Gender differences in cerebral cortical folding: multivariate complexity-shape analysis with insights into handling...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Anatomy
• Statistical Analysis

Background:

• Cerebral cortical folding patterns are crucial for brain function.
• Previous methods for analyzing cortical folding often oversimplify complexity.
• Understanding gender differences in cortical folding requires sophisticated analytical tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel multivariate statistical descriptor for analyzing cerebral cortical folding patterns.
• To investigate gender differences in adult human cortical folding.
• To provide mathematical insights into the relationship between intracranial volume (ICV) and cortical complexity.

Main Methods:

• Development of a high-dimensional multivariate statistical descriptor for unified description of folding complexity and shape.
• Implementation of a nonparametric permutation-based hypothesis testing scheme.
• Systematic methods for handling intracranial volume (ICV) differences in folding studies.

Main Results:

• The proposed descriptor offers a comprehensive analysis of folding complexity and shape.
• The interpretation of "complexity" varies based on how ICV differences are handled by conventional descriptors.
• Cortical folds exhibit significant shape differences between males and females, dependent on ICV handling.

Conclusions:

• Gender differences in cerebral cortical folding are significant and depend on the analytical approach.
• The novel descriptor provides a more nuanced understanding of cortical folding patterns.
• Accounting for ICV is critical for accurate comparisons of cortical complexity between genders.