Brain Folding Changes with Age, Study Finds
In a collaborative study carried out by researchers from Newcastle University and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro investigated the way the human brain folds and how this ’cortical folding’ changes with age.
The team found a link between brain folding and tension on the cerebral cortex. They found that as we age, the tension on the cortex appears to decrease. This effect was more pronounced in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
The new research sheds light on the underlying mechanisms which affect brain folding and could be used in the future to help diagnose brain diseases.
"By mapping the brain folding of over 1,000 people, we have shown that our brains fold according to a simple universal law. We also show that a parameter of the law, which is interpreted as the tension on the inside of the cortex, decreases with age. ", said Dr Yujiang Wang, of Newcastle University - the lead author of the study.
"In Alzheimer’s disease, this effect is observed at an earlier age and is more pronounced. The next step will be to see if there is a way to use the changes in folding as an early indicator of disease."
More Insights to the Human Brain
According to Dr Wang, their findings can help scientists study changes in the human brain.
"From this, we identified a parameter that decreases with age, which we interpret as changing the tension on the cortical surface. It would be similar to the skin. As we age, the tension drops and the skin starts to slacken.
The researchers also found differences between the size, surface area, and the degree of folding between male and female brains.
"More work is needed in this area but it does suggest that the effect Alzheimer’s disease has on the folding of the brain is akin to premature ageing of the cortex."
The new findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
Source of this article:
Universality in human cortical folding in health and disease, PNAS
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