Cell Reports (Dec 2023)

Development of white matter fiber covariance networks supports executive function in youth

  • Joëlle Bagautdinova,
  • Josiane Bourque,
  • Valerie J. Sydnor,
  • Matthew Cieslak,
  • Aaron F. Alexander-Bloch,
  • Maxwell A. Bertolero,
  • Philip A. Cook,
  • Raquel E. Gur,
  • Ruben C. Gur,
  • Fengling Hu,
  • Bart Larsen,
  • Tyler M. Moore,
  • Hamsanandini Radhakrishnan,
  • David R. Roalf,
  • Russel T. Shinohara,
  • Tinashe M. Tapera,
  • Chenying Zhao,
  • Aristeidis Sotiras,
  • Christos Davatzikos,
  • Theodore D. Satterthwaite

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 42, no. 12
p. 113487

Abstract

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Summary: During adolescence, the brain undergoes extensive changes in white matter structure that support cognition. Data-driven approaches applied to cortical surface properties have led the field to understand brain development as a spatially and temporally coordinated mechanism that follows hierarchically organized gradients of change. Although white matter development also appears asynchronous, previous studies have relied largely on anatomical tract-based atlases, precluding a direct assessment of how white matter structure is spatially and temporally coordinated. Harnessing advances in diffusion modeling and machine learning, we identified 14 data-driven patterns of covarying white matter structure in a large sample of youth. Fiber covariance networks aligned with known major tracts, while also capturing distinct patterns of spatial covariance across distributed white matter locations. Most networks showed age-related increases in fiber network properties, which were also related to developmental changes in executive function. This study delineates data-driven patterns of white matter development that support cognition.

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