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.

中文翻译：

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儿童大脑中的皮质厚度和自然场景识别。

视觉场景是根据空间频率进行处理的。低空间频率（LSF）携带粗略信息，而高空间频率（HSF）随后携带有关精细细节的信息。当前的磁共振成像研究调查了在十岁的儿童和成人中皮层厚度与LSF / HSF处理能力如何协变。参与者指出在LSF或HSF中过滤的自然场景是代表室外还是室内场景，同时记录了反应时间（RT）和准确性测度。在成人中，用于LSF和HSF图像的更快的RTs始终与较厚的皮层有关（对于LSF，海马旁皮层，中额回，以及中枢和岛顶区域；对于HSF，海马旁皮层和额缘和上arg回）。另一方面，在儿童中，HSF较快的RTs与较厚的皮层（后扣带状，上斜肌和骨钙素皮层区域）有关，而LSF较快的RTs与较薄的皮层（call骨下和岛状区域）有关。成人和儿童的皮质厚度增加可能对应于与视觉场景处理效率相关的扩展机制。相反，与儿童的LSF效率相关的较低的皮质厚度可能对应于反映正在进行的成熟过程的修剪机制，这与LSF效率在儿童期继续得到改善的观点一致。在儿童和成人之间的这种不同模式在大脑的前部区域显得尤为重要，这与提议的大脑发育的后前部梯度的存在相一致。在一起