CAREER: Unfolding the Cortex: Biomechanics-informed Analysis of Cortical Thickness

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This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant will transform our understanding of the role of mechanics in the form and function of the human brain. The outer layer of our brains, the cortex, varies in thickness throughout its wrinkles and folds. This is partly determined by the forces generated during the process of cortical folding. Because of this effect of folding on cortical thickness, it is difficult to make comparisons of thickness across different folding patterns. For example, differences during development in the womb or between different species. In this project, the PI will investigate a new metric that removes the effect of folding on cortical thickness, called modified cortical thickness. This research will facilitate more precise and meaningful comparisons of cortical thickness. This is useful for the purposes of identifying evolutionary, developmental, and pathological changes in brain morphology. This mechanics-informed analysis will complement other research on developmental and degenerative diseases and disorders of the brain. Thus, it has the potential to lead to new pathways for early diagnosis and effective treatment. In addition, the PI will develop the Biomechanics in the Wild project to foster science literacy and science communication in undergraduate students. Sharing exciting stories about biomechanics with the public and promoting student interest in the field of biomechanics will be key outcomes.To analyze local cortical thickness in the context of the mechanical environment, the researchers will develop a method to determine the modified cortical thickness. A Graph Convolutional Network will be calibrated by advanced finite element simulations of brain development to predict modified cortical thickness from 3D reconstructions of brain morphology. Then, this method will be used to investigate how modified thickness varies throughout mammalian evolution (in over 50 species) and human development (in utero through 2 years). This work necessitates the development of 3D reconstructions of the pial and white surfaces for each subject, which will be shared publicly with other researchers, opening new avenues for further morphological, phylogenetic, and developmental studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.