Subcortical volumes across the lifespan: Data from 18,605 healthy individuals aged 3–90 years

Karolinska Schizophrenia Project (KaSP), Anders M. Dale, Christopher Davey, Greig I. Zubicaray, Erin W. Dickie, Annabella Di Giorgio, Nhat Trung Doan, Erlend S. Dørum, Stefan Ehrlich, Susanne Erk, Thomas Espeseth, Helena Fatouros‐bergman, Simon E. Fisher, Jean‐paul Fouche, Barbara Franke, Thomas Frodl, Paola Fuentes‐claramonte, David C. Glahn, Ian H. Gotlib, Hans‐jörgen GrabeOliver Grimm, Nynke A. Groenewold, Dominik Grotegerd, Oliver Gruber, Patricia Gruner, Rachel E. Gur, Ruben C. Gur, Ben J. Harrison, Sean N. Hatton, Andreas Heinz, Derrek P. Hibar, Ian B. Hickie, Beng‐choon Ho, Pieter J. Hoekstra, Sarah Hohmann, Avram J. Holmes, Martine Hoogman, Norbert Hosten, Fleur M. Howells, Hilleke E. Hulshoff Pol, Neda Jahanshad, Anthony James, Terry L. Jernigan, Jiyang Jiang, Erik G. Jönsson, John A. Joska, Rene Kahn, Andrew Kalnin, Ryota Kanai, Marieke Klein, Tatyana P. Klyushnik, Sanne Koops, Bernd Krämer, Jonna Kuntsi, Jim Lagopoulos, Luisa Lázaro, Irina Lebedeva, Won Hee Lee, Klaus‐peter Lesch, Christine Lochner, Sophie Maingault, Nicholas G. Martin, Ignacio Martínez‐zalacaín, David Mataix‐cols, Bernard Mazoyer, Colm Mcdonald, Brenna C. Mcdonald, Andrew M. Mcintosh, Katie L. Mcmahon, Genevieve Mcphilemy, José M. Menchón, Sarah E. Medland, Andreas Meyer‐lindenberg, Jilly Naaijen, Pablo Najt, Tomohiro Nakao, Jan E. Nordvik, Lars Nyberg, Víctor Ortiz‐garcía Foz, Yannis Paloyelis, Paul Pauli, Giulio Pergola, Edith Pomarol‐clotet, Maria J. Portella, Steven G. Potkin, Joaquim Radua, Andreas Reif, Daniel A. Rinker, Joshua L. Roffman, Pedro G. P. Rosa, Matthew D. Sacchet, Perminder S. Sachdev, Raymond Salvador, Pascual Sánchez‐juan, Salvador Sarró, Theodore D. Satterthwaite, Andrew J. Saykin, Mauricio H. Serpa, Knut Schnell, Gunter Schumann, Kang Sim, Jordan W. Smoller, Iris Sommer, Carles Soriano‐mas, Dan J. Stein, Lachlan T. Strike, Suzanne C. Swagerman, Christian K. Tamnes, Henk S. Temmingh, Sophia I. Thomopoulos, Alexander S. Tomyshev, Diana Tordesillas‐gutiérrez, Julian N. Trollor, Jessica A. Turner, Anne Uhlmann, Dennis Meer, Nic J. A. Wee, Neeltje E. M. Haren, Dennis van 't Ent, Theo G. M. Erp, Aristotle Voineskos, Henry Völzke, Henrik Walter, Esther Walton, Lei Wang, Thomas H. Wassink, Bernd Weber, Wei Wen, John D. West, Lars T. Westlye, Heather Whalley, Lara M. Wierenga, Steven C. R. Williams, Katharina Wittfeld, Daniel H. Wolf, Amanda Worker, Margaret J. Wright, Kun Yang, Yulyia Yoncheva, Marcus V. Zanetti, Georg C. Ziegler, Paul M. Thompson, Sophia Frangou

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47 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age-related trajectories inferred from cross-sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3–90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter-individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age-related morphometric patterns.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)452-469
Number of pages18
JournalHuman brain mapping
Volume43
Issue number1
Early online date11 Feb 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2022

Keywords

  • ENIGMA
  • brain morphometry
  • longitudinal trajectories
  • multisite

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