Cortical and subcortical changes in typically developing preadolescent children
L Tugan Muftuler1, Elysia Poggi Davis, Claudia Buss
1Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA. lmuftuler@mcw.edu
Insights
Brain development in children aged 6-10 shows age-related changes in cortical thickness and thalamus volume. These findings provide crucial normative data for understanding typical brain maturation during late childhood.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Pediatric Imaging
Background:
- Abnormal cerebral development in childhood is linked to cognitive and psychiatric disorders.
- Limited normative data exists for typically developing children, particularly in the preadolescent age range.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze age-related differences in brain anatomy in normally developing children.
- To establish normative data for cortical thickness and subcortical structure volumes in late childhood.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used.
- 126 typically developing children aged 6 to 10 years were analyzed.
- Age-related changes in cortical thickness and subcortical volumes were assessed.
Main Results:
- Cortical thickness decreased with age in occipital, parietal, somatosensory, temporal, and frontal regions.
- Thalamus volume increased with age, controlling for intracranial volume.
- Sex differences were minimal, except for the right insula where girls showed increased thickness with age.
Conclusions:
- Significant age-associated anatomical changes occur in the brain during late childhood.
- This study provides valuable normative data on brain development trajectories.
- Findings contribute to understanding the foundation for cognitive and psychiatric health.
Abstract:
There is evidence that abnormal cerebral development during childhood is a risk factor for various cognitive and psychiatric disorders. There is not, however, sufficient normative data available on large samples of typically developing children, especially within the narrow preadolescent age range. We analyzed high resolution MRI images from 126 normally developing children between ages 6 and 10 years. Age related differences in cortical thickness and in the volumes of major subcortical structures were assessed. Thinner cortices were observed in the occipital, parietal and somatosensory regions as well as in distinct regions of the temporal and frontal lobes with increasing age. Among the major subcortical structures analyzed in this study, only the thalamus showed increased volume with age after accounting for intracranial volume. Within the age range studied age-related cortical and subcortical differences were similar for boys and girls except for the right insula, where girls showed a slight increase in thickness with age. The findings reveal age-associated changes in brain anatomy, providing information about the trajectory of normal brain development during late childhood.
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