Mapping the Morphometric Similarity Network Across the Human Lifespan Using Normative Models in 33,937 Participants

Motivation: Cortical morphology represents the fundamental structural architecture of the cerebral cortex. However, the lifespan growth patterns of morphology-based structural networks remain unknown. Goal(s): Model the lifespan growth of the morphometric network and its associations with the functional connectome. Approach: We aggregated a neuroimaging dataset of 33,937 healthy participants aged 0 to 80 from 141 sites, constructing individual morphometric and functional networks to map normative growth patterns. Results: Lifespan structural network growth shows connectivity strength decreasing in sensory regions and increasing in paralimbic regions. Coupling increased from birth to early adolescence, followed by a decline. Network phenotype deviations in patients significantly predicted clinical scores. Impact: Our results reveal the lifespan evolution of the morphology-based structural network and provide a normative reference for assessing individual variations in development, aging, and neuropsychiatric disorders.