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Updated: Feb 10, 2026
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Studying Brain Function in Children Using Magnetoencephalography
Published on: April 8, 2019
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Pediatric Brain Development in Down Syndrome: A Field in Its Infancy
Taralee Hamner1, Manisha D Udhnani1, Karol Z Osipowicz1
1Department of Psychology,Drexel University,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.
Summary
Structural neuroimaging in youth with Down syndrome (DS) reveals significant brain volume differences, particularly in frontal gray matter, which do not change with age as they do in typical development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Genetics
Background:
- Limited understanding of brain development in youth with Down syndrome (DS).
- Need to contextualize existing research within a developmental framework.
- Down syndrome is associated with cognitive and behavioral phenotypes that may relate to neuroanatomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the existing pediatric structural neuroimaging literature in Down syndrome.
- To contextualize findings within a developmental framework.
- To examine age-related changes in brain structure in DS compared to typical development.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of published structural neuroimaging studies in youth with DS.
- Review of effect sizes from these studies.
- Comparison of findings with typical brain development trajectories.
Main Results:
- Most studies show gross morphometric differences, not advanced neuroimaging.
- Consistent findings of smaller total brain volume, gray matter, white matter, and specific regional volumes (hippocampus, cerebellum).
- Frontal gray matter shows persistent deviations in DS across development, unlike controls where it decreases with age.
Conclusions:
- Further longitudinal neuroimaging research is needed to understand the DS neuroanatomic phenotype.
- Focus on developmental trajectories is crucial for elucidating brain differences in DS.
- The atypical age-related changes in frontal gray matter warrant further investigation.
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