{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]],"date-time":"2026-08-19T18:43:09Z","timestamp":1787164989924,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764547200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurosci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Hemispheric brain asymmetries emerge in early life but continue to change over time. However, there is no consensus on whether asymmetries become weaker or stronger with age or which brain regions are most affected. Here, we set out to further explore age-related changes in brain asymmetry, with a particular focus on voxel-wise gray matter asymmetry. For this purpose, we selected a sample of 2,322 participants (1,150 women\/1,172 men), aged between 47 and 80\u202fyears (mean 62.3\u202fyears), from the UK Biobank. Each participant was scanned twice; with an interval between baseline and follow-up scans ranging between 1 and 7\u202fyears (mean 2.4\u202fyears). Significant changes in asymmetry were observed, particularly in the temporal and occipital lobe, as well as the cerebellum. Overall, decreases in asymmetry were more prominent than increases, but with hemisphere-specific effects (i.e., leftward asymmetries decreased more than increased, while rightward asymmetries increased more than decreased). Changes in asymmetry were not significantly associated with chronological age or biological sex, suggesting that these changes neither accelerate nor decelerate with increasing age, and do not differ between the sexes. Follow-up research \u2013 potentially incorporating additional morphometric measures, different stages of life, and\/or clinical populations \u2013 is necessary, not only to replicate the current findings but also to investigate changes over longer timeframes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2025.1671341","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T06:25:00Z","timestamp":1764570300000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Changes in voxel-wise gray matter asymmetry over time"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Florian","family":"Kurth","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicolas","family":"Cherbuin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Gaser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eileen","family":"Luders","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"400","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2017.10.034","article-title":"Image processing and quality control for the first 10,000 brain imaging datasets from UK biobank","volume":"166","author":"Alfaro-Almagro","year":"2018","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1469-1809.1973.tb01817.x","article-title":"Handedness in families","volume":"37","author":"Annett","year":"1973","journal-title":"Ann. Hum. Genet."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"805","DOI":"10.1006\/nimg.2000.0582","article-title":"Voxel-based morphometry - the methods","volume":"11","author":"Ashburner","year":"2000","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"267","DOI":"10.1007\/s11357-019-00081-3","article-title":"Sex differences in health and aging: a dialog between the brain and gonad?","volume":"41","author":"Austad","year":"2019","journal-title":"GeroScience"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"393","DOI":"10.1007\/s00221-012-3319-x","article-title":"Reassessing the HAROLD model: is the hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults a special case of compensatory-related utilisation of neural circuits?","volume":"224","author":"Berlingeri","year":"2013","journal-title":"Exp. Brain Res."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.1037\/0882-7974.17.1.85","article-title":"Hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults: the HAROLD model","volume":"17","author":"Cabeza","year":"2002","journal-title":"Psychol. Aging"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2010.00011","article-title":"Mild cognitive disorders are associated with different patterns of brain asymmetry than normal aging: the PATH through life study","volume":"1","author":"Cherbuin","year":"2010","journal-title":"Front. Psych."},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5501","DOI":"10.1002\/hbm.23743","article-title":"Towards a unified analysis of brain maturation and aging across the entire lifespan: a MRI analysis","volume":"38","author":"Coupe","year":"2017","journal-title":"Hum. Brain Mapp."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"819","DOI":"10.1016\/S0149-7634(02)00068-4","article-title":"Hemispheric asymmetry and aging: right hemisphere decline or asymmetry reduction","volume":"26","author":"Dolcos","year":"2002","journal-title":"Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuron.2024.12.005","article-title":"Biological sex matters in brain aging","volume":"113","author":"Dubal","year":"2025","journal-title":"Neuron"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"15223","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.3252-09.2009","article-title":"One-year brain atrophy evident in healthy aging","volume":"29","author":"Fjell","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Neurosci."},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2239","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neurobiolaging.2013.04.006","article-title":"Critical ages in the life course of the adult brain: nonlinear subcortical aging","volume":"34","author":"Fjell","year":"2013","journal-title":"Neurobiol. Aging"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1006\/nimg.1996.0074","article-title":"Detecting activations in PET and fMRI: levels of inference and power","volume":"4","author":"Friston","year":"1996","journal-title":"NeuroImage"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"giae049","DOI":"10.1093\/gigascience\/giae049","article-title":"CAT: a computational anatomy toolbox for the analysis of structural MRI data","volume":"13","author":"Gaser","year":"2024","journal-title":"Gigascience"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1497","DOI":"10.1007\/s11682-016-9629-z","article-title":"Human subcortical brain asymmetries in 15,847 people worldwide reveal effects of age and sex","volume":"11","author":"Guadalupe","year":"2017","journal-title":"Brain Imaging Behav."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"676","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2004.01.041","article-title":"Nonstationary cluster-size inference with random field and permutation methods","volume":"22","author":"Hayasaka","year":"2004","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1002\/jnr.23919","article-title":"Multimodal neuroimaging of male and female brain structure in health and disease across the life span","volume":"95","author":"Jahanshad","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Neurosci. Res."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"244","DOI":"10.1002\/hbm.25154","article-title":"Reproducibility in the absence of selective reporting: an illustration from large-scale brain asymmetry research","volume":"43","author":"Kong","year":"2022","journal-title":"Hum. Brain Mapp."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"E5154","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1718418115","article-title":"Mapping cortical brain asymmetry in 17,141 healthy individuals worldwide via the ENIGMA consortium","volume":"115","author":"Kong","year":"2018","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1002\/hbm.25033","article-title":"Mapping brain asymmetry in health and disease through the ENIGMA consortium","volume":"43","author":"Kong","year":"2022","journal-title":"Hum. Brain Mapp."},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cortex.2020.03.028","article-title":"Speaking of aging: changes in gray matter asymmetry in Broca\u2019s area in later adulthood","volume":"129","author":"Kurth","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cortex"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"293","DOI":"10.1038\/nprot.2015.014","article-title":"A 12-step user guide for analyzing voxel-wise gray matter asymmetries in statistical parametric mapping (SPM)","volume":"10","author":"Kurth","year":"","journal-title":"Nat. Protoc."},{"key":"ref23","first-page":"345","article-title":"Voxel-based morphometry","volume-title":"Brain mapping: an encyclopedic reference","author":"Kurth","year":""},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e26754","DOI":"10.1002\/hbm.26754","article-title":"Large-scale analysis of structural brain asymmetries during neurodevelopment: associations with age and sex in 4265 children and adolescents","volume":"45","author":"Kurth","year":"2024","journal-title":"Hum. Brain Mapp."},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"235","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cortex.2017.11.017","article-title":"Investigating the differential contributions of sex and brain size to gray matter asymmetry","volume":"99","author":"Kurth","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cortex"},{"key":"ref26","first-page":"3","article-title":"Sex differences in brain anatomy","volume-title":"Prog Brain Res","author":"Luders","year":"2010"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5890","DOI":"10.1002\/hbm.23772","article-title":"Gray matter asymmetries in aging and neurodegeneration: a review and meta-analysis","volume":"38","author":"Minkova","year":"2017","journal-title":"Hum. Brain Mapp."},{"key":"ref28","first-page":"263","article-title":"Hemispheric asymmetries over the lifespan","volume-title":"The lateralized brain: the neuroscience and evolution of hemispheric asymmetries. eds. S. Ocklenburg and O. Gunturkun. (London: Academic Press)","author":"Ocklenburg","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref29","first-page":"337","article-title":"Chapter 11\u2013hemispheric asymmetries over the lifespan: development and aging","volume-title":"The lateralized brain: the neuroscience and evolution of hemispheric asymmetries","author":"Ocklenburg","year":""},{"key":"ref30","first-page":"363","article-title":"Chapter 12\u2013sex differences in hemispheric asymmetries","volume-title":"The lateralized brain: the neuroscience and evolution of hemispheric asymmetries","author":"Ocklenburg","year":""},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"383","DOI":"10.1038\/s41582-024-00974-8","article-title":"Clinical implications of brain asymmetries","volume":"20","author":"Ocklenburg","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Neurol."},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.psych.59.103006.093656","article-title":"The adaptive brain: aging and neurocognitive scaffolding","volume":"60","author":"Park","year":"2009","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Psychol."},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2012.10.008","article-title":"Variation in longitudinal trajectories of regional brain volumes of healthy men and women (ages 10 to 85 years) measured with atlas-based parcellation of MRI","volume":"65","author":"Pfefferbaum","year":"2013","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6294","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.3692-13.2014","article-title":"Sex, age, and cognitive correlates of asymmetries in thickness of the cortical mantle across the life span","volume":"34","author":"Plessen","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Neurosci."},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-8721.2008.00570.x","article-title":"Neurocognitive aging and the compensation hypothesis","volume":"17","author":"Reuter-Lorenz","year":"2008","journal-title":"Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"587","DOI":"10.1037\/a0017849","article-title":"Aging does not affect gray matter asymmetry","volume":"25","author":"Smeets","year":"2010","journal-title":"Psychol. Aging"},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"994","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.23-03-00994.2003","article-title":"Dynamics of gray matter loss in Alzheimer\u2019s disease","volume":"23","author":"Thompson","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Neurosci."},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"303","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-008045046-9.00936-0","article-title":"Brain asymmetry: evolution","volume-title":"Encyclopedia of neuroscience","author":"Toga","year":"2009"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2377","DOI":"10.1002\/hbm.21374","article-title":"Brain structural trajectories over the adult lifespan","volume":"33","author":"Ziegler","year":"2012","journal-title":"Hum. Brain Mapp."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Neuroscience"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnins.2025.1671341\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T06:25:02Z","timestamp":1764570302000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnins.2025.1671341\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]]},"references-count":39,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fnins.2025.1671341"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fnins.2025.1671341","relation":{},"ISSN":["1662-453X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1662-453X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]]},"article-number":"1671341"}}