Development from childhood to adulthood increases morphological and functional inter-individual variability in the
Milene Bonte1, Martin A Frost, Sanne Rutten
1Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Neuroimage
|July 23, 2013
Summary
Brain development shows stable structure but changing function in the superior temporal cortex (STC). Voice processing becomes more specialized with age, with increased individual differences in the right STC.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Auditory Neuroscience
Background:
- The superior temporal cortex (STC) is crucial for auditory and voice perception.
- Understanding its developmental trajectory, including morphology and function, is key to comprehending brain maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental changes in STC morphology and function across childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.
- To examine how hemispheric asymmetry and inter-subject variability evolve with age in auditory processing regions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cortical surface landmarks and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in children, adolescents, and young adults.
- fMRI responses to voices, natural categories, and tones were assessed.
- Hemispheric asymmetry and inter-subject variability changes were examined across age groups.
Main Results:
- Stable morphological asymmetries (e.g., left planum temporale, right superior temporal sulcus) were observed across all age groups.
- Rightward lateralization for voice-selective responses decreased with age.
- STC responses to voices shifted from diffuse in children to focal in adults.
- Inter-subject variability increased with age in the right STC for both morphology and functional responses.
Conclusions:
- Developmental changes in the STC are asymmetric, impacting auditory and voice perception.
- Increased inter-subject variability in the right STC suggests individual experiences shape brain anatomy and function during development.
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