Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood

We report the dynamic anatomical sequence of human cortical gray matter development between the age of 4-21 years using quantitative four-dimensional maps and time-lapse sequences. Thirteen healthy children for whom anatomic brain MRI scans were obtained every 2 years, for 8-10 years, were studied. By using models of the cortical surface and sulcal landmarks and a statistical model for gray matter density, human cortical development could be visualized across the age range in a spatiotemporally detailed time-lapse sequence. The resulting time-lapse "movies" reveal that (i) higher-order association cortices mature only after lower-order somatosensory and visual cortices, the functions of which they integrate,…

• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: P41 RR13642, RR13642
• NI
  National Institute of Mental Health
• NC
  National Center for Research Resources

  Awards: RR13642, P41 RR13642