Brain scan model charts age patterns in human white matter
An observational analysis of brain scans from 54,583 people aged 4–91 across 19 datasets built age- and sex-based reference ranges.
Limit: Water movement on diffusion MRI serves as a proxy for white matter microstructure
Stake: UK Biotechnology funded the study.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an observational analysis of existing scans from 54,583 people aged 4–91, researchers built a reference model for white matter, the nerve fibers connecting brain regions. They combined 19 international datasets of diffusion MRI, which measures how water moves through tissue. The model estimated typical ranges for four scan measures across brain regions by age and sex, while accounting for differences in scanning protocols.
The researchers then used the model to identify and display departures from those ranges in people with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a genetic condition linked to higher schizophrenia risk. They made the models publicly available so other researchers can adapt and extend them with new datasets.
Why it matters
Distinguishing age-related variation from disease is important for studying aging brains. The authors present the model as a common reference for comparing disorders and investigating factors associated with white matter abnormalities.
Caveats
The observational model describes age-related patterns, not causes of white matter changes. The disease examples illustrated its potential uses rather than establishing it as a clinical diagnostic test.
- Modeling and theory
- Resources: datasets, atlases and tools
- Mild cognitive impairment
- Alzheimer's disease
- 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
- Humans
The paper
Lifespan normative modeling of brain microstructure
University of Southern California
Nature Communications, May 27, 2026, Open access
