Human subcortical brain asymmetries in 15,847 people worldwide reveal effects of age and sex

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Tulio Guadalupe - , Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Samuel R. Mathias - , Yale University (Author)
  • Theo G.M. vanErp - , University of California at Irvine (Author)
  • Christopher D. Whelan - , University of Southern California, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (Author)
  • Marcel P. Zwiers - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Yoshinari Abe - , Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (Author)
  • Lucija Abramovic - , Utrecht University (Author)
  • Ingrid Agartz - , University of Oslo, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Karolinska Institutet (Author)
  • Ole A. Andreassen - , University of Oslo (Author)
  • Alejandro Arias-Vásquez - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Benjamin S. Aribisala - , Lagos State University, University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Nicola J. Armstrong - , University of New South Wales, Murdoch University (Author)
  • Volker Arolt - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Eric Artiges - , INSERM - Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Author)
  • Rosa Ayesa-Arriola - , Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network (Author)
  • Vatche G. Baboyan - , University of Southern California (Author)
  • Tobias Banaschewski - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Gareth Barker - , King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Mark E. Bastin - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Bernhard T. Baune - , University of Adelaide (Author)
  • John Blangero - , Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (Author)
  • Arun L.W. Bokde - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Premika S.W. Boedhoe - , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) (Author)
  • Anushree Bose - , National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) (Author)
  • Silvia Brem - , University of Zurich (Author)
  • Henry Brodaty - , University of New South Wales (Author)
  • Uli Bromberg - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Samantha Brooks - , University of Cape Town (Author)
  • Christian Büchel - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Jan Buitelaar - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Vince D. Calhoun - , University of New Mexico, The Mind Research Network (Author)
  • Dara M. Cannon - , University of Galway (Author)
  • Anna Cattrell - , King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Yuqi Cheng - , Kunming Medical College (Author)
  • Patricia J. Conrod - , University of Montreal, King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Annette Conzelmann - , University of Würzburg, University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Aiden Corvin - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Benedicto Crespo-Facorro - , Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network (Author)
  • Fabrice Crivello - , Université de Bordeaux (Author)
  • Udo Dannlowski - , University of Münster, University of Marburg (Author)
  • Greig I. de Zubicaray - , Queensland University of Technology (Author)
  • Sonja M.C. de Zwarte - , Utrecht University (Author)
  • Ian J. Deary - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Sylvane Desrivières - , King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Nhat Trung Doan - , University of Oslo (Author)
  • Gary Donohoe - , University of Galway, Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Erlend S. Dørum - , University of Oslo, Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HT (Author)
  • Stefan Ehrlich - , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Massachusetts General Hospital (Author)
  • Thomas Espeseth - , University of Oslo (Author)
  • Guillén Fernández - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Herta Flor - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Jean Paul Fouche - , University of Cape Town (Author)
  • Vincent Frouin - , French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) (Author)
  • Masaki Fukunaga - , National Institutes of Natural Sciences - National Institute for Physiological Sciences (Author)
  • Jürgen Gallinat - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Hugh Garavan - , University of Vermont (Author)
  • Michael Gill - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Andrea Gonzalez Suarez - , Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network (Author)
  • Penny Gowland - , University of Nottingham (Author)
  • Hans J. Grabe - , University of Greifswald, Helios Hospital Stralsund (Author)
  • Dominik Grotegerd - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Oliver Gruber - , University of Göttingen (Author)
  • Saskia Hagenaars - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Ryota Hashimoto - , Osaka University (Author)
  • Tobias U. Hauser - , University of Zurich, University College London (Author)
  • Andreas Heinz - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Derrek P. Hibar - , University of Southern California (Author)
  • Pieter J. Hoekstra - , University of Groningen (Author)
  • Martine Hoogman - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Fleur M. Howells - , University of Cape Town (Author)
  • Hao Hu - , Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Author)
  • Hilleke E. Hulshoff Pol - , Utrecht University (Author)
  • Chaim Huyser - , De Bascule, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC) (Author)
  • Bernd Ittermann - , Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (Author)
  • Neda Jahanshad - , University of Southern California (Author)
  • Erik G. Jönsson - , Karolinska Institutet, University of Oslo (Author)
  • Sarah Jurk - , TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Rene S. Kahn - , Utrecht University (Author)
  • Sinead Kelly - , University of Southern California (Author)
  • Bernd Kraemer - , University of Göttingen (Author)
  • Harald Kugel - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Jun Soo Kwon - , Seoul National University (Author)
  • Herve Lemaitre - , INSERM - Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Author)
  • Klaus Peter Lesch - , University of Würzburg, Maastricht University (Author)
  • Christine Lochner - , University of Stellenbosch (Author)
  • Michelle Luciano - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Andre F. Marquand - , Radboud University Nijmegen, King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Nicholas G. Martin - , Queensland Institute of Medical Research (Author)
  • Ignacio Martínez-Zalacaín - , University of Barcelona (Author)
  • Jean Luc Martinot - , INSERM - Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, Maison de Solenn (Author)
  • David Mataix-Cols - , Karolinska Institutet (Author)
  • Karen Mather - , University of New South Wales (Author)
  • Colm McDonald - , University of Galway (Author)
  • Katie L. McMahon - , University of Queensland (Author)
  • Sarah E. Medland - , Queensland Institute of Medical Research (Author)
  • José M. Menchón - , University of Barcelona, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network (Author)
  • Derek W. Morris - , University of Galway (Author)
  • Omar Mothersill - , Trinity College Dublin, University of Galway (Author)
  • Susana Munoz Maniega - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Benson Mwangi - , University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (Author)
  • Takashi Nakamae - , Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (Author)
  • Tomohiro Nakao - , Kyushu University (Author)
  • Janardhanan C. Narayanaswaamy - , National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) (Author)
  • Frauke Nees - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Jan E. Nordvik - , Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HT (Author)
  • A. Marten H. Onnink - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Nils Opel - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Roel Ophoff - , Utrecht University, University of California at Los Angeles (Author)
  • Marie Laure Paillère Martinot - , INSERM - Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, Université Paris Cité (Author)
  • Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos - , French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) (Author)
  • Paul Pauli - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • Tomáš Paus - , University of Toronto (Author)
  • Luise Poustka - , Heidelberg University , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Janardhan Yc Reddy - , National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) (Author)
  • Miguel E. Renteria - , Queensland Institute of Medical Research (Author)
  • Roberto Roiz-Santiáñez - , Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network (Author)
  • Annerine Roos - , University of Stellenbosch (Author)
  • Natalie A. Royle - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Perminder Sachdev - , University of New South Wales (Author)
  • Pascual Sánchez-Juan - , Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network (Author)
  • Lianne Schmaal - , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) (Author)
  • Gunter Schumann - , King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Elena Shumskaya - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Michael N. Smolka - , Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Neuroimaging Center (Author)
  • Jair C. Soares - , University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (Author)
  • Carles Soriano-Mas - , University of Barcelona, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network, Autonomous University of Barcelona (Author)
  • Dan J. Stein - , University of Cape Town (Author)
  • Lachlan T. Strike - , University of Queensland (Author)
  • Roberto Toro - , Institut Pasteur Paris (Author)
  • Jessica A. Turner - , The Mind Research Network, Georgia State University (Author)
  • Nathalie Tzourio-Mazoyer - , Université de Bordeaux (Author)
  • Anne Uhlmann - , University of Cape Town (Author)
  • Maria Valdés Hernández - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Odile A. van den Heuvel - , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) (Author)
  • Dennis van der Meer - , University of Groningen (Author)
  • Neeltje E.M. van Haren - , Utrecht University (Author)
  • Dick J. Veltman - , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) (Author)
  • Ganesan Venkatasubramanian - , National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) (Author)
  • Nora C. Vetter - , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Neuroimaging Center (Author)
  • Daniella Vuletic - , University of Cape Town (Author)
  • Susanne Walitza - , University of Zurich (Author)
  • Henrik Walter - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Esther Walton - , Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Georgia State University (Author)
  • Zhen Wang - , Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Author)
  • Joanna Wardlaw - , University of Edinburgh (Author)
  • Wei Wen - , University of New South Wales (Author)
  • Lars T. Westlye - , University of Oslo (Author)
  • Robert Whelan - , University College Dublin (Author)
  • Katharina Wittfeld - , German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) (Author)
  • Thomas Wolfers - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Margaret J. Wright - , Queensland Institute of Medical Research, University of Queensland (Author)
  • Jian Xu - , Kunming Medical College (Author)
  • Xiufeng Xu - , Kunming Medical College (Author)
  • Je Yeon Yun - , Seoul National University (Author)
  • Jing Jing Zhao - , University of Galway, Shaanxi Normal University (Author)
  • Barbara Franke - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Paul M. Thompson - , University of Southern California (Author)
  • David C. Glahn - , Yale University, Olin Neuropsychiatric Research Center (Author)
  • Bernard Mazoyer - , Université de Bordeaux (Author)
  • Simon E. Fisher - , Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Clyde Francks - , Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)

Abstract

The two hemispheres of the human brain differ functionally and structurally. Despite over a century of research, the extent to which brain asymmetry is influenced by sex, handedness, age, and genetic factors is still controversial. Here we present the largest ever analysis of subcortical brain asymmetries, in a harmonized multi-site study using meta-analysis methods. Volumetric asymmetry of seven subcortical structures was assessed in 15,847 MRI scans from 52 datasets worldwide. There were sex differences in the asymmetry of the globus pallidus and putamen. Heritability estimates, derived from 1170 subjects belonging to 71 extended pedigrees, revealed that additive genetic factors influenced the asymmetry of these two structures and that of the hippocampus and thalamus. Handedness had no detectable effect on subcortical asymmetries, even in this unprecedented sample size, but the asymmetry of the putamen varied with age. Genetic drivers of asymmetry in the hippocampus, thalamus and basal ganglia may affect variability in human cognition, including susceptibility to psychiatric disorders.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1497-1514
Number of pages18
JournalBrain Imaging and Behavior
Volume11
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2017
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

researchoutputwizard legacy.publication#78953
researchoutputwizard legacy.publication#79402
Scopus 85042457933
PubMed 27738994
ORCID /0000-0003-2132-4445/work/159171199
ORCID /0000-0001-5398-5569/work/159171646
ORCID /0000-0002-1753-7811/work/159171819
ORCID /0000-0003-1477-5395/work/159172133

Keywords

Keywords

  • Age, Enigma, Handedness, Heritability, Meta-analysis, Sex, Subcortical brain asymmetry