Comprehensive large-scale analyses reveal association between brain structure and cognitive ability during
Jiadong Yan1,2, Yasser Iturria-Medina3,4, Gleb Bezgin3
1Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. jiadong.yan@mail.mcgill.ca.
Communications Biology
|March 13, 2026
Summary
Adolescent brain development shows significant changes in structure and cognition. Associations between brain structure and cognitive abilities are strongest in specific brain regions and change with age, particularly in frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Adolescence involves significant brain structure and cognitive changes.
- Previous research on brain-structure cognition links is limited by small samples and narrow measures.
- Understanding age-dependent associations is crucial for cognitive development insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between adolescent brain structure and cognitive abilities.
- To characterize the age-dependence of these brain-cognition associations.
- To identify key brain regions and metrics involved in cognitive development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large cohort (n=8534, ages 9-15) with structural MRI and diffusion imaging.
- Derived 16 regional metrics and integrated them into morphometric similarity networks.
- Applied large-scale models to analyze associations with cognitive subtests and general intelligence (g).
Main Results:
- Brain areas with strongest cognition associations also showed greatest age-dependence, particularly in frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes.
- Structural MRI measures and global hub metrics demonstrated stronger, more age-dependent associations than diffusion metrics or local measures.
- Identified specific brain features and their age-dependent relationships with cognitive performance.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a comprehensive characterization of adolescent brain structure-cognition associations.
- Age-dependent changes in brain structure significantly influence cognitive development.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering age in understanding brain-cognition relationships during adolescence.
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