Regional Brain Volume Variation Across Adulthood: A Cross-Sectional MRI Analysis of Age, Sex, and Hemispheric Asymmetry.

Overview

1. CSU Engineering, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia
2. School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, NSW 2444, Australia
3. School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia
4. School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia

Abstract

Distinguishing normative cross-sectional structural age differences from early neurodegeneration requires region-specific characterisation of cross-sectional age-related variation, yet findings remain sensitive to modelling strategy and intracranial volume (ICV) correction. T1-weighted MRI from 187 healthy adults (97 female, 90 male; aged 16.22–81.48 years) in the AgeRisk dataset were segmented using Vol2Brain. Multiple regression models applied to 19 predefined brain regions tested linear and quadratic age, sex, ICV, and signal-to-noise ratio (FDR-corrected within predictor families); hemispheric asymmetry indices were Bonferroni-corrected. Three hypothesis domains were preregistered: age associations, sex differences, and hemispheric asymmetry. Negative cross-sectional age associations were observed in subcortical (hippocampus, amygdala, caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens) and cortical regions (insula, temporal and occipital lobes; all pFDR<0.05). The parietal lobe showed significant quadratic curvature (pFDR=0.008); total cortical grey matter showed no age effect. White matter exhibited a positive linear rather than the hypothesised inverted-U relationship. After ICV adjustment, females showed greater grey-matter-dominant volumes and males greater cerebrospinal fluid volume (both pFDR<0.05). Sex-by-age interactions in four subcortical regions indicated shallower negative cross-sectional age associations in females (all pFDR≤0.034). Age was associated with reduced parietal and temporal hemispheric asymmetry (both p<0.001). Findings confirm regionally heterogeneous ageing, ICV-adjusted sex differences, and a selective negative cross-sectional association between age and hemispheric asymmetry, consistent with the broader lifespan literature.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Data

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• doi:10.18112/openneuro.ds004711.v1.0.0, at OpenNeuro; found in the references

Data Availability Statement

The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article/Supplementary Materials. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 4 authors, 10 keywords, 81 references.

Cite

This paper

Debnath, T., Rahman, M. G., Debnath, S., & Chau, M. (2026). Regional Brain Volume Variation Across Adulthood: A Cross-Sectional MRI Analysis of Age, Sex, and Hemispheric Asymmetry. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 16(8), 1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/life16081356

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