Development of the brainstem: assessment by MR imaging.
The morphological development of the brainstem was studied by means of MR imaging. The subjects were 74 cases ranging in age from 4 months to 16 years, and 6 adult cases. The brainstem development was rapid until 4-6 years of age and thereafter it slowed down. That is the brainstem showed exponential growth (w', t', v and u). The relationship between brainstem growth and the cranium size was divided into 4 types as follows: 1) linear increase with development (s/T-O), 2) plateau (w/T-I and v/RTP-LTP), 3) down and up (u/RTM-LTM and z/RTM-LTM) and 4) exponential (t/T-P). In the values of v, z (the size of the brainstem in axial view) and t/T-P (the ratio of the midbrain and the cranium size in sagittal view), there were significant sex differences for cases of 10-16 years old. These values in male subjects were greater than those in female subjects (v, p less than 0.05, z, p less than 0.01, and t/T-P, p less than 0.05). That is the brainstem in male subjects was greater than that in female subjects.
Hashimoto
T
T
Department of Pediatrics, Tokushima University School of Medicine, Japan.
Tayama
M
M
Miyazaki
M
M
Kuroda
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000254:growth & development*; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000254:growth & development; D011149:Pons / Q000254:growth & development; D012016:Reference Values