Brain-wide association studies (BWAS) are a fundamental tool in discovering brain-behaviour associations. Several recent studies have shown that thousands of study participants are required for good replicability of BWAS. Here we performed analyses and meta-analyses of a robust effect size index using 63 longitudinal and cross-sectional MRI studies from the Lifespan Brain Chart Consortium (77,695 total scans) to demonstrate that optimizing study design is critical for increasing standardized effect sizes and replicability in BWAS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReproducibility of neuroimaging research on infant brain development remains limited due to highly variable protocols and processing approaches. Progress towards reproducible pipelines is limited by a lack of benchmarks such as gold standard brain segmentations. Addressing this core limitation, we constructed the Baby Open Brains (BOBs) Repository, an open source resource comprising manually curated and expert-reviewed infant brain segmentations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtensive investigations spanning multiple levels of inquiry, from genetic to behavioural studies, have sought to unravel the mechanistic foundations of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with the aspiration of developing efficacious treatments for this condition. Despite these efforts, the pathogenesis of ADHD remains elusive. In this Review, we reflect on what has been learned about ADHD while also providing a framework that may serve as a roadmap for future investigations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood. The acquisition of multimodal magnetic resonance-based brain development data is central to the study's core protocol. However, application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) methods in this population is complicated by technical challenges and difficulties of imaging in early life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cerebral cortex comprises discrete cortical areas that form during development. Accurate area parcellation in neuroimaging studies enhances statistical power and comparability across studies. The formation of cortical areas is influenced by intrinsic embryonic patterning as well as extrinsic inputs, particularly through postnatal exposure.
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