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Influence of age, sex and genetic factors on the human brain

  • SI: Genetic Neuroimaging in Aging and Age-Related Diseases
  • Published:
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Abstract

We report effects of age, age2, sex and additive genetic factors on variability in gray matter thickness, surface area and white matter integrity in 1,010 subjects from the Genetics of Brain Structure and Function Study. Age was more strongly associated with gray matter thickness and fractional anisotropy of water diffusion in white matter tracts, while sex was more strongly associated with gray matter surface area. Widespread heritability of neuroanatomic traits was observed, suggesting that brain structure is under strong genetic control. Furthermore, our findings indicate that neuroimaging-based measurements of cerebral variability are sensitive to genetic mediation. Fundamental studies of genetic influence on the brain will help inform gene discovery initiatives in both clinical and normative samples.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the participants in the San Antonio Family Study. Financial support for this study was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health grants MH078143, MH078111 and MH083824; and the National Institute for Heart, Lungs and Blood grant HL045222. The development of the analytical methods and SOLAR software used in this study was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grant R37 MH059490.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    D. Reese McKay, Emma E. M. Knowles, Emma Sprooten & David C. Glahn

  2. Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, 200 Retreat Ave., Hartford, CT, 06106, USA

    D. Reese McKay, Emma E. M. Knowles, Emma Sprooten & David C. Glahn

  3. Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK

    Anderson A. M. Winkler

  4. Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Peter Kochunov

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, 8403 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA

    Rene L. Olvera

  6. Department of Genetics, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, PO Box 760549, San Antonio, TX, 78245, USA

    Joanne E. Curran, Jack W. Kent Jr., Melanie A. Carless, Harald H. H. Göring, Thomas D. Dyer, Ravi Duggirala, Laura Almasy & John Blangero

  7. Research Imaging Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, 8403 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA

    Peter T. Fox

  8. South Texas Veterans Health System, 7400 Merton Minter, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA

    Peter T. Fox

  9. Institute of Living, Whitehall Building 200 Retreat Ave., Hartford, CT, 06106, USA

    D. Reese McKay

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  1. D. Reese McKay
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Correspondence to D. Reese McKay.

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McKay, D.R., Knowles, E.E.M., Winkler, A.A.M. et al. Influence of age, sex and genetic factors on the human brain. Brain Imaging and Behavior 8, 143–152 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-013-9277-5

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