Fetal influence on the human brain through the lifespan

Human fetal development has been associated with brain health at later stages. It is unknown whether growth in utero, as indexed by birth weight (BW), relates consistently to lifespan brain characteristics and changes, and to what extent these influences are of a genetic or environmental nature. Her...

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Published ineLife Vol. 12
Main Authors Walhovd, Kristine B, Krogsrud, Stine K, Amlien, Inge K, Sørensen, Øystein, Wang, Yunpeng, Bråthen, Anne Cecilie S, Overbye, Knut, Kransberg, Jonas, Mowinckel, Athanasia M, Magnussen, Fredrik, Herud, Martine, Håberg, Asta K, Fjell, Anders Martin, Vidal-Pineiro, Didac
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 11.04.2024
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Subjects
Age
Aging
Biobanks
Birth weight
Brain
Brain architecture
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive development
cortex
development
Developmental Biology
Discordance
Environmental effects
Ethnicity
Fetuses
Life span
lifespan
Mental health
Neuroscience
Scanners
United Kingdom > UK
cortex
birth weight
development
developmental biology
lifespan
neuroscience
aging
brain
human
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Summary:Human fetal development has been associated with brain health at later stages. It is unknown whether growth in utero, as indexed by birth weight (BW), relates consistently to lifespan brain characteristics and changes, and to what extent these influences are of a genetic or environmental nature. Here we show remarkably stable and lifelong positive associations between BW and cortical surface area and volume across and within developmental, aging and lifespan longitudinal samples (N = 5794, 4-82 y of age, w/386 monozygotic twins, followed for up to 8.3 y w/12,088 brain MRIs). In contrast, no consistent effect of BW on brain changes was observed. Partly environmental effects were indicated by analysis of twin BW discordance. In conclusion, the influence of prenatal growth on cortical topography is stable and reliable through the lifespan. This early-life factor appears to influence the brain by association of brain reserve, rather than brain maintenance. Thus, fetal influences appear omnipresent in the spacetime of the human brain throughout the human lifespan. Optimizing fetal growth may increase brain reserve for life, also in aging.
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ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/eLife.86812