Cortical Thickness and Natural Scene Recognition in the Child’s Brain
Visual scenes are processed in terms of spatial frequencies. Low spatial frequencies (LSF) carry coarse information, whereas high spatial frequencies (HSF) subsequently carry information about fine details. The present magnetic resonance imaging study investigated how cortical thickness covaried wit...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/6/329 |
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| author | François Orliac Grégoire Borst Grégory Simon Katell Mevel Julie Vidal Sonia Dollfus Olivier Houdé Carole Peyrin Nicolas Poirel |
| author_facet | François Orliac Grégoire Borst Grégory Simon Katell Mevel Julie Vidal Sonia Dollfus Olivier Houdé Carole Peyrin Nicolas Poirel |
| author_sort | François Orliac |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Visual scenes are processed in terms of spatial frequencies. Low spatial frequencies (LSF) carry coarse information, whereas high spatial frequencies (HSF) subsequently carry information about fine details. The present magnetic resonance imaging study investigated how cortical thickness covaried with LSF/HSF processing abilities in ten-year-old children and adults. Participants indicated whether natural scenes that were filtered in either LSF or HSF represented outdoor or indoor scenes, while reaction times (RTs) and accuracy measures were recorded. In adults, faster RTs for LSF and HSF images were consistently associated with a thicker cortex (parahippocampal cortex, middle frontal gyrus, and precentral and insula regions for LSF; parahippocampal cortex and fronto-marginal and supramarginal gyri for HSF). On the other hand, in children, faster RTs for HSF were associated with a thicker cortex (posterior cingulate, supramarginal and calcarine cortical regions), whereas faster RTs for LSF were associated with a thinner cortex (subcallosal and insula regions). Increased cortical thickness in adults and children could correspond to an expansion mechanism linked to visual scene processing efficiency. In contrast, lower cortical thickness associated with LSF efficiency in children could correspond to a pruning mechanism reflecting an ongoing maturational process, in agreement with the view that LSF efficiency continues to be refined during childhood. This differing pattern between children and adults appeared to be particularly significant in anterior regions of the brain, in line with the proposed existence of a postero-anterior gradient of brain development. Taken together, our results highlight the dynamic brain processes that allow children and adults to perceive a visual natural scene in a coherent way. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:31:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-46fa8955b07e4b47b55a386b4c3d7943 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:31:27Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-46fa8955b07e4b47b55a386b4c3d79432023-11-20T02:06:01ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252020-05-0110632910.3390/brainsci10060329Cortical Thickness and Natural Scene Recognition in the Child’s BrainFrançois Orliac0Grégoire Borst1Grégory Simon2Katell Mevel3Julie Vidal4Sonia Dollfus5Olivier Houdé6Carole Peyrin7Nicolas Poirel8Université de Paris, LaPsyDÉ, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, FranceUniversité de Paris, LaPsyDÉ, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, FranceGIP Cyceron, 14000 Caen, FranceGIP Cyceron, 14000 Caen, FranceUniversité de Paris, LaPsyDÉ, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, FranceGIP Cyceron, 14000 Caen, FranceUniversité de Paris, LaPsyDÉ, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, FranceUniversité Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, FranceUniversité de Paris, LaPsyDÉ, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, FranceVisual scenes are processed in terms of spatial frequencies. Low spatial frequencies (LSF) carry coarse information, whereas high spatial frequencies (HSF) subsequently carry information about fine details. The present magnetic resonance imaging study investigated how cortical thickness covaried with LSF/HSF processing abilities in ten-year-old children and adults. Participants indicated whether natural scenes that were filtered in either LSF or HSF represented outdoor or indoor scenes, while reaction times (RTs) and accuracy measures were recorded. In adults, faster RTs for LSF and HSF images were consistently associated with a thicker cortex (parahippocampal cortex, middle frontal gyrus, and precentral and insula regions for LSF; parahippocampal cortex and fronto-marginal and supramarginal gyri for HSF). On the other hand, in children, faster RTs for HSF were associated with a thicker cortex (posterior cingulate, supramarginal and calcarine cortical regions), whereas faster RTs for LSF were associated with a thinner cortex (subcallosal and insula regions). Increased cortical thickness in adults and children could correspond to an expansion mechanism linked to visual scene processing efficiency. In contrast, lower cortical thickness associated with LSF efficiency in children could correspond to a pruning mechanism reflecting an ongoing maturational process, in agreement with the view that LSF efficiency continues to be refined during childhood. This differing pattern between children and adults appeared to be particularly significant in anterior regions of the brain, in line with the proposed existence of a postero-anterior gradient of brain development. Taken together, our results highlight the dynamic brain processes that allow children and adults to perceive a visual natural scene in a coherent way.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/6/329cortical thicknessMRIchildrennatural scenesspatial frequencyvision |
| spellingShingle | François Orliac Grégoire Borst Grégory Simon Katell Mevel Julie Vidal Sonia Dollfus Olivier Houdé Carole Peyrin Nicolas Poirel Cortical Thickness and Natural Scene Recognition in the Child’s Brain Brain Sciences cortical thickness MRI children natural scenes spatial frequency vision |
| title | Cortical Thickness and Natural Scene Recognition in the Child’s Brain |
| title_full | Cortical Thickness and Natural Scene Recognition in the Child’s Brain |
| title_fullStr | Cortical Thickness and Natural Scene Recognition in the Child’s Brain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cortical Thickness and Natural Scene Recognition in the Child’s Brain |
| title_short | Cortical Thickness and Natural Scene Recognition in the Child’s Brain |
| title_sort | cortical thickness and natural scene recognition in the child s brain |
| topic | cortical thickness MRI children natural scenes spatial frequency vision |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/6/329 |
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