title: High-angular resolution diffusion imaging tractography of cerebellar pathways from newborns to young adults.
abstract: Many neurologic and psychiatric disorders are thought to be due to, or result in, developmental errors in neuronal cerebellar connectivity. In this connectivity analysis, we studied the developmental time-course of cerebellar peduncle pathways in pediatric and young adult subjects.
  
  
  
  A cohort of 80 subjects, newborns to young adults, was studied on a 3T MR system with 30 diffusion-weighted measurements with high-angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) tractography.
  
  
  
  Qualitative and quantitative results were analyzed for age-based variation. In subjects of all ages, the superior cerebellar peduncle pathway (SCP) and two distinct subpathways of the middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), as described in previousex vivostudies, were identified in vivo with this technique: pathways between the rostral pons and inferior-lateral cerebellum (MCPcog), associated predominantly with higher cognitive function, and pathways between the caudal pons and superior-medial cerebellum (MCPmot), associated predominantly with motor function.
  
  
  
  Our findings showed that the inferior cerebellar peduncle pathway (ICP), involved primarily in proprioception and balance appears to have a later onset followed by more rapid development than that exhibited in other tracts. We hope that this study may provide an initial point of reference for future studies of normal and pathologic development of cerebellar connectivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA; Fetal-Neonatal Brain Imaging and Developmental Science Center Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA; Department of Radiology University of Milan Milan Italy.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Re
authors.affiliation: Fetal-Neonatal Brain Imaging and Developmental Science Center Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA; Division of Newborn Medicine Department of Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Levman
authors.affiliation: Division of Newborn Medicine Department of Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA; Department of Behavioral Neuroscience Northeastern University Boston MA USA.
authors.forename: Ashley R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Radiology and Neuroradiology Children's Hospital V. Buzzi Milan Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Righini
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA; Fetal-Neonatal Brain Imaging and Developmental Science Center Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA; Division of Newborn Medicine Department of Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA.
authors.forename: Patricia Ellen
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Fetal-Neonatal Brain Imaging and Developmental Science Center Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA; Division of Newborn Medicine Department of Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA.
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: MRI; cerebellum; pediatric; tractography