title: Linear and curvilinear correlations of brain gray matter volume and density with age using voxel-based morphometry with the Akaike information criterion in 291 healthy children.
abstract: We examined linear and curvilinear correlations of gray matter volume and density in cortical and subcortical gray matter with age using magnetic resonance images (MRI) in a large number of healthy children. We applied voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and region-of-interest (ROI) analyses with the Akaike information criterion (AIC), which was used to determine the best-fit model by selecting which predictor terms should be included. We collected data on brain structural MRI in 291 healthy children aged 5-18 years. Structural MRI data were segmented and normalized using a custom template by applying the diffeomorphic anatomical registration using exponentiated lie algebra (DARTEL) procedure. Next, we analyzed the correlations of gray matter volume and density with age in VBM with AIC by estimating linear, quadratic, and cubic polynomial functions. Several regions such as the prefrontal cortex, the precentral gyrus, and cerebellum showed significant linear or curvilinear correlations between gray matter volume and age on an increasing trajectory, and between gray matter density and age on a decreasing trajectory in VBM and ROI analyses with AIC. Because the trajectory of gray matter volume and density with age suggests the progress of brain maturation, our results may contribute to clarifying brain maturation in healthy children from the viewpoint of brain structure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. ytaki@idac.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taki
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashizume
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thyreau
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sassa
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kotozaki
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nouchi
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawashima
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male