Cited by 304Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and ApplicationsFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesAdvanced MRI Techniques and Applications

Trajectories of cortical thickness maturation in normal brain development — The importance of quality control procedures

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Ducharme, Simon, Albaugh, Matthew D., Nguyen, Tuong-Vi, Hudziak, James J., Mateos-Pérez, J.M., Labbe, Aurelie, Evans, Alan C., Karama, Sherif·2016·NeuroImage

Abstract

Several reports have described cortical thickness (CTh) developmental trajectories, with conflicting results. Some studies have reported inverted-U shape curves with peaks of CTh in late childhood to adolescence, while others suggested predominant monotonic decline after age 6. In this study, we reviewed CTh developmental trajectories in the NIH MRI Study of Normal Brain Development, and in a second step, evaluated the impact of post-processing quality control (QC) procedures on identified trajectories. The quality-controlled sample included 384 individual subjects with repeated scanning (1-3 per subject, total scans n=753) from 4.9 to 22.3years of age. The best-fit model (cubic, quadratic, or first-order linear) was identified at each vertex using mixed-effects models. The majority of brain regions showed linear monotonic decline of CTh. There were few areas of cubic trajectories, mostly in bilateral temporo-parietal areas and the right prefrontal cortex, in which CTh peaks were at, or prior to, age 8. When controlling for total brain volume, CTh trajectories were even more uniformly linear. The only sex difference was faster thinning of occipital areas in boys compared to girls. The best-fit model for whole brain mean thickness was a monotonic decline of 0.027mm per year. QC procedures had a significant impact on identified trajectories, with a clear shift toward more complex trajectories (i.e., quadratic or cubic) when including all scans without QC (n=954). Trajectories were almost exclusively linear when using only scans that passed the most stringent QC (n=598). The impact of QC probably relates to decreasing the inclusion of scans with CTh underestimation secondary to movement artifacts, which are more common in younger subjects. In summary, our results suggest that CTh follows a simple linear decline in most cortical areas by age 5, and all areas by age 8. This study further supports the crucial importance of implementing post-processing QC in CTh studies of development, aging, and neuropsychiatric disorders.

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  • Motion in the scanner can significantly influence measures of cortical thickness and surface area, DTI parameters, and resting-state networks.

    “It is increasingly recognized that motion in the scanner can significantly influence measures of cortical thickness and surface area27, 218, as well as DTI parameters (Box 2)219 and resting-state networks (Box 3)220,219.”
  • Motion tends to reduce estimates of grey-matter volume and cortical thickness and can influence observed trajectories of cortical thickness maturation.

    “Motion tends to reduce estimates of grey-matter volume and cortical thickness221 and can influence observed trajectories of cortical thickness maturation as well27.”
  • The postnatal sex difference in brain volume is probably driven by differences in surface area expansion, because global and regional cortical thickness trajectories are highly similar in males and females.

    “These differences are probably driven by differences in surface area expansion, as the maturational trajectories of global and regional cortical thickness are highly similar in males and females4, 20, 27.”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [40]Shaw P Gilliam M Liverpool M Cortical development in typically developing children with symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity: support for a dimensional view of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Am J Psychiatry 2 2011 168 2 143 151 21159727 PMC3268520
  2. [43]Giedd J Blumenthal J Jeffries N Brain development during childhood and adolescence: a longitudinal MRI study Nature Neuroscience 1999 2 10 861 863 10491603

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Authors
Ducharme, S., Albaugh, M. D., Nguyen, T.-V., Hudziak, J. J., Mateos-Pérez, J. M., Labbe, A., Evans, A. C., & Karama, S.
Affiliations
  • Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (CA)
  • University of Vermont (US)
  • McGill University Health Centre (CA)
Corresponding author
  • Ducharme, Simon
  • Karama, Sherif
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-01
Volume
125
Pages
267-279
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1755973449
Cited by
304
References
53
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 1
FWCI
20.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • Fondation Brain Canada
  • Molson Foundation
  • National Institute of Mental Health
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (-2320, -2319, N01-HD02-3343, N01-NS-9-2314, N01-MH9-0002)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé
  • Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital
  • National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
Keywords
cortical thickness, brain development, developmental trajectories, cortical thinning, quality control, motion artifacts, sex differences, prefrontal cortex, occipital cortex, temporoparietal cortex, total brain volume
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Cerebral Cortex, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Quality Control, Sex Characteristics, Young Adult

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