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Body size and intracranial volume interact with the structure of the central nervous system : A multi-center in vivo neuroimaging study

ContributorsLabounek, Renéorcid; Bondy, Monica T; Paulson, Amy Lorcid; Bédard, Sandrineorcid; Abramovic, Mihael; Alonso-Ortiz, Evaorcid; Atcheson, Nicole Torcid; Barlow, Laura R; Barry, Robert Lorcid; Barth, Markusorcid; Battiston, Marcoorcid; Büchel, Christian; Budde, Matthew D; Callot, Virginieorcid; Combes, Annaorcid; De Leener, Benjaminorcid; Descoteaux, Maximeorcid; de Sousa, Paulo Loureiroorcid; Dostál, Marekorcid; Doyon, Julienorcid; Dvorak, Adam Vorcid; Eippert, Falkorcid; Epperson, Karla R; Epperson, Kevin S; Freund, Patrickorcid; Finsterbusch, Jürgen; Foias, Alexandruorcid; Fratini, Michelaorcid; Fukunaga, Issei; Wheeler-Kingshott, Claudia A M Gandiniorcid; Germani, GianCarlo; Gilbert, Guillaume; Giove, Federicoorcid; Grussu, Francescoorcid; Hagiwara, Akifumiorcid; Henry, Pierre-Gilles; Horák, Tomášorcid; Hori, Masaakiorcid; Joers, James Morcid; Kamiya, Kouhei; Karbasforoushan, Halehorcid; Keřkovský, Milošorcid; Khatibi, Aliorcid; Kim, Joo-Wonorcid; Kinany, Nawal; Kitzler, Hagenorcid; Kolind, Shannonorcid; Kong, Yazhuoorcid; Kudlička, Petrorcid; Kuntke, Paulorcid; Kurniawan, Nyoman Dorcid; Kusmia, Slawomirorcid; Laganà, Maria Marcellaorcid; Laule, Corneliaorcid; Law, Christine S Worcid; Leutritz, Tobiasorcid; Liu, Yaou; Llufriu, Saraorcid; Mackey, Seanorcid; Martin, Allan Rorcid; Martinez-Heras, Eloyorcid; Mattera, Loan; O'Grady, Kristin Porcid; Papinutto, Nico; Papp, Danielorcid; Pareto, Deborahorcid; Parrish, Todd B; Pichiecchio, Annaorcid; Prados, Ferranorcid; Rovira, Àlexorcid; Ruitenberg, Marc Jorcid; Samson, Rebecca Sorcid; Savini, Giovanniorcid; Seif, Maryamorcid; Seifert, Alan Corcid; Smith, Alex Korcid; Smith, Seth Aorcid; Smith, Zachary Aorcid; Solana, Elisabethorcid; Suzuki, Yuichiorcid; Tackley, George Worcid; Tinnermann, Alexandraorcid; Valošek, Janorcid; Van De Ville, Dimitriorcid; Yiannakas, Marios Corcid; Weber Ii, Kenneth Aorcid; Weiskopf, Nikolaus; Wise, Richard Gorcid; Wyss, Patrik Oorcid; Xu, Junqianorcid; Cohen-Adad, Julienorcid; Lenglet, Christopheorcid; Nestrašil, Igororcid
Published inImaging neuroscience, vol. 3, imag_a_00559
Publication date2025
First online date2025-05-07
Abstract

Clinical research emphasizes the implementation of rigorous and reproducible study designs that rely on between-group matching or controlling for sources of biological variation such as subject's sex and age. However, corrections for body size (i.e., height and weight) are mostly lacking in clinical neuroimaging designs. This study investigates the importance of body size parameters in their relationship with spinal cord (SC) and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics. Data were derived from a cosmopolitan population of 267 healthy human adults (age 30.1 ± 6.6 years old, 125 females). We show that body height correlates with brain gray matter (GM) volume, cortical GM volume, total cerebellar volume, brainstem volume, and cross-sectional area (CSA) of cervical SC white matter (CSA-WM; 0.44 ≤ r ≤ 0.62). Intracranial volume (ICV) correlates with body height (r = 0.46) and the brain volumes and CSA-WM (0.37 ≤ r ≤ 0.77). In comparison, age correlates with cortical GM volume, precentral GM volume, and cortical thickness (-0.21 ≥ r ≥ -0.27). Body weight correlates with magnetization transfer ratio in the SC WM, dorsal columns, and lateral corticospinal tracts (-0.20 ≥ r ≥ -0.23). Body weight further correlates with the mean diffusivity derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in SC WM (r = -0.20) and dorsal columns (-0.21), but only in males. CSA-WM correlates with brain volumes (0.39 ≤ r ≤ 0.64), and with precentral gyrus thickness and DTI-based fractional anisotropy in SC dorsal columns and SC lateral corticospinal tracts (-0.22 ≥ r ≥ -0.25). Linear mixture of age, sex, or sex and age, explained 2 ± 2%, 24 ± 10%, or 26 ± 10%, of data variance in brain volumetry and SC CSA. The amount of explained variance increased to 33 ± 11%, 41 ± 17%, or 46 ± 17%, when body height, ICV, or body height and ICV were added into the mixture model. In females, the explained variances halved suggesting another unidentified biological factor(s) determining females' central nervous system (CNS) morphology. In conclusion, body size and ICV are significant biological variables. Along with sex and age, body size should therefore be included as a mandatory variable in the design of clinical neuroimaging studies examining SC and brain structure; and body size and ICV should be considered as covariates in statistical analyses. Normalization of different brain regions with ICV diminishes their correlations with body size, but simultaneously amplifies ICV-related variance (r = 0.72 ± 0.07) and suppresses volume variance of the different brain regions (r = 0.12 ± 0.19) in the normalized measurements.

Keywords
  • Body height and weight
  • Brain
  • In vivo human neuroimaging
  • Intracranial volume
  • Spinal cord
  • Structural magnetic resonance imaging
Funding
  • ISCIII [PI21/01189]
  • AGAUR [021-SGR-01325]
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China [82072010]
  • Beijing Natural Science Foundation [IS23108]
  • Ministerstvo Zdravotnictví Ceské Republiky [FNBr, 65269705]
  • Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Telovýchovy [LM2018129]
  • H2020 European Research Council [ERC StG 758974]
  • University of Pennsylvania [MDBR-17-123-MPS]
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III [PI18/00823]
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III [PI22/01709]
  • Ministerstvo Zdravotnictví Ceské Republiky [NU22-04-00024]
  • H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions [101107932]
  • American Heart Association [23CDA1054207]
  • Institut TransMedTech [RGPIN-2020–05242]
  • 'la Caixa' Foundation [ID 100010434; fellowship code LCF/BQ/PR22/11920010]
  • Wings for Life [WFL-CH-19/20]
  • International Foundation for Research [IRP-158]
  • Agentura Pro Zdravotnický Výzkum Ceské Republiky [NV18-04-00159]
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [TI 1110/1-1]
  • BRC [BRC1130/HEI/RS/11041]
  • Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) National Innovation Ecosystem [ECS00000041 - VITALITY - CUP D73C22000840006]
  • Canada Research Chair in Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging [CRC-2020-00179]
  • Canadian Institute of Health Research [PJT-190258]
  • Canada Foundation for Innovation [32454]
  • Canada Foundation for Innovation [34824]
  • Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé [322736]
  • Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé [324636]
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [RGPIN-2019-07244]
  • Canada First Research Excellence Fund [IVADO and TransMedTech]
  • Réseau en Bio-Imagerie du Quebec [5886]
  • Réseau en Bio-Imagerie du Quebec [35450]
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering [P41EB027061]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [P30NS076408]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [K23NS104211]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [L30NS108301]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [R01NS128478]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [R01NS133305]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [K01NS105160]
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering [K01EB030039]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [5R01NS109114]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [K24NS126781]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [R61NS118651]
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering [R00EB016689]
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering [R01EB027779]
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering [R21EB031211]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [R01NS109450]
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [R03NS139000]
  • MRC [MR/S026088/1]
  • Rosetrees Trust [PGL22/100041]
  • Rosetrees Trust [PGL21/10079]
  • NINDS NIH HHS [R61 NS118651]
  • NIBIB NIH HHS [K01 EB030039]
  • European Research Council [758974]
  • Swiss National Science Foundation - Imaging and Modeling of Simultaneous Brain and Cervical Spinal Cord [207493]
Citation (ISO format)
LABOUNEK, René et al. Body size and intracranial volume interact with the structure of the central nervous system : A multi-center in vivo neuroimaging study. In: Imaging neuroscience, 2025, vol. 3, p. imag_a_00559. doi: 10.1162/imag_a_00559
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Article (Published version)
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Journal ISSN2837-6056
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Creation10/10/2025 08:05:23
First validation24/11/2025 10:38:32
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