QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, November 19, 2008, 28(47):12176-12182; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3479-08.2008

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Knickmeyer, R. C. Articles by Gilmore, J. H. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Knickmeyer, R. C. Articles by Gilmore, J. H.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Development/Plasticity/Repair
A Structural MRI Study of Human Brain Development from Birth to 2 Years

Rebecca C. Knickmeyer,¹ Sylvain Gouttard,² Chaeryon Kang,³ Dianne Evans,¹ Kathy Wilber,⁴ J. Keith Smith,⁴ Robert M. Hamer,^1,3 Weili Lin,⁴ Guido Gerig,² and John H. Gilmore¹

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7160, ²Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, ³Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7420, and ⁴Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7510

Correspondence should be addressed to John H. Gilmore, Department of Psychiatry, 7025 Neurosciences Hospital, Campus Box #7160, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7160. Email: jgilmore{at}med.unc.edu

Brain development in the first 2 years after birth is extremely dynamic and likely plays an important role in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and schizophrenia. Knowledge regarding this period is currently quite limited. We studied structural brain development in healthy subjects from birth to 2. Ninety-eight children received structural MRI scans on a Siemens head-only 3T scanner with magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo T1-weighted, and turbo spin echo, dual-echo (proton density and T2 weighted) sequences: 84 children at 2–4 weeks, 35 at 1 year and 26 at 2 years of age. Tissue segmentation was accomplished using a novel automated approach. Lateral ventricle, caudate, and hippocampal volumes were also determined. Total brain volume increased 101% in the first year, with a 15% increase in the second. The majority of hemispheric growth was accounted for by gray matter, which increased 149% in the first year; hemispheric white matter volume increased by only 11%. Cerebellum volume increased 240% in the first year. Lateral ventricle volume increased 280% in the first year, with a small decrease in the second. The caudate increased 19% and the hippocampus 13% from age 1 to age 2. There was robust growth of the human brain in the first two years of life, driven mainly by gray matter growth. In contrast, white matter growth was much slower. Cerebellum volume also increased substantially in the first year of life. These results suggest the structural underpinnings of cognitive and motor development in early childhood, as well as the potential pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Key words: brain development; cortex; children; magnetic resonance imaging; hippocampus; caudate

---

Received July 24, 2008; revised Sept. 24, 2008; accepted Oct. 4, 2008.

Correspondence should be addressed to John H. Gilmore, Department of Psychiatry, 7025 Neurosciences Hospital, Campus Box #7160, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7160. Email: jgilmore{at}med.unc.edu

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help