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Scanning Dos and Don'ts: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Children Aged 3 to 5 Years to Assess Brain Structure and Function
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Brain development in children and adolescents: insights from anatomical magnetic resonance imaging

Rhoshel K Lenroot1, Jay N Giedd

  • 1Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Building 10, Room 4C110, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20854, USA.

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|August 5, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Neuroimaging reveals significant brain development in children and adolescents, with increasing white matter and changing gray matter volumes. Individual brain variations are common across diverse groups.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Pediatric neuroimaging
  • Brain anatomy and development

Background:

  • Neuroimaging advances enable new insights into brain development.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is ideal for pediatric studies due to its safety (no ionizing radiation).
  • Longitudinal studies are crucial for tracking developmental changes in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize key findings in pediatric brain anatomical changes.
  • To highlight the utility of MRI in developmental neuroscience.
  • To discuss variability in brain morphometrics and ongoing research.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for non-invasive brain scans.
  • Conducting longitudinal studies to observe changes over time.
  • Analyzing brain morphometric measures.

Main Results:

  • Observed increases in white matter volumes across the brain during development.
  • Identified regionally specific, inverted U-shaped trajectories for gray matter volumes.
  • Noted significant individual variability in brain morphometric measures.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood and adolescent brain development involves dynamic changes in white and gray matter.
  • Brain morphometric variability is substantial across individuals and groups.
  • Further research is needed to understand genetic and environmental influences on developmental trajectories.

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