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Genetic Influence Is Linked to Cortical Morphology in Category-Selective Areas of Visual Cortex Publisher Pubmed



Abbasi N1, 2 ; Duncan J3, 4 ; Rajimehr R3, 5, 6
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
  2. 2. Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Program, Students’ Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  4. 4. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
  5. 5. Cognitive Systems Lab, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
  6. 6. School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran

Source: Nature Communications Published:2020


Abstract

Human visual cortex contains discrete areas that respond selectively to specific object categories such as faces, bodies, and places. A long-standing question is whether these areas are shaped by genetic or environmental factors. To address this question, here we analyzed functional MRI data from an unprecedented number (n = 424) of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. Category-selective maps were more identical in MZ than DZ twins. Within each category-selective area, distinct subregions showed significant genetic influence. Structural MRI analysis revealed that the ‘genetic voxels’ were predominantly located in regions with higher cortical curvature (gyral crowns in face areas and sulcal fundi in place areas). Moreover, we found that cortex was thicker and more myelinated in genetic voxels of face areas, while it was thinner and less myelinated in genetic voxels of place areas. This double dissociation suggests a differential development of face and place areas in cerebral cortex. © 2020, The Author(s).
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