Schilling, Kurt G., Chad, Jordan A., Chamberland, Maxime, Nozais, Victor, Rheault, François, Archer, Derek, Li, Muwei, Gao, Yurui, Cai, Leon, Del’Acqua, Flavio, Newton, Allen, Moyer, Daniel, Gore, John C., Lebel, Catherine, & Landman, Bennett A. (2023). White matter tract microstructure, macrostructure, and associated cortical gray matter morphology across the lifespan. *Imaging Neuroscience, 1*, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00050
Understanding how the human brain changes throughout life—from infancy to old age—is essential for learning about childhood development, aging, and brain disorders. In this study, we aimed to provide detailed information about the brain’s white matter pathways by examining their tiny structures (microstructure), larger organization (macrostructure), and the shape of the brain’s outer layer (cortex) connected to these pathways. We analyzed four large, high-quality datasets that included 2,789 brain scans from people aged 0 to 100 years, using advanced imaging techniques. We found that different features of white matter pathways develop and decline at different times and rates, depending on the brain area and pathway type. We also discovered connections between various features that could help explain biological changes at different life stages. Additionally, the patterns of change with age were unique for each feature, and the way white matter changes during development is strongly linked to how it changes during aging. Overall, this study provides important baseline data about white matter pathways in the human brain, which can help future research on normal brain development as well as brain diseases.
Fig 1
Microstructural, macrostructural, and cortical features associated with each of 63 white matter bundles.
