Morphometric Development of Pediatric Auditory Centers: A Retrospective Analysis.
Alper Vatansever1, Gökhan Ocakoğlu2, Sefa Işıklar3
1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, Türkiye.
The European Journal of Neuroscience
|November 12, 2025
Summary
Auditory cortex development shows significant shape changes in the medial geniculate body and auditory cortex from childhood to adolescence. These brain changes also differ between genders in children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The medial geniculate body and transverse temporal gyrus are crucial for auditory development in infancy.
- Understanding structural brain changes in childhood is vital for identifying developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age and gender-related shape differences in the medial geniculate body.
- To evaluate morphometric parameters of the auditory cortex across pediatric age groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from 525 children aged 1-18 years.
- Performed statistical shape analysis (Generalized Procrustes Analysis) on the medial geniculate body.
- Assessed auditory cortex morphometrics using vol2Brain and DeepThalamus.
Main Results:
- Significant enlargement of the medial geniculate body shape was observed with age, particularly from early to middle childhood.
- Auditory cortex morphometric parameters differed significantly in early childhood compared to other age groups.
- A trend towards a wider auditory cortex was noted in males.
Conclusions:
- The medial geniculate body and auditory cortex undergo significant shape and morphometric changes during childhood and adolescence.
- These developmental changes exhibit variations between genders.
- Findings may inform future research on hearing disorders and neurodevelopmental trajectories.
