MRI signatures of cortical microstructure in human development align with oligodendrocyte cell-type expression

Sila Genc (), Gareth Ball, Maxime Chamberland, Erika P. Raven, Chantal M. W. Tax, Isobel Ward, Joseph Y. M. Yang, Marco Palombo and Derek K. Jones
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Sila Genc: Cardiff University
Gareth Ball: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Maxime Chamberland: Cardiff University
Erika P. Raven: Cardiff University
Chantal M. W. Tax: Cardiff University
Isobel Ward: Cardiff University
Joseph Y. M. Yang: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Marco Palombo: Cardiff University
Derek K. Jones: Cardiff University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Neuroanatomical changes to the cortex during adolescence have been well documented using MRI, revealing ongoing cortical thinning and volume loss. Recent advances in MRI hardware and biophysical models of tissue informed by diffusion MRI data hold promise for identifying the cellular changes driving these morphological observations. Using ultra-strong gradient MRI, this study quantifies cortical neurite and soma microstructure in typically developing youth. Across domain-specific networks, cortical neurite signal fraction, attributed to neuronal and glial processes, increases with age. The apparent soma radius, attributed to the apparent radius of glial and neuronal cell bodies, decreases with age. Analyses of two independent post-mortem datasets reveal that genes increasing in expression through adolescence are significantly enriched in cortical oligodendrocytes and Layer 5–6 neurons. In our study, we show spatial and temporal alignment of oligodendrocyte cell-type gene expression with neurite and soma microstructural changes, suggesting that ongoing cortical myelination processes drive adolescent cortical development.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58604-w

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