Cerebral asymmetry during development using linear measures from MRI

Abstract

Asymmetry of the human brain is a well-known phenomenon, but the nature and extent of these differences throughout postnatal development have not been examined. Accordingly, linear measurements of the brains of 121 infants, children, and adolescents were determined to ascertain cerebral hemispheric asymmetries. Using multiple statistical methods, the results showed that: 1) the frontal lobe is wider on the right, while the occipital lobe is wider on the left; 2) there are no side to side differences in cerebral hemispheric length or height; and 3) there are no major sex differences. Especially notable is the lack of any correlation between side to side differences in length, width, or height and increasing age, which was also the case for cerebral hemispheric area or volume with increasing age. Regarding petalias: 1) the right frontal petalia occurs in 61%, the left occipital in 60%, and both petalias in 36% of the cohort; 2) the right frontal and left occipital petalias are of similar lengths; 3) the distances of both petalias increase with advancing age but not when scaled to either cerebral hemispheric area or volume, indicating that petalias are equally prominent early in postnatal life compared to later development; and 4) there are no major sex differences in the frequency or magnitude of either petalia. These findings provide comprehensive new information regarding age and sex related cerebral hemispheric asymmetries during development.