title: An allometric scaling relationship in the brain of preterm infants.
abstract: Allometry has been used to demonstrate a power-law scaling relationship in the brain of premature born infants. Forty-nine preterm infants underwent neonatal MRI scans and neurodevelopmental testing at age 2. Measures of cortical surface area and total cerebral volume demonstrated a power-law scaling relationship (α = 1.27). No associations were identified between these measures and investigated clinical variables. Term equivalent cortical surface area and total cerebral volume measures and scaling exponents were not related to outcome. These findings confirm a previously reported allometric scaling relationship in the preterm brain, and suggest that scaling is not a sensitive indicator of aberrant cortical maturation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri ; Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Smyser
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri ; Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Cynthia E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: English
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallendorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alexopoulos
authors.affiliation: Case Western Reserve Medical School Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Erin J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Van Essen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Neil
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Terrie E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Inder