Research summary
Dynamic anatomical maps of human cortical gray-matter development from age 4 to 21 were constructed from MRI scans repeated every 2 years over 8-10 years in 13 healthy children. Cortical-surface models, sulcal landmarks, and a statistical model for gray-matter density produced time-lapse sequences showing that higher-order association cortices mature only after lower-order somatosensory and visual cortices, providing a four-dimensional view of cortical maturation [2]. A complementary longitudinal mapping of cortical thickness used 45 children scanned twice (2 years apart) between ages 5 and 11, quantifying local brain growth at 0.4-1.5 mm per year (most prominent in frontal and occipital regions) and cortical thickness ranging from 1.5 mm in occipital to 5.5 mm in dorsomedial frontal cortex; gray-matter thinning coupled with cortical expansion was characterised [5]. The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) MRI core established specifications guiding multisite protocol development, with 3T MRI, 18F-FDG PET, urine/serum and CSF biomarkers, and clinical/psychometric assessments acquired longitudinally and cross-linked for general scientific access in the longitudinal study of healthy elders, MCI, and Alzheimer's disease [3]. The International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM) probabilistic atlas and reference system pooled data from 7,000 subjects aged 18-90, including 342 mono- and dizygotic twins, with demographic, clinical, behavioural, and imaging information, DNA for genotyping from 5,800 subjects, and post-mortem tissue, building a four-dimensional probabilistic reference brain since 1992 [4]. The ACSM exercise-testing-and-prescription guidelines were published as a structured manual covering health appraisal and risk assessment, pre-exercise evaluation, health-related and clinical exercise testing, and exercise prescription for healthy populations and those with cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and other chronic disease [1].
Recent publications
- ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription
- Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthoodDOI
- The Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative (ADNI): MRI methodsDOI
- 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
- Evaluation of 14 nonlinear deformation algorithms applied to human brain MRI registrationDOI
- The clinical use of structural MRI in Alzheimer diseaseDOI
- Mapping brain asymmetryDOI
- Longitudinal Mapping of Cortical Thickness and Brain Growth in Normal ChildrenDOI
- In vivo evidence for post-adolescent brain maturation in frontal and striatal regionsDOI
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How to apply
Email Paul M. Thompson 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/0000-0002-4720-8867
- OpenAlex: openalex.org
Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, The University of Tokyo faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.