Hemispheric asymmetry in cortical thinning reflects intrinsic organization of the neurotransmitter systems and homotopic functional connectivity
Zhijie Liao, Tobias Banaschewski, Arun L.W. Bokde, Sylvane Desrivières, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Bernd Ittermann, Jean‐Luc Martinot, Marie‐Laure Paillère Martinot, Éric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Luise Poustka, Sarah Hohmann, Sabina Millenet, Juliane H. Fröhner, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Günter Schumann, Tomáš Paus, Tobias Banaschewski, Gareth J. Barker, Arun L.W. Bokde, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Rüdiger Brühl, Jean‐Luc Martinot, Éric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Hervé Lemaître, Tomáš Paus, Luise Poustka, Lauren Robinson, Sarah Hohmann, Juliane H. Fröhner, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Jeanne Winterer, Edward D. Barker, Günter Schumann
Abstract
Hemispheric lateralization and its origins have been of great interest in neuroscience for over a century. The left-right asymmetry in cortical thickness may stem from differential maturation of the cerebral cortex in the two hemispheres. Here, we investigated the spatial pattern of hemispheric differences in cortical thinning during adolescence, and its relationship with the density of neurotransmitter receptors and homotopic functional connectivity. Using longitudinal data from IMAGEN study (N = 532), we found that many cortical regions in the frontal and temporal lobes thinned more in the right hemisphere than in the left. Conversely, several regions in the occipital and parietal lobes thinned less in the right (vs. left) hemisphere. We then revealed that regions thinning more in the right (vs. left) hemispheres had higher density of neurotransmitter receptors and transporters in the right (vs. left) side. Moreover, the hemispheric differences in cortical thinning were predicted by homotopic functional connectivity. Specifically, regions with stronger homotopic functional connectivity showed a more symmetrical rate of cortical thinning between the left and right hemispheres, compared with regions with weaker homotopic functional connectivity. Based on these findings, we suggest that the typical patterns of hemispheric differences in cortical thinning may reflect the intrinsic organization of the neurotransmitter systems and related patterns of homotopic functional connectivity.