Insights into Brain Microstructure Changes Across Lifespan
Ezequiel Farrher, Farida Grinberg, Tamara Khechiashvili, Irene Neuner, Kerstin Konrad and N. Jon Shah
13th May 2024
In a recent study, INM-4 researchers have demonstrated how diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) metrics offer valuable insights into the heterochronicity of microstructural maturation. The findings, published in Brain Sciences, shed light on the changes in brain tissue microstructure throughout maturation and ageing.
DTI and DKI are advanced MR imaging techniques that enable the assessment of brain tissue microstructure in vivo. While DTI metrics offer only mild sensitivity to tissue microstructural changes during ageing, recent studies suggest that the sensitivity of DKI metrics is significantly larger.
In this study, researchers aimed to further explore the heterochronicity of microstructural maturation between pre-adolescence and middle adulthood using DTI and DKI metrics. By analysing the effect size of between-group parametric changes via the Cohen’s d of different DKI metrics, it was possible to rank the maturation level of different anatomical white matter structures. It was found that the highest level of maturity was achieved by commissural fibres, followed by projection fibres, and association fibres being the least matured.
These findings provide substantial evidence for the existence of spatial gradients in the timing of white matter maturation and suggest that Cohen’s d of mean kurtosis (a rotationally invariant derived from the kurtosis tensor) is a useful biomarker for the investigation of maturation spatial heterogeneity and heterochronicity.
Furthermore, this research contributes to our understanding of brain development and ageing, paving the way for future studies aimed at elucidating the complex processes underlying brain microstructural changes and cognitive development across the lifespan.
Original publication: Spatiotemporal Patterns of White Matter Maturation after Pre-Adolescence: A Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging Study