Localizing Age-Related Changes in Brain Structure between Childhood and Adolescence Using Statistical Parametric Mapping
Abstract
Volumetric studies have consistently shown reductions in cerebral gray matter volume between childhood and adolescence, with the most dramatic changes occurring in the more dorsal cortices of the frontal and parietal lobes. The purpose of this study was to examine the spatial location of these changes employing methods typical of functional imaging studies. T1-weighted structural MRI data (1.2 mm) were analyzed for nine normally developing children and nine normal adolescents. Validity and reliability of the tissue segmentation protocol were assessed as part of several preprocessing analyses prior to statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Using SPM96, a simple contrast of average gray matter differences between the two age groups revealed 57 significant clusters (SPM[Z] height threshold, P<0.001, extent threshold 50, uncorrected). The pattern and distribution of differences were consistent with earlier findings from the volumetric assessment of the same subjects. Specifically, more differences were observed in dorsal frontal and parietal regions with relatively few differences observed in cortices of the temporal and occipital lobes. Permutation tests were conducted to assess the overall significance of the gray matter differences and validity of the parametric maps. Twenty SPMs were created with subjects randomly assigned to groups. None of the random SPMs approached the number of significant clusters observed in the age difference SPM (mean number of significant clusters = 5.8). The age effects observed appear to result from regions that consistently segment as gray matter in the younger group and consistently segment as white matter in the older group. The utility of these methods for localizing relatively subtle structural changes that occur between childhood and adolescence has not previously been examined.
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Changing cortical volumes over the adolescent age range are most prominent in the frontal and parietal lobes.
“Interestingly, changing cortical volumes over this age range are most prominent in the frontal and parietal lobes.8, 58, 59”
From A role for synaptic plasticity in the adolescent development of executive function (2013) · cites this paper as [59]
In an MRI study comparing children of average age 9 and adolescents of average age 14, older children had higher white matter volume in frontal and parietal cortex, while younger children had higher grey matter volume in the same regions.
“The results showed a higher volume of white matter in the frontal cortex and parietal cortex in the older children than in the younger group.The younger group, by contrast, had a higher volume of grey matter in the same regions.”
From Development of the adolescent brain: implications for executive function and social cognition (2006) · cites this paper as Sowell et al., 1999
Absolute prefrontal cortex volume declines during adolescence in both humans and rats.
“absolute PFC volume declines during adolescence in both humans (Sowell et al., 2001; Sowell et al., 1999) and rats (van Eden et al., 1990).”
From Impulsivity, frontal lobes and risk for addiction (2009) · cites this paper as Sowell et al., 1999
Grey matter density in the frontal and temporal lobes follows an inverted-U shaped pattern of development.
“Grey matter density in the frontal and temporal lobes has been reported to follow an inverted-U shaped pattern of development, peaking around puberty onset in the frontal lobe (age 11 in girls and 12 in boys), and at around 16–17 years in the temporal lobe.”
From The social brain in adolescence: evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioural studies (2011) · cites this paper as Sowell et al., 1999
Frontal lobe grey matter density peaks around puberty onset (age 11 in girls and 12 in boys).
“peaking around puberty onset in the frontal lobe (age 11 in girls and 12 in boys)”
From The social brain in adolescence: evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioural studies (2011) · cites this paper as Sowell et al., 1999
These peaks in grey matter density are followed by an extended profile of decline throughout the remainder of adolescence and early adulthood.
“These peaks in grey matter density are followed by an extended profile of decline throughout the remainder of adolescence and early adulthood (Giedd et al., 1999; Sowell et al., 1999, 2002; Ostby et al., 2009).”
From The social brain in adolescence: evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioural studies (2011) · cites this paper as Sowell et al., 1999
MRI studies show continuing neuroanatomical development during adolescence.
“MRI studies show continuing neuroanatomical development during adolescence (Giedd et al., 1999; Sowell et al., 1999; Gogtay et al., 2004).”
From The social brain in adolescence: evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioural studies (2011) · cites this paper as Sowell et al., 1999
Temporal lobe grey matter density peaks around 16-17 years.
“and at around 16–17 years in the temporal lobe”
From The social brain in adolescence: evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioural studies (2011) · cites this paper as Sowell et al., 1999
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“The filtered, issue-classified supratentorial volume from each subect was then scaled into standard ICBM-305 space sing a completely automated nine-parameter linear with scaling in the x, y, and z planes) spatial normalizaion algorithm (Collins et al., 1994).”
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- Authors
- Sowell, E. R., Thompson, P. M., Holmes, C. J., Batth, R., Jernigan, T. L., & Toga, A. W.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1999-06
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 587-597
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2063322218
- Cited by
- 554
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 26
- FWCI
- 10.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r01hd023854-07, 1p01dc001289-01)
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (P01 DC01289)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P50 NS 22343, P50NS022343)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD 23854)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Medical Image Segmentation Techniques
- Keywords
- gray matter volume, childhood to adolescence, brain development, frontal cortex, parietal cortex, dorsal cortex, tissue segmentation, white matter, structural MRI, permutation tests, brain aging
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Aging, Brain, Child, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Male, Reproducibility of Results, Models, Statistical
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