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

• Published in: Human brain mapping Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 452 - 469
• Main Authors: Modabbernia, Amirhossein, Agartz, Ingrid, Aghajani, Moji, Akudjedu, Theophilus N, Anton Albajes‐Eizagirre, Banaschewski, Tobias, Ramona Baur‐Streubel, Bonvino, Aurora, Boomsma, Dorret I, Borgwardt, Stefan, Bourque, Josiane, Brodaty, Henry, Brouwer, Rachel M, Buckner, Randy L, Calhoun, Vincent, Cannon, Dara M, Caseras, Xavier, Tiffany M Chaim‐Avancini, Ching, Christopher R K, Conzelmann, Annette, Benedicto Crespo‐Facorro, Crone, Eveline A, Dannlowski, Udo, Dale, Anders M, de Haan, Lieuwe, de Zubicaray, Greig I, Dickie, Erin W, Dørum, Erlend S, Erk, Susanne, Frodl, Thomas, Gotlib, Ian H, Grimm, Oliver, Grotegerd, Dominik, Gruner, Patricia, Gur, Ruben C, Hahn, Tim, Harrison, Ben J, Hartman, Catharine A, Hatton, Sean N, Hibar, Derrek P, Hickie, Ian B, Beng‐Choon Ho, Holmes, Avram J, Hoogman, Martine, Hosten, Norbert, Jönsson, Erik G, Joska, John A, Klyushnik, Tatyana P, Koops, Sanne, Krämer, Bernd, Lázaro, Luisa, Lebedeva, Irina, Lee, Won Hee, Klaus‐Peter Lesch, Machielsen, Marise W J, Maingault, Sophie, Martin, Nicholas G, Ignacio Martínez‐Zalacaín, McMahon, Katie L, Meinert, Susanne, Menchón, José M, Medland, Sarah E, Andreas Meyer‐Lindenberg, Nakao, Tomohiro, Nordvik, Jan E, Nyberg, Lars, Oosterlaan, Jaap, Pauli, Paul, Edith Pomarol‐Clotet, Radua, Joaquim, Rinker, Daniel A, Sacchet, Matthew D, Saykin, Andrew J, Schumann, Gunter, Smoller, Jordan W, Sommer, Iris, Strike, Lachlan T, Tamnes, Christian K, Temmingh, Henk S, Thomopoulos, Sophia I, Tomyshev, Alexander S, Diana Tordesillas‐Gutiérrez, Trollor, Julian N, Odile A van den Heuvel, van den Meer, Dennis, Nic J A van der Wee, Neeltje E M van Haren, Dennis van't Ent, Theo G M van Erp, Voineskos, Aristotle, Walter, Henrik, Wang, Yang, Wassink, Thomas H, West, John D, Whalley, Heather, Wittfeld, Katharina, Wright, Margaret J, Yang, Kun, Yoncheva, Yulyia, Zanetti, Marcus V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Antonio John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Age; Alzheimer's disease; Amygdala; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Basal ganglia; Brain; Brain research; Cognition & reasoning; Ganglia; Genetics; Globus pallidus; Hippocampus; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Life span; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical imaging; Memory; Morphometry; Neuroimaging; Nucleus accumbens; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Putamen; Thalamus; Ventricle (lateral); Working groups; Indiana; United States > US
• ISSN: 1065-9471; 1097-0193
• DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25320

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.