Research summary
Quantitative four-dimensional maps and time-lapse sequences of human cortical gray matter development between ages 4 and 21 were produced from MRI scans of 13 healthy children imaged every two years for 8-10 years, using cortical-surface models, sulcal landmarks, and a statistical model for gray matter density; the resulting movies showed that higher-order association cortices mature only after lower-order somatosensory and visual cortices [1]. A separate longitudinal study used computer-matching algorithms to measure cortical thickness in 45 children scanned twice between ages 5 and 11, with brain growth progressing at approximately 0.4-1.5 mm per year (most prominently in frontal and occipital regions) and cortical thickness ranging from 1.5 mm in occipital regions to 5.5 mm in dorsomedial frontal cortex, with gray matter thinning coupled to cortical expansion [4]. The 2001 ICBM paper documents a four-dimensional probabilistic atlas and reference system for the human brain built from 7,000 subjects aged 18-90 (including 342 mono- and dizygotic twin pairs) and incorporating demographic, clinical, behavioral, and imaging data, with DNA from 5,800 subjects and a post-mortem tissue component for probabilistic distributions of cytoarchitectonics [3]. The 2009 Neurology paper on ADNI characterizes clinical measures cross-sectionally and longitudinally in 819 baseline subjects (229 normal, 398 MCI, 192 mild AD) followed for 12 months with standard cognitive and functional measures typical of clinical trials, enabling assessment of neuroimaging and chemical biomarker utility [2]. The four-paper portfolio centers on longitudinal pediatric and adult neuroimaging cohorts and the construction of population-scale reference atlases, with cortical mapping methodology as the common thread.
Recent publications
- Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthoodDOI
- Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)DOI
- A probabilistic atlas and reference system for the human brain: International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM)DOI
- Mapping cortical change across the human life spanDOI
- Blood-Brain Barrier Breakdown in the Aging Human HippocampusDOI
- The Parkinson Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI)DOI
- Blood鈥揵rain barrier breakdown is an early biomarker of human cognitive dysfunctionDOI
- The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging InitiativeDOI
- Mapping brain asymmetryDOI
- Longitudinal Mapping of Cortical Thickness and Brain Growth in Normal ChildrenDOI
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Email Arthur W. Toga 6-12 months before your application deadline. Read several recent papers and reference specific work in your message. Use our how to email a Japanese professor guide for the proven email structure.
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External profiles
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7902-3755
- OpenAlex: openalex.org
Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, Tohoku University faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.