title: Changes in brain microstructure during infancy and childhood using clinical feasible ADC-maps.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine age-related changes in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) during infancy and childhood using routine MRI data.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 112 investigations of patients aged 0 to 17.2 years showing a normal degree of myelination and no signal abnormalities on conventional MRI were retrospectively selected from our pool of pediatric MRI examinations at 1.5T. ADC maps based on our routinely included axial diffusion weighted sequence were created from the scanner. ADC values were measured in 35 different brain regions investigating normal age-related changes during the maturation of the human brain in infancy and childhood using clinical feasible sequences at 1.5T.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relationship between ADC values and age in infancy and childhood can be described as an exponential function. With increasing age, the ADC values decrease significantly in all brain regions, especially during the first 2 years of life. Except in the peritrigonal white matter, no significant differences were found between both hemispheres. Between 0 and 2 years of life, no significant gender differences were detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using ADC maps based on a routinely performed axial diffusion weighted sequence, it was possible first to describe the relationship between ADC values and age in infancy and childhood as exponential function in the whole brain and second to determine normative age-related ADC values in multiple brain regions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. bueltmann.eva@mh-hannover.de.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4453-0612
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bültmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Mußgnug
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zapf
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Pediatric Kidney, Liver, and Metabolic Diseases, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Radiological University Hospital, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nägele
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lanfermann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male
keywords: Brain maturation; Diffusion; Magnetic resonance imaging; Quantitative imaging