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Changes in brain water diffusion during childhood
M C Morriss1, R A Zimmerman, L T Bilaniuk
1Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Insights
Brain water diffusion changes in children reveal white matter maturation patterns before myelination markers appear. This diffusion imaging approach may aid in studying white matter disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Biophysics
Background:
- Childhood brain development involves significant white matter maturation.
- Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is sensitive to tissue microstructure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a normative database of brain water diffusion changes during childhood.
- To correlate diffusion parameters with white matter maturation patterns.
- To explore the utility of dMRI in assessing white matter development and disorders.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion-weighted MRI was performed on 30 children aged 1 day to 17 years.
- Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and apparent anisotropy (AA) were calculated in various brain regions, including white matter tracts and gray matter.
Main Results:
- ADC and AA values demonstrated a direct relationship with the structural maturity and compactness of white matter tracts.
- Diffusion parameter changes with aging preceded observable myelination markers on T1- or T2-weighted images.
Conclusions:
- Brain water diffusion, quantified by ADC and AA, reflects white matter maturation in developing brains.
- dMRI can detect microstructural changes in white matter maturation earlier than conventional MRI sequences.
- This technique holds potential for investigating pediatric white matter disorders.
Abstract:
We studied the changes in brain water diffusion in childhood as seen on diffusion-weighted MRI in 30 children from 1 day of life to 17 years to provide a data base and to investigate the correlation of diffusion changes with known patterns of white matter maturation. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and apparent anisotropy (AA) were calculated in numerous regions of the brain to include major white matter tracts and gray matter. ADC and AA values were directly related to the structural maturity and compactness of the white matter tracts and changed with aging in a way that predated early myelination markers such as signal change on T1- or T2-weighted images. Diffusion of water is sensitive to structural changes in the brain such as white matter maturation and may be useful in investigating white matter disorders.