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Cerebral volumetric analysis over time in children with malformations of cortical development: a quantitative
Linsey M Walker1, Annapurna Poduri, Bernard S Chang
1Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Insights
Children with cortical malformations show overall brain growth similar to healthy peers. However, specific malformed areas, like heterotopic gray matter, exhibit unique developmental trajectories.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Malformations of cortical development are common neurological disorders affecting fetal brain development.
- These conditions disrupt the formation of cerebral gray and white matter.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively investigate the longitudinal changes in cerebral volumes in children with cortical malformations.
- To compare the growth patterns of brain structures in affected children with those of healthy individuals.
Main Methods:
- A quantitative, partly longitudinal study design was employed.
- Cerebral, gray matter, white matter, heterotopic gray matter, and caudate nucleus volumes were analyzed over time.
- Volumetric data from children with cortical malformations were compared to normative data.
Main Results:
- Children with cortical malformations exhibited overall cerebral, gray matter, and white matter volume growth curves comparable to healthy children.
- Peak brain volumes were reached at similar ages as in the healthy population.
- Volumes of heterotopic gray matter showed disproportionate increases relative to cortical and caudate nucleus volumes, indicating unique maturation patterns.
Conclusions:
- Overall brain growth in children with cortical malformations generally mirrors that of healthy individuals.
- Specific malformed brain regions, such as heterotopic gray matter, can display distinct growth patterns during development.
Abstract:
Malformations of cortical development are common neurological disorders characterized by disruptions in the normal development of cerebral gray and white matter during fetal life. We performed a quantitative, partly longitudinal investigation of cerebral volumes in a cohort of children with cortical malformations to investigate how their anatomical abnormalities change over time. Cortical malformation subjects showed volumetric curves that were comparable with those reported for healthy individuals, and reached peak cerebral volume, gray matter volume, and white matter volume at ages similar to those reported for healthy children. Volumes of heterotopic gray matter, however, demonstrated increases that were out of proportion to changes in cortical volume or caudate nucleus volume, suggesting that misplaced gray matter can have a unique pattern of maturation. Our findings demonstrate that overall brain growth in children with cortical malformations appears to mirror that of the healthy population, although malformed regions can show distinct growth patterns.
