Distinct regionalization patterns of cortical morphology are associated with cognitive performance across different domains

Abstract

Cognitive performance in children is predictive of academic and social outcomes; therefore, understanding neurobiological mechanisms underlying individual differences in cognition during development may be important for improving outcomes. Some theories of intelligence argue that a single latent, psychological construct with a specific neural substrate underlies many cognitive processes. In a previous study, we showed that a distributed configuration of cortical surface area and apparent thickness was associated with cognitive performance in a large sample (N=10,145) of nine and ten year old children from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Here we have compared the similarity of the configuration of cortical morphology best associated with cognitive performance across different tasks. We discovered strikingly distinct regionalisation patterns of cortical areal expansion and apparent thickness associated with measures of crystallised and fluid intelligence. The minimal overlap in these associations has important implications for competing theories about developing intellectual functions.

Integrating across neuroimaging modalities boosts prediction accuracy of cognitive ability

“…One of the strengths of our approach is the assessment of how performance in different cognitive domains associates with a wide range of brain measurements. Overall, our results show that effect sizes tend to be moderate (at most explaining less than 10% of the variance after stacking), which nevertheless go in line with a recent research in a large sample size (N = 10,145) reporting a similar degree of variability using cortical morphology information for predicting fluid and crystallized intelligence [30]. Likewise, we adopted a rigorous strategy that takes in consideration the effects of factors that are known to confound predictions of individual differences in behaviour and cognition (e.g., brain size and education level).…”

Cannabis Use and Brain Volume in Adolescent and Young Adult Cannabis Users: Effects Moderated by Sex and Aerobic Fitness

“…Interestingly, female CAN users had more robust correlations between volume and neuropsychological performance in left inferior temporal and right superior frontal regions. However, it is notable that the smallest sample size was of female CAN users; thus, these findings need replication in larger samples as the magnitude of brain–behavior relationships is potentially smaller than previously recognized (Palmer et al, 2020). Importantly, previous research has demonstrated neuropsychological differences prior to CAN initiation, which represent a risk for use (Cheetham et al, 2012; Jackson et al, 2016; Tervo-Clemmens, Quach, Calabro, Foran, & Luna, 2020), and thus the present findings—particularly the preliminary brain–behavior relationships—are noted as associations rather than causal relationships.…”

White matter association tracts underlying language and theory of mind: An investigation of 809 brains from the Human Connectome Project

“…The extent to which we can associate TPVT and PERT with high-level naturalistic language and ToM is an open area of investigation ( Chen et al, 2019 ; Oakley et al, 2016 ). However, multiple neuroimaging studies have used TPVT and PERT-like assessments to understand the broader networks of language and ToM ( Chen et al, 2019 ; Hawco et al, 2017 ; Jáni and Kašpárek, 2018 ; Mier et al, 2010 ; Palmer et al, 2020 ). In addition, awake intraoperative neurosurgical mapping of language and ToM have utilized similar assessments in the operating room in an effort to preserve the cognition of their patients.…”