Abstract #1198

The heritability of structural brain network

Xiaopei Xu¹, Pek-Lan Khong¹, Nichol M. L. Wong^2,3, Rainbow T. H. Ho⁴, C. Mary Schooling⁵, Pui-sze Yeung⁶, Tatia M. C. Lee^2,3,7,8, and Edward S Hui¹

¹Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ²Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ³Laboratory of Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ⁴Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ⁵School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ⁶Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ⁷Institute of Clinical Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ⁸The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

To better understand the importance of education, genetic, and environmental influences on brain structural connectivity, we used DTI-based tractography and brain network analysis to investigate the thereof in twin pairs. The correlation between network properties and education was also studied in both twin and non-twin participants. We showed significant correlations between twin pairs for the topology of brain network and the nodal characteristics of brain hubs. Nodal characteristics of hubs were also significantly correlated with education level. These findings suggested that brain topology and cognitive capacity are heritable, and brain network analysis is of potential value in intelligence assessment.

This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.

Join Here