Brain Trajectories & Cohorts

Mapping of brain and behavioural changes throughout life

Capturing complex brain-behaviour dynamics across the lifespan

Our research is focused on elucidating the complex interplay of multi-dimensional, e.g. biological, physical, socio-environmental, behavioural and cognitive factors that emerge on different timescales and drive developmental cascades in individuals’ brain and body through the lifespan. The aim is to predict physical and mental health and illness, resilience and potential across the lifespan. We have established expertise and research infrastructures for detailed cross-sectional and longitudinal assessments of large cohorts and have active and elaborative national and international collaborations.

Longitudinal neuroimaging of large cohorts

Our current efforts are centred on the longitudinal assessment of typically-developing children and adolescents and healthy elderly populations, but also of specific patient cohorts suffering from multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer. We continue to expand our research to cover the entire age range and actively seek and engage in new collaborations. We use state of the art multimodal imaging techniques, and advanced imaging and data analysis methods and perform elaborative assessments of biological, physical, environmental and behavioural variables. In the HUBU project, we unprecedentedly assessed a group of children and adolescents 12 times, the first 10 of which were performed with six months’ intervals. Childhood and adolescence are critical developmental periods in human life in which several psychiatric disorders have their debut. Building on unique lifespan data from birth the LifeMabs project aims to identify factors through early life that effect personality traits, cognition and brain structure at midlife. As a new cohort of community-based elderly subject the LISA project assesses the effect of physical training on brain structure and function as well as patterns of physical activity around retirement.

Life span V5

Selected Publications

Carrick C, Baaré WFC, Vitoratou S, Madsen KS* & Fuhrmann D* (2025). Individual Differences in Developmental Trajectories of Global and Subcortical Brain Volumes Between Late Childhood and Late Adolescence: Findings From a 12-Wave Neuroimaging Study. Human Brain Mapping, 46, e70348. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.70348

Madsen KS, Baaré WFC, Hernandez-Torres E, Larsen KM, Kaminski A, Johnsen LK, Hemager N, Gregersen M, Brandt JM, Krantz MF, Weye N, Søndergaard, …, Nordentoft M & Siebner HR (2025). Sex-specific cortical brain differences in children at familial high risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2025.08.005

Demnitz N, Baaré, WFC, Binnewies J, Brandmaier AM, Fjell AM, Gates AT, Kievit R, Kjaer M, Madsen KS, Nyberg L, Pudas S, Siebner HR, Suri S, Sørensen Ø, Walhovd KB, Ebmeier KP & Boraxbekk C-J (2025). No significant association between self-reported physical activity and brain volumes in women and men from five European cohorts. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-9.

Bloch-Ibenfeldt M, Demnitz N, Gates AT, Garde E, Siebner HR, Kjaer M & Boraxbekk C-J (2025). No long-term benefits from resistance training on brain grey matter volumes in active older adults at retirement age. BMC Geriatrics, 25, 120.

Olson HA*, Camacho MC*, Abdurokhmonova G, Ahmad S, Chen EM, Chung H, Lorenzo RD, Dineen ÁT, Ganz M, …, Zöllei L, Vaughn KA* & Madsen KS* (2025). Measuring and interpreting individual differences in fetal, infant, and toddler neurodevelopment. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 73, 101539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101539

Fjell AM, Sørensen Ø, Wang Y, Amlien IK, Baaré WFC, Bartrés-Faz D, Bertram L, Boraxbekk CJ, Brandmaier AM, Demuth I, Drevon CA, Ebmeier KP, Ghisletta P, Kievit R, Kühn S, Madsen KS, …, Watne L & Walhovd KB (2023). No phenotypic or genotypic evidence for a link between sleep duration and brain atrophy. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(11), 2008–2022. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01707-5

Demnitz N, Hulme OJ, Siebner HR, Kjaer M, Ebmeier KP, Boraxbekk CJ, & Gillan CM (2023). Characterising the covariance pattern between lifestyle factors and structural brain measures: a multivariable replication study of two independent ageing cohorts. Neurobiology of Aging, 131, 115-123.

Demnitz N, Gates AT, Mortensen EL, Garde E, Wimmelmann CL, Siebner HR, ... & Boraxbekk CJ (2023). Is it all in the baseline? Trajectories of chair stand performance over 4 years and their association with grey matter structure in older adults. Human Brain Mapping, 44(11), 4299-4309.

Plachti A, Baaré WFC, Johansen LB, Thompson WK, Siebner HR & Madsen KS (2023). Stability of associations between neuroticism and microstructural asymmetry of the cingulum during late childhood and adolescence: Insights from a longitudinal study with up to 11 waves. Human Brain Mapping, 44(4), 1548–1564. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26157

Fuhrmann D*, Madsen KS*, Johansen LB, Baaré WFC & Kievit RA (2022). The midpoint of cortical thinning between late childhood and early adulthood differs across individuals and regions : Evidence from longitudinal modelling in a 12-wave sample. NeuroImage, 261, 119507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119507

Demnitz N, Stathi A, Withall J, Stainer C, Seager P, De Koning J, ... & Sexton CE (2022). Hippocampal maintenance after a 12-month physical activity intervention in older adults: the REACT MRI study. NeuroImage: Clinical, 102762.

Gonzalez MR, Baaré WFC, Hagler DJ, Archibald S, Vestergaard M & Madsen KS (2021). Brain structure associations with phonemic and semantic fluency in typically-developing children. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 50, 100982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100982

Vidal-Pineiro D, Wang Y, Krogsrud SK, Amlien IK, Baaré WFC, Bartres-Faz D, Bertram L, Brandmaier AM, …, Madsen KS, Magnussen F, … Fjell A (2021). Individual variations in ‘brain age’ relate to early-life factors more than to longitudinal brain change. ELife, 10:e69995, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.69995

Demnitz N, Madsen KS, Johnsen LK, Kjaer M, Boraxbekk CJ & Siebner HR (2021). Right-left asymmetry in corticospinal tract microstructure and dexterity are uncoupled in late adulthood. NeuroImage, 118405.

Madsen KS, Johansen LB, Thompson WK, Siebner HR, Jernigan TL, & Baaré WFC (2020). Maturational trajectories of white matter microstructure underlying the right presupplementary motor area reflect individual improvements in motor response cancellation in children and adolescents. NeuroImage, 220, 117105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117105

Habich, A., Fehér, K.D., Antonenko, D., Boraxbekk, C.J., Flöel, A., Nissen, C., Siebner, H.R., Thielscher, A., & Klöppel, A. (2020). Stimulating aged brains with transcranial direct current stimulation: Opportunities and challenges. Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging, 30; 306: 111179.

Gylling AT, Bloch-Ibenfeldt M, Eriksen CS, Ziegler AK, Wimmelmann CL, Baekgaard M, Boraxbekk CJ, Siebner HR, Mortensen EL, & Kjaer M. (2020). Maintenance of muscle strength following a one-year resistance training program in older adults. Experimental Gerontology, 1; 139:111049.

Walhovd KB, Fjell AM, Westerhausen R, Nyberg L, Ebmeier KP, Lindenberger U, Bartres-Faz D, Baare WFC, Siebner HR, Henson R, Drevon CA, Stromstad Knudsen GP, Ljosne IB, Penninx B, Ghisletta P, Rogeberg O, Tyler L, Bertram L. (2018). Healthy minds 0-100 years: Optimising the use of European brain imaging cohorts ("Lifebrain"). Eur Psychiatry. 50, 47-56.

Madsen KS, Jernigan TL, Vestergaard M, Mortensen EL, Baare WFC. (2018). Neuroticism is linked to microstructural left-right asymmetry of fronto-limbic fibre tracts in adolescents with opposite effects in boys and girls. Neuropsychologia. 114, 1-10.