Work

The Genetic Contributions to Maturational Coupling in the Human Cerebrum: A Longitudinal Pediatric Twin Imaging Study

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Although prior studies have demonstrated that genetic factors play the dominant role in the patterning of the pediatric brain, it remains unclear how these patterns change over time. Using 1748 longitudinal anatomic MRI scans from 792 healthy twins and siblings, we quantified how genetically mediated inter-regional associations change over time via multivariate longitudinal structural equation modeling. These analyses found that genetic correlations for both lobar volumes and cortical thickness are dynamic, with relatively static effects on surface area. While genetic correlations for lobar volumes decrease over childhood and adolescence, in general they increase for cortical thickness in the second decade of life. Quantification of how genetic factors influence maturational coupling improves our understanding of typical neurodevelopment and informs future molecular genetic analyses.

Source: Cerebral Cortex

DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx190

Authors: J Eric Schmitt, Jay N Giedd, Armin Raznahan, Michael C Neale

Institutions: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of California San Diego, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, Virginia Commonwealth University

Language: English

Topic: Genetic Associations and Epidemiology

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences