Quantitative tract-based white matter heritability in twin neonates

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• White matter microstructure heritability is established in adults using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
• Genetic and environmental influences on DTI parameters in early childhood remain largely unexplored.
• Understanding early development is crucial for individual differences in brain structure and function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify heritability of white matter microstructure in neonates.
• To examine genetic and environmental influences on fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusion (RD), and axial diffusion (AD) along 47 fiber tracts.
• To investigate tract-specific variations in genetic influences at birth.

Main Methods:

• Utilized quantitative tractography on a cohort of 356 neonatal twins.
• Assessed heritability of FA, RD, and AD parameters.
• Analyzed genetic influences along the length of individual white matter tracts.

Main Results:

• Significant genetic influences were detected in nearly all analyzed white matter tracts.
• Heritability estimates for FA, RD, and AD were comparable across tracts.
• Positive correlations were observed between these DTI parameters and their heritability.
• Genetic influences showed considerable variability along the length of individual tracts.

Conclusions:

• Neonatal white matter microstructure exhibits significant genetic determination.
• There is substantial heterogeneity in genetic influences on white matter microstructure within tracts at birth.
• These findings establish a foundation for studying developmental changes in genetic and environmental influences in early childhood.