Brain volumetric MRI study in healthy adolescent and young person’s using automated method

Abstract

Objective: Adolescence is a critical period for the maturation of neurobiological processes that underlie higher cognitive functions and social and emotional behaviour. However, there are limited studies that investigated brain volumes in healthy adolescents and young persons. The aim of this study was to compare the Grey Matter (GM), White Matter (WM) and some specific brain subcortical volumes such as hippocampus and amygdala between healthy adolescents and young groups by using VolBrain.
 Material and Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans were retrospectively obtained from 20 healthy adolescent and young subjects. The mean ages of the adolescent and young persons were 13±1 and 24±2, respectively. Brain parenchyma (BP), GM, WM and asymmetry features were calculated using VolBrain, and the GM and WM volumes of each subjects were compared with those of the both groups. The current study to examine whether regional gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), some brain subcortical structures volumes differed between healthy adolescent and young groups. Also, of the whole brain, hemispheres, and hippocampus, amigdala of adolescent and young subject volumes were measured with an automated method.
 Results: We have observed that the young group was found to have a 4 % less in volume of GM, when compared with adolescent groups.
 Conclusion: Our data indicate that quantitative structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data of the adolescent brain is important in understanding the age-related human morphological changes.