Developmental trajectories for global brain volume and subcortical regions. Trajectories (with 95% confidence intervals) are plotted separately for females, males, and both sexes, and overlaid on individual trajectories for each participant. Cortical GM = cortical grey matter. WM = white matter. TBV = total brain volume.
Our recent study, led by Chloe Carrick and published in Human Brain Mapping, identifies individual differences in the timing and pace of maturation of global and subcortical brain volumes during adolescence. We harnessed data from the Danish HUBU study, which includes up to 12 repeated MRI scans per individual (N = 90), spanning ages 7 to 21 years.
We used nonlinear mixed modelling techniques to characterize average patterns of change in each brain structure, as well as inter-individual variability in developmental trajectories. Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) were applied to examine group-level developmental trajectories, while nonlinear mixed models (NLMMs) were used to quantify individual differences in key parameters of brain maturation, including the inflection point (the age at which volumetric change is most rapid) and the slope (the rate of volumetric change).
We observed dynamic changes across all brain structures in adolescence. Key findings include substantial inter-individual variability in the age at which individuals had most rapid volumetric change in cortical grey matter, white matter, and the pallidum. For example, inflection points in cortical grey matter development differed by up to 7.5 years between individuals. We also observed individual variations in the rate at which caudate volume decreased across adolescence. Developmental trajectories further differed by sex. For example, females had an earlier inflection point by several years in cortical grey matter than males.
This study provides new insight into how adolescents differ in the timing and pace of brain development. Future work can examine how different intrinsic factors like puberty, and extrinsic factors like home and neighbourhood environments, relate to these variations.
Carrick, C., Baaré, W. F. C., Vitoratou, S., Madsen, K. S.+ & Fuhrmann, D.+ (2025). Individual differences in developmental trajectories of global and subcortical brain volumes between late childhood and late adolescence: Findings from a 12-wave neuroimaging study. Human Brain Mapping, 46, 14: e70348. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70348. + joint last authors.