Cited by 278Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and ApplicationsFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesCognitive Abilities and Testing

Changes in white matter microstructure during adolescence

Giorgio, A., Watkins, K.E., Douaud, G., James, A.C., James, S., De Stefano, N., Matthews, P.M., Smith, S.M. +1 more·2008·NeuroImage

Abstract

Postmortem histological studies have demonstrated that myelination in human brain white matter (WM) continues throughout adolescence and well into adulthood. We used in vivo diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to test for age-related WM changes in 42 adolescents and 20 young adults. Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) analysis of the adolescent data identified widespread age-related increases in fractional anisotropy (FA) that were most significant in clusters including the body of the corpus callosum and right superior corona radiata. These changes were driven by changes in perpendicular, rather than parallel, diffusivity. These WM clusters were used as seeds for probabilistic tractography, allowing us to identify the regions as belonging to callosal, corticospinal, and prefrontal tracts. We also performed voxel-based morphometry-style analysis of conventional T1-weighted images to test for age-related changes in grey matter (GM). We identified a cluster including right middle frontal and precentral gyri that showed an age-related decrease in GM density through adolescence and connected with the tracts showing age-related WM FA increases. The GM density decrease was highly significantly correlated with the WM FA increase in the connected cluster. Age-related changes in FA were much less prominent in the young adult group, but we did find a significant age-related increase in FA in the right superior longitudinal fascicle, suggesting that structural development of this pathway continues into adulthood. Our results suggest that significant microstructural changes in WM continue throughout adolescence and are associated with corresponding age-related changes in cortical GM regions.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.07.043

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Authors
Giorgio, A., Watkins, K. E., Douaud, G., James, A. C., James, S., De Stefano, N., Matthews, P. M., Smith, S. M., & Johansen-Berg, H.
Affiliations
  • University of Siena (IT)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • Warneford Hospital (GB)
  • GlaxoSmithKline (United Kingdom) (GB)
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-01
Volume
39
Issue
1
Pages
52-61
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1968285450
Cited by
278
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 16
FWCI
20.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Use Siena air (University of Siena) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
  • Wellcome Trust
  • Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Keywords
white matter microstructure, adolescence, myelination, fractional anisotropy, corpus callosum, superior corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus, corticospinal tract, gray matter density, age-related brain development, diffusion-weighted imaging, tract-based spatial statistics, probabilistic tractography
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aging, Brain, Female, Humans, Male, Nerve Fibers, Myelinated, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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