Longitudinal changes in brain asymmetry track lifestyle and disease

Karin Saltoun, B. T. Thomas Yeo, Lynn Paul, Jorn Diedrichsen and Danilo Bzdok ()
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Karin Saltoun: McGill University
B. T. Thomas Yeo: National University of Singapore
Lynn Paul: California Institute of Technology
Jorn Diedrichsen: Western University
Danilo Bzdok: McGill University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: Abstract Human beings may have evolved the largest asymmetries of brain organization in the animal kingdom. Hemispheric left-vs-right specialization is especially pronounced in species-unique capacities, including emotional processing such as facial judgments, language-based feats such as reading books, and creativity such as musical performances. We hence chart the largest longitudinal brain-imaging resource, and provide evidence that brain asymmetry changes continuously in a manner suggestive of neural plasticity throughout adulthood. In the UK Biobank population cohort, we demonstrate that whole-brain patterns of asymmetry changes show robust phenome-wide associations across 959 distinct variables spanning 11 categories. We also find that changes in brain asymmetry over years co-occur with changes among specific lifestyle markers. We uncover specific brain asymmetry changes which systematically co-occur with entering a new phase of life, namely retirement. Finally, we reveal relevance of evolving brain asymmetry within subjects to major disease categories across ~4500 total medical diagnoses. Our findings speak against the idea that asymmetrical neural systems are conserved throughout adulthood.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60451-8

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