Brain development, IX: human brain growth.

Abstract

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Images In NeuroscienceFull AccessBrain Development, IXHuman Brain GrowthJAY GIEDD, M.D., JAY GIEDDSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Bethesda, Md.Published Online:1 Jan 1999https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.156.1.4AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Although brain development is most dynamic in utero, several processes affecting brain structure, such as myelination and arborization, persist throughout the childhood and adolescent years (top figure). Magnetic resonance imaging is well-suited for studies of childhood brain development because it uses no ionizing radiation, allowing not only scans of healthy children but even repeated scans of the same individual. Such longitudinal studies, now underway, will be critical for characterizing the nonlinear developmental curves of childhood.Although total brain volume is about 95% of its adult size by the age of 5 years, various subcomponents of the brain do undergo age-related changes. In general, white matter—an indication of myelination—increases with age, while gray matter decreases with age. The brain’s most prominent white matter structure, the corpus callosum, increases about 1.8% per year between ages 3 and 18 years. The bottom figure demonstrates growth of the corpus callosum, the sideways C-shaped white structure in the center of the brain, by showing longitudinal scans of a healthy girl at ages 3 and 9 years. The corpus callosum integrates the activity of the left and right cerebral hemispheres, and increases in corpus callosum size may reflect increased aptitude for higher-order cognitive abilities.Images are courtesy of Dr. Giedd. Time Course of Critical Events in the Determination of Human Brain Morphometry FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByBiological hypotheses, risk factors, and biomarkers of schizophreniaProgress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, Vol. 120Cyberbullying involvement and short sleep duration among adolescentsSleep Health, Vol. 8, No. 2Central and Peripheral Explorations by Metabolomics to Study Neurodevelopmental Disorders30 September 2022Nonmedical use of prescription opioids, psychological distress, and suicidality among adolescents9 September 2020 | Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Vol. 56, No. 5FutureTox IV Workshop Summary: Predictive Toxicology for Healthy Children8 February 2021 | Toxicological Sciences, Vol. 180, No. 2Energy drink consumption, psychological distress, and suicidality among middle and high school studentsJournal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 268American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Vol. 171, No. S70Human Brain Mapping, Vol. 40, No. 4Neuroscience, Vol. 399Spatial and spectral trajectories in typical neurodevelopment from childhood to middle ageNetwork Neuroscience, Vol. 3, No. 2Frontiers in Neurology, Vol. 10Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Vol. 83Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, Vol. 44International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 15, No. 1Reprint of “Adolescent cortical thickness pre- and post marijuana and alcohol initiation”Neurotoxicology and Teratology, Vol. 58Neurobiology of Disease, Vol. 92Neurotoxicology and Teratology, Vol. 57From neural development to cognition: unexpected roles for chromatin9 April 2013 | Nature Reviews Genetics, Vol. 14, No. 5, Vol. 16International Journal of Psychophysiology, Vol. 89, No. 2Human Brain Mapping, Vol. 33, No. 1Child's Nervous System, Vol. 27, No. 2NeuroImage, Vol. 49, No. 3Neuropsychopharmacology, Vol. 35, No. 1Journal of Addictive Diseases, Vol. 29, No. 2Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Vol. 33, No. 6Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 47, No. 11The Brain and Behavior: Limitations in the Legal Use of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging6 January 2021 | American Journal of Law & Medicine, Vol. 33, No. 2-3NeuroImage, Vol. 28, No. 2Neuroscience, Vol. 135, No. 1Schizophrenia Research, Vol. 73, No. 2-3Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Vol. 22, No. 3The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 77, No. 6Developmental Psychobiology, Vol. 41, No. 2Developmental Psychobiology, Vol. 39, No. 3CNS Spectrums, Vol. 6, No. 1International Forum of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 10, No. 3-4Development of Sex Differences in Spatial Memory31 August 2016 | Perceptual and Motor Skills, Vol. 89, No. 1Journal of Psychiatric Research, Vol. 33, No. 6 Volume 156Issue 1 January 1999Pages 4-4 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 January 1999 Published in print 1 January 1999