Co-ordinated structural and functional covariance in the adolescent brain underlies face processing performance

SHAW, Daniel Joel, Radek MAREČEK, Marie-Helene GROSBRAS, Gabriel LEONARD, G. Bruce PIKE and Tomáš PAUS. Co-ordinated structural and functional covariance in the adolescent brain underlies face processing performance. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, vol. 11, No 4, p. 556-568. ISSN 1749-5016. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv138.

Basic information

• Original name: Co-ordinated structural and functional covariance in the adolescent brain underlies face processing performance
• Authors: SHAW, Daniel Joel (826 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Radek MAREČEK (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Marie-Helene GROSBRAS (826 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Gabriel LEONARD (124 Canada), G. Bruce PIKE (124 Canada) and Tomáš PAUS (124 Canada).
• Edition: Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016, 1749-5016.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 30000 3. Medical and Health Sciences
• Country of publisher: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Impact factor: Impact factor: 3.937
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14740/16:00089251
• Organization unit: Central European Institute of Technology
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv138
• UT WoS: 000374227700004
• Keywords in English: adolescence; development; face processing; functional connectivity; structural covariance
• Tags: rivok
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Our ability to process complex social cues presented by faces improves during adolescence. Using multivariate analyses of neuroimaging data collected longitudinally from a sample of 38 adolescents (17 males) when they were 10, 11.5, 13 and 15 years old, we tested the possibility that there exists parallel variations in the structural and functional development of neural systems supporting face processing. By combining measures of task-related functional connectivity and brain morphology, we reveal that both the structural covariance and functional connectivity among 'distal' nodes of the face-processing network engaged by ambiguous faces increase during this age range. Furthermore, we show that the trajectory of increasing functional connectivity between the distal nodes occurs in tandem with the development of their structural covariance. This demonstrates a tight coupling between functional and structural maturation within the face-processing network. Finally, we demonstrate that increased functional connectivity is associated with age-related improvements of face-processing performance, particularly in females. We suggest that our findings reflect greater integration among distal elements of the neural systems supporting the processing of facial expressions. This, in turn, might facilitate an enhanced extraction of social information from faces during a time when greater importance is placed on social interactions.

Links

• ED1.1.00/02.0068, research and development project: Name: CEITEC - central european institute of technology