Mapping cortical brain asymmetry in 17,141 healthy individuals worldwide via the ENIGMA consortium

Significance Left–right asymmetry is a key feature of the human brain's structure and function. It remains unclear which cortical regions are asymmetrical on average in the population and how biological factors such as age, sex, and genetic variation affect these asymmetries. Here, we describe by far the largest-ever study of cerebral cortical asymmetry, based on data from 17,141 participants. We found a global anterior–posterior “torque” pattern in cortical thickness, together with various regional asymmetries at the population level, which have not been previously described, as well as effects of age, sex, and heritability estimates. From these data, we have created an online resource that will serve future studies of human brain anatomy in health and disease.