neurodevelopmental aberration underlying the pathophysiology of OCD.

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