Individual identification and individual variability analysis based on cortical folding features in developing infant...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Cortical folding exhibits significant individual variability during early brain development.
• Understanding this variability is crucial for diagnosing neurodevelopmental disorders.
• The potential of cortical folding as an individual identifier has not been fully explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if neonatal cortical folding patterns can uniquely identify individuals.
• To identify brain regions with high individual variability in cortical folding.
• To assess if cortical folding can distinguish between twins, including monozygotic pairs.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of cortical folding features (mean curvature, average convexity, sulcal depth) from 1,141 longitudinal MRI scans of 472 neonates.
• Development of an individual identification model based on these features.
• Comparative analysis of cortical folding patterns in twins.

Main Results:

• 100% accuracy in identifying individuals at 1 and 2 years old using neonatal cortical folding features.
• High identification capability and variability observed in high-order association cortices (prefrontal, temporal, parietal) and specific unimodal cortices.
• Accurate individual identification of monozygotic twins, with some regions showing less difference between them than between dizygotic twins.

Conclusions:

• Neonatal cortical folding patterns serve as a reliable biometric 'fingerprint' for individual identification.
• Specific cortical regions exhibit significant individual variability, contributing to identification accuracy.
• Cortical folding patterns are unique even in genetically identical twins, offering insights into developmental uniqueness.