IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-60451-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Longitudinal changes in brain asymmetry track lifestyle and disease

Author

Listed:
  • Karin Saltoun

    (McGill University
    Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute)

  • B. T. Thomas Yeo

    (National University of Singapore
    National University of Singapore
    National University of Singapore
    National University of Singapore)

  • Lynn Paul

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Jorn Diedrichsen

    (Western University)

  • Danilo Bzdok

    (McGill University
    Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute)

Abstract

Human beings may have evolved the largest asymmetries of brain organization in the animal kingdom. Hemispheric left-vs-right specialization is especially pronounced in species-unique capacities, including emotional processing such as facial judgments, language-based feats such as reading books, and creativity such as musical performances. We hence chart the largest longitudinal brain-imaging resource, and provide evidence that brain asymmetry changes continuously in a manner suggestive of neural plasticity throughout adulthood. In the UK Biobank population cohort, we demonstrate that whole-brain patterns of asymmetry changes show robust phenome-wide associations across 959 distinct variables spanning 11 categories. We also find that changes in brain asymmetry over years co-occur with changes among specific lifestyle markers. We uncover specific brain asymmetry changes which systematically co-occur with entering a new phase of life, namely retirement. Finally, we reveal relevance of evolving brain asymmetry within subjects to major disease categories across ~4500 total medical diagnoses. Our findings speak against the idea that asymmetrical neural systems are conserved throughout adulthood.

Suggested Citation

  • Karin Saltoun & B. T. Thomas Yeo & Lynn Paul & Jorn Diedrichsen & Danilo Bzdok, 2025. "Longitudinal changes in brain asymmetry track lifestyle and disease," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-21, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60451-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60451-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60451-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-60451-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karin Saltoun & Ralph Adolphs & Lynn K. Paul & Vaibhav Sharma & Joern Diedrichsen & B. T. Thomas Yeo & Danilo Bzdok, 2023. "Dissociable brain structural asymmetry patterns reveal unique phenome-wide profiles," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(2), pages 251-268, February.
    2. Zhiqiang Sha & Dick Schijven & Amaia Carrion-Castillo & Marc Joliot & Bernard Mazoyer & Simon E. Fisher & Fabrice Crivello & Clyde Francks, 2021. "The genetic architecture of structural left–right asymmetry of the human brain," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 5(9), pages 1226-1239, September.
    3. R. Nathan Spreng & Emile Dimas & Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo & Alain Dagher & Philipp Koellinger & Gideon Nave & Anthony Ong & Julius M. Kernbach & Thomas V. Wiecki & Tian Ge & Yue Li & Avram J. Holme, 2020. "The default network of the human brain is associated with perceived social isolation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Max Korbmacher & Dennis Meer & Dani Beck & Ann-Marie G. de Lange & Eli Eikefjord & Arvid Lundervold & Ole A. Andreassen & Lars T. Westlye & Ivan I. Maximov, 2024. "Brain asymmetries from mid- to late life and hemispheric brain age," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Dick Schijven & Sourena Soheili-Nezhad & Simon E. Fisher & Clyde Francks, 2024. "Exome-wide analysis implicates rare protein-altering variants in human handedness," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Xinran Wu & Kai Zhang & Nanyu Kuang & Xiangzhen Kong & Miao Cao & Zhengxu Lian & Yu Liu & Huanxin Fan & Gechang Yu & Zhaowen Liu & Wei Cheng & Tianye Jia & Barbara J. Sahakian & Trevor W. Robbins & Ji, 2025. "Developing brain asymmetry shapes cognitive and psychiatric outcomes in adolescence," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Jakub Kopal & Kuldeep Kumar & Kimia Shafighi & Karin Saltoun & Claudia Modenato & Clara A. Moreau & Guillaume Huguet & Martineau Jean-Louis & Charles-Olivier Martin & Zohra Saci & Nadine Younis & Elis, 2024. "Using rare genetic mutations to revisit structural brain asymmetry," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, December.
    5. Chloé Savignac & Sylvia Villeneuve & AmanPreet Badhwar & Karin Saltoun & Kimia Shafighi & Chris Zajner & Vaibhav Sharma & Sarah A Gagliano Taliun & Sali Farhan & Judes Poirier & Danilo Bzdok, 2022. "APOE alleles are associated with sex-specific structural differences in brain regions affected in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia," PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(12), pages 1-46, December.
    6. Eva-Maria Stauffer & Richard A. I. Bethlehem & Lena Dorfschmidt & Hyejung Won & Varun Warrier & Edward T. Bullmore, 2023. "The genetic relationships between brain structure and schizophrenia," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    7. Danilo Bzdok & Robin I. M. Dunbar, 2022. "Social isolation and the brain in the pandemic era," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(10), pages 1333-1343, October.
    8. Loïc Labache & Tian Ge & B. T. Thomas Yeo & Avram J. Holmes, 2023. "Language network lateralization is reflected throughout the macroscale functional organization of cortex," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60451-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.