Variability of human brain structure size: ages 4-20 years

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Pediatric Neuroimaging

Background:

• Human brain development involves significant structural changes.
• Understanding variability in brain structure size is critical for pediatric neuroimaging research.
• Developmental trajectories and individual differences impact brain structure measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effects of hemisphere, sex, and age on the size variability of multiple human brain structures in children and adolescents.
• To identify which brain structures exhibit the most and least variability.
• To inform the design of pediatric neuroimaging studies by quantifying developmental variances.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of brain structure volumes in 115 healthy children and adolescents (ages 4-20).
• Statistical examination of variability across different brain structures, hemispheres, sexes, and age groups.
• Assessment of coefficients of variation for total cerebrum, cerebellum, lateral ventricles, temporal lobe, amygdala, hippocampus, superior temporal gyrus, corpus callosum, caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in size variability were observed across brain structures.
• Lateral ventricles showed the highest variability; the putamen exhibited the lowest.
• Sex-based differences in variability were noted in specific regions (e.g., cerebrum, superior temporal gyrus, caudate, putamen).
• Increased variability in lateral ventricles, hippocampus, and superior temporal gyrus was observed after puberty.

Conclusions:

• Brain structure size variability is a complex interplay of region, sex, and age during development.
• These findings have implications for determining appropriate sample sizes for pediatric neuroimaging studies.
• Quantifying developmental variances is essential for accurate interpretation of cross-sectional and longitudinal research findings.