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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
Longitudinal In Vivo Imaging of the Cerebrovasculature: Relevance to CNS Diseases
Published on: December 6, 2016
A longitudinal study of cerebral blood flow over the first 30 months
Martin Kehrer1, Martin Schöning
1Department of Paediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, University Children's Hospital, Tübingen, Germany. martin.kehrer@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Insights
Cerebral blood flow (CBF) in healthy infants increased nearly tenfold from birth to 30 months. This significant rise in blood flow, crucial for brain development, occurred primarily in the first six months of life.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Physiology
Background:
- Infant cerebral blood flow (CBF) development is critical for brain maturation.
- Longitudinal quantitative data on CBF during early infancy is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively measure and characterize the development of cerebral blood flow (CBF) volume in healthy infants.
- To provide longitudinal quantitative data on CBF from birth up to 30 months of age.
Main Methods:
- Serial quantitative measurements of absolute cerebral blood flow (CBF) volume in internal carotid and vertebral arteries.
- Blood flow calculated using flow velocity and vessel cross-sectional area.
- Measurements performed in two healthy children from birth to 30 months.
Main Results:
- CBF volume showed an almost 10-fold increase from birth (67-80 mL/min) to 30 months.
- Approximately 50% of the increase occurred within the first 6 months, correlating with synaptogenesis.
- Estimated CBF per 100g brain weight increased in the first 6 months and then stabilized.
Conclusions:
- This study presents the first longitudinal data on cerebral blood flow development in infants up to 30 months.
- CBF increases significantly during early infancy, supporting rapid brain growth and metabolic demands.
- The findings highlight critical periods of cerebral perfusion development in early childhood.
Abstract:
To investigate prospectively the development of cerebral perfusion during infancy, serial quantitative measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF) volume were performed in two healthy children from birth up to the age of 30 mo. A total of 28 CBF volume measurements were done in either of the children. Absolute flows were measured in the internal carotid and vertebral arteries on both sides. Blood flow was calculated as the product of angle-corrected time-averaged flow velocity and the cross-sectional area of the vessel. Starting from 67 and 80 mL/min, respectively, at birth an almost 10-fold increase of CBF volume was observed in both children during the examination period. Half of this rise occurred during the first 6 mo, probably reflecting the steep metabolic incline during this period of synaptogenesis. The continuous increase in CBF volume after the sixth month of life mainly corresponds to brain growth. Estimated CBF (based on estimated brain weights) increased from 21 and 23 mL 100 g(-1) min(-1), respectively, after birth to 46 and 53 mL 100 g(-1) min(-1), respectively, during the first 6 mo of life in both children, remaining stable thereafter. This study is the first to provide longitudinal data of CBF during the first 30 mo after birth.
