Age-related decrements in cortical gyrification: Evidence from an accelerated longitudinal dataset

Abstract

Cortical gyrification has been found to decrease due to aging, but thus far this has only been examined in cross-sectional samples. Interestingly, the topography of these age-related differences in gyrification follow a distinct gradient along the cortex relative to age effects on cortical thickness, likely suggesting a different underlying neurobiological mechanism. Here I examined several aspects of gyrification in an accelerated longitudinal dataset of 280 healthy adults aged 45-92 with an interval between first and last MRI session of up to 10 years (total of 815 MRI sessions). Results suggest that age changes in sulcal morphology underlie these changes in gyrification.