Wu Xinran, Zhang Kai, Kuang Nanyu, Kong Xiangzhen, Cao Miao, Lian Zhengxu, Liu Yu, Fan Huanxin, Yu Gechang, Liu Zhaowen, Cheng Wei, Jia Tianye, Sahakian Barbara J, Robbins Trevor W, Feng Jianfeng, Schumann Gunter, Palaniyappan Lena, Zhang Jie
Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China.
Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, PR China.
Nat Commun. 2025 May 14;16(1):4480. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59110-9.
Cerebral asymmetry, fundamental to various cognitive functions, is often disrupted in neuropsychiatric disorders. While brain growth has been extensively studied, the maturation of brain asymmetry in children and the factors influencing it in adolescence remain poorly understood. We analyze longitudinal data from 11,270 children aged 10-14 years in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Our analysis maps the developmental trajectory of structural brain asymmetry. We identify significant age-related, modality-specific development patterns. These patterns link to crystallized intelligence and mental health problems, but with weak correlations. Genetically, structural asymmetry relates to synaptic processes and neuron projections, likely through asymmetric synaptic pruning. At the microstructural level, corpus callosum integrity emerged as a key factor modulating the developing asymmetry. Environmentally, favorable perinatal conditions were associated with prolonged corpus callosum development, which affected future asymmetry patterns and cognitive outcomes. These findings underscore the dynamic yet predictable interactions between brain asymmetry, its structural determinants, and cognitive and psychiatric outcomes during a pivotal developmental stage. Our results provide empirical support for the adaptive plasticity theory in cerebral asymmetry and offer insights into both cognitive maturation and potential risk for early-onset mental health problems.
大脑不对称性是各种认知功能的基础，在神经精神疾病中常常受到破坏。虽然大脑发育已得到广泛研究，但儿童大脑不对称性的成熟以及青春期影响其的因素仍知之甚少。我们分析了青少年大脑认知发展（ABCD）研究中11270名10至14岁儿童的纵向数据。我们的分析绘制了大脑结构不对称性的发育轨迹。我们确定了与年龄相关的、特定模态的显著发育模式。这些模式与晶体智力和心理健康问题相关，但相关性较弱。在基因方面，结构不对称性可能通过不对称的突触修剪与突触过程和神经元投射有关。在微观结构层面，胼胝体完整性成为调节发育中不对称性的关键因素。在环境方面，良好的围产期条件与胼胝体发育延长有关，这会影响未来的不对称模式和认知结果。这些发现强调了在关键发育阶段大脑不对称性、其结构决定因素以及认知和精神结果之间动态但可预测的相互作用。我们的结果为大脑不对称性的适应性可塑性理论提供了实证支持，并为认知成熟和早发性心理健康问题的潜在风险提供了见解。
