Subject-level measurement of local cortical coupling

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Computational Anatomy

Background:

• The human cortex is highly folded, with thickness varying between gyri and sulci.
• Cortical thickness differences evolve throughout adolescence, but development is spatially heterogeneous.
• Global comparisons may miss localized developmental variations or psychopathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a novel measure, local cortical coupling, to assess localized topological relationships between cortical thickness and sulcal depth.
• Investigate spatial heterogeneity, developmental trajectories, and sex differences in local cortical coupling.
• Establish local cortical coupling as a potential neuroimaging phenotype for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Main Methods:

• Developed and applied the local cortical coupling measure.
• Utilized a large cross-sectional sample (n=932) of youth from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort.
• Analyzed subject-level coupling maps using standard neuroimaging tools.

Main Results:

• Local cortical coupling is spatially heterogeneous across the cortex.
• Coupling exhibits nonlinear developmental trajectories in youth.
• Significant sex differences in coupling suggest divergent patterns of cortical topology.

Conclusions:

• Local cortical coupling is a sensitive measure of localized cortical development.
• Developmental and sex differences in coupling highlight its potential for studying brain development.
• This novel phenotype may aid in investigating neuropsychiatric disorders linked to developmental abnormalities.