Topological turning points across the human lifespan.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Cross-sectional observational analysis of pooled neuroimaging cohorts (CEBM level by design analogy)
PubMed 41290675 · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-65974-8
What was done
Diffusion MRI data from multiple pooled datasets spanning ages 0 to 90 years (N = 4,216) were analyzed to map structural brain network organization across the human lifespan. Investigators evaluated 12 graph theoretical metrics of network topology and projected the resulting profiles into manifold spaces using Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) to characterize developmental trajectories.
What was found
Structural brain topology followed non-linear lifespan trajectories with four major turning points identified at approximately 9, 32, 66, and 83 years of age. These boundaries demarcated five distinct epochs of topological organization, each characterized by specific directions of structural reorganization and unique metric drivers. The abstract does not report numeric effect sizes, variance estimates, or confidence intervals.
Why it matters
This work provides a continuous whole-lifespan framework for brain structural connectome maturation and aging, highlighting critical transitional windows for cognitive development and neurodegeneration.
Limits
The study design appears primarily cross-sectional rather than longitudinal, limiting direct inference about individual-level developmental trajectories. Specific effect sizes, statistical test values, cognitive association metrics, and data harmonization procedures across imaging sites are not provided in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports A lifespan brain study analyzing subjects from birth to age 90 identified five distinct developmental stages, defining adolescence as lasting from age 9 to age 32.
- supports A lifespan brain study identified that the adulthood stage of brain development spans ages 33 to 66 with stable brain efficiency, followed by early aging from 66 to 83 and late aging from 83 onward.