Abstract
Different cortical regions vary systematically in their morphology. Here we investigate if the scaling law of cortical morphology, which was previously demonstrated across both human subjects and mammalian species, still holds within a single cortex across different brain regions. By topologically correcting for regional curvature, we could analyse how different morphological parameters co-vary within single cortices. We show in over 1500 healthy individuals that, despite their morphological diversity, regions of the same cortex obey the same universal scaling law, and age morphologically at similar rates. In Alzheimer’s disease, we observe a premature ageing in the morphological parameters that was nevertheless consistent with the scaling law. The premature ageing effect was most dramatic in the temporal lobe. Thus, while morphology can vary substantially across cortical regions, subjects, and species, it always does so in accordance with a common scaling law, suggesting that the underlying processes driving cortical gyrification are universal.
Highlights
Different cortical regions vary systematically in their morphology
This model is based on the assumption that cortical morphology minimises an effective free energy that takes into account a pressure-like term and the self-avoiding nature of the cortical surface[8]
Examining the human data in greater detail, we have shown that there is no significant variation in the scaling exponent α, but we noted a systematic decrease of the offset parameter k with age[9], which may be interpreted as a slackening of white matter axonal tension or a decrease in white matter axonal density
Summary
We investigate if the scaling law of cortical morphology, which was previously demonstrated across both human subjects and mammalian species, still holds within a single cortex across different brain regions. We can think of both the exponent α and the offset k as two natural probes into cortical morphology, applicable across any number of conditions and groups The former tests the universality of the gyrification mechanism, and the latter measures changes in physical properties. As currently formulated these probes are only applicable in group analyses across either species or individuals, but not across regions within a single cortex It is known, that there are systematic variations in cortical morphology between cortical regions and region-specific changes with age Natural questions are: Are the mechanisms of gyrification the same for all cortical regions within a single cortex? Are there systematic regional differences in the timing and extent of folding during ageing, and in health vs. disease?
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