Brain growth in modern humans using multiple developmental databases.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Anatomy
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Existing studies on modern human brain growth utilize diverse methodologies.
• This heterogeneity complicates direct comparisons of developmental brain size data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the agreement between different collections of immature modern human brain data.
• To create a unified database for analyzing brain growth trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 21 developmental datasets (skeletal, autopsy, imaging) for endocranial volume, brain weight, or brain volume.
• Application of conversion factors for specific gravity and subarachnoid space size.
• Step-wise comparisons across datasets.

Main Results:

• Derived brain weights are comparable across methodologies.
• Significant brain growth occurs in the first year, with further increases until age five.
• Brain size expansion precedes body size expansion, with notable sex differences observed.
• A composite database of 3,491 brain weights (birth to 18 years) was established.

Conclusions:

• The composite database integrates disparate modern human brain collections.
• This unified resource facilitates research into developmental neuroscience.
• The findings support the utility of the composite database for future investigations.