Normative human brain volume growth

OBJECTIVEWhile there is a long history of interest in measuring brain growth, as of yet there is no definitive model for normative human brain volume growth. The goal of this study was to analyze a variety of candidate models for such growth and select the model that provides the most statistically applicable fit. The authors sought to optimize clinically applicable growth charts that would facilitate improved treatment and predictive management for conditions such as hydrocephalus.METHODSThe Weibull, two-term power law, West ontogenic, and Gompertz models were chosen as potential models. Normative brain volume data were compiled from the NIH MRI repository, and the data were fit using a nonlinear least squares regression algorithm. Appropriate statistical measures were analyzed for each model, and the best model was characterized with prediction bound curves to provide percentile estimates for clinical use.RESULTSEach model curve fit and the corresponding statistics were presented and analyzed. The Weibull fit had the best statistical results for both males and females, while the two-term power law generated the worst scores. The statistical measures and goodness of fit parameters for each model were provided to assure reproducibility.CONCLUSIONSThe authors identified the Weibull model as the most effective growth curve fit for both males and females. Clinically usable growth charts were developed and provided to facilitate further clinical study of brain volume growth in conditions such as hydrocephalus. The authors note that the homogenous population from which the normative MRI data were compiled limits the study. Gaining a better understanding of the dynamics that underlie childhood brain growth would yield more predictive growth curves and improved neurosurgical management of hydrocephalus.

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The dynamics of brain and cerebrospinal fluid growth in normal versus hydrocephalic mice

Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics ◽

10.3171/2010.4.peds1014 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jason G. Mandell ◽

Thomas Neuberger ◽

Corina S. Drapaca ◽

Andrew G. Webb ◽

Steven J. Schiff

Keyword(s):

Discriminant Analysis ◽

Clinical Outcome ◽

Linear Discriminant Analysis ◽

Head Circumference ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Volume Growth ◽

Brain Growth ◽

Brain Volumes ◽

Percutaneous Injection ◽

Linear Discriminant

Object Hydrocephalus has traditionally been quantified by linear measures of ventricular size, with adjunct use of cortical mantle thickness. However, clinical outcome depends on cognitive function, which is more directly related to brain volume than these previous measures. The authors sought to quantify the dynamics of brain and ventricular volume growth in normal compared with hydrocephalic mice. Methods Hydrocephalus was induced in 14-day-old C57BL/6 mice by percutaneous injection of kaolin into the cisterna magna. Nine hydrocephalic and 6 normal mice were serially imaged from age 2–12 weeks with a 14.1-T MR imaging unit. Total brain and ventricle volumes were calculated, and linear discriminant analysis was applied. Results Two very different patterns of response were seen in hydrocephalic mice compared with mice with normative growth. In one pattern (3 mice) brain growth was normal despite accumulation of CSF, and in the second pattern (6 mice) abnormal brain enlargement was accompanied by increased CSF volume along with parenchymal edema. In this latter pattern, spontaneous ventricular rupture led to normalization of brain volume, implying edema from transmantle pressure gradients. These 2 patterns of hydrocephalus were significantly discriminable using linear discriminant analysis (p < 0.01). In contrast, clinically relevant measurements of head circumference or frontal and occipital horn ratios were unable to discriminate between these patterns. Conclusions This study is, to the authors' knowledge, the first serial quantification of the growth of brain and ventricle volumes in normal versus hydrocephalic development. The authors' findings demonstrate the feasibility of constructing normative curves of brain and fluid growth as complements to normative head circumference curves. By measuring brain volumes, distinct patterns of brain growth and enlargement can be observed, which are more likely linked to cognitive development and clinical outcome than fluid volumes alone.

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Meaning of goodness-of-fit in dipole approximation of human brain activity

Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology ◽

10.1016/s0013-4694(97)88932-1 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 103 (1) ◽

pp. 196

Author(s):

J Hara

Keyword(s):

Human Brain ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Dipole Approximation

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Teaching and the human brain: Volume 3

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e538842004-001 ◽

1997 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Geoffrey Caine ◽

◽

Renate Caine

Keyword(s):

Human Brain ◽

Brain Volume

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Normal cerebral ventricular volume growth in childhood

Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics ◽

10.3171/2020.5.peds20178 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (5) ◽

pp. 517-524

Author(s):

Noah S. Cutler ◽

Sudharsan Srinivasan ◽

Bryan L. Aaron ◽

Sharath Kumar Anand ◽

Michael S. Kang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Mri ◽

Volume Growth ◽

Ventricular Volume ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Diagnostic Process ◽

Growth Charts ◽

Normal Brain ◽

Mr Images ◽

Ventricular Volumes ◽

Brain Mr Images

OBJECTIVENormal percentile growth charts for head circumference, length, and weight are well-established tools for clinicians to detect abnormal growth patterns. Currently, no standard exists for evaluating normal size or growth of cerebral ventricular volume. The current standard practice relies on clinical experience for a subjective assessment of cerebral ventricular size to determine whether a patient is outside the normal volume range. An improved definition of normal ventricular volumes would facilitate a more data-driven diagnostic process. The authors sought to develop a growth curve of cerebral ventricular volumes using a large number of normal pediatric brain MR images.METHODSThe authors performed a retrospective analysis of patients aged 0 to 18 years, who were evaluated at their institution between 2009 and 2016 with brain MRI performed for headaches, convulsions, or head injury. Patients were excluded for diagnoses of hydrocephalus, congenital brain malformations, intracranial hemorrhage, meningitis, or intracranial mass lesions established at any time during a 3- to 10-year follow-up. The volume of the cerebral ventricles for each T2-weighted MRI sequence was calculated with a custom semiautomated segmentation program written in MATLAB. Normal percentile curves were calculated using the lambda-mu-sigma smoothing method.RESULTSVentricular volume was calculated for 687 normal brain MR images obtained in 617 different patients. A chart with standardized growth curves was developed from this set of normal ventricular volumes representing the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles. The charted data were binned by age at scan date by 3-month intervals for ages 0–1 year, 6-month intervals for ages 1–3 years, and 12-month intervals for ages 3–18 years. Additional percentile values were calculated for boys only and girls only.CONCLUSIONSThe authors developed centile estimation growth charts of normal 3D ventricular volumes measured on brain MRI for pediatric patients. These charts may serve as a quantitative clinical reference to help discern normal variance from pathologic ventriculomegaly.

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Power law model. Goodness-of-fit tests and estimation methods

10.3403/30249080 ◽

2013 ◽

Keyword(s):

Power Law ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

Estimation Methods ◽

Power Law Model ◽

Goodness Of Fit Tests

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GROWTH OF NEGRO PREMATURE INFANTS

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.24.1.13 ◽

1959 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 13-22

Author(s):

Flora F. Cherry ◽

Huldah Bancroft ◽

William T. Newsom

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Growth Charts ◽

Tabular Form ◽

Follow Up Care ◽

Males And Females

A series of measurements of weight, length, head, and chest circumferences in Negro prematures from birth through 1 year of age has been presented. All cases were managed by standardized hospital and follow-up care routines. The data are presented in tabular form for males and females in two birth weight categories—1,001 to 1,500 gm and 1,501 to 2,000 gm. In the graphic presentations, sexes were considered together because differences were small. The growth charts depict usual ranges and limits encountered in weights, lengths, and head circumferences. Head and chest measurements are also compared. It is felt that this material will be useful to clinicians following the progress of individual premature infants.

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Altered Weibull Degree Distribution in Resting-State Functional Brain Networks Is Associated With Cognitive Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2020.599112 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yifei Zhang ◽

Xiaodan Chen ◽

Xinyuan Liang ◽

Zhijiang Wang ◽

Teng Xie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Human Brain ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Power Law ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Functional Networks ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Connectivity Degree

The topological organization of human brain networks can be mathematically characterized by the connectivity degree distribution of network nodes. However, there is no clear consensus on whether the topological structure of brain networks follows a power law or other probability distributions, and whether it is altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we employed resting-state functional MRI and graph theory approaches to investigate the fitting of degree distributions of the whole-brain functional networks and seven subnetworks in healthy subjects and individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), i.e., the prodromal stage of AD, and whether they are altered and correlated with cognitive performance in patients. Forty-one elderly cognitively healthy controls and 30 aMCI subjects were included. We constructed functional connectivity matrices among brain voxels and examined nodal degree distributions that were fitted by maximum likelihood estimation. In the whole-brain networks and all functional subnetworks, the connectivity degree distributions were fitted better by the Weibull distribution [f(x)~x(β−1)e(−λxβ)] than power law or power law with exponential cutoff. Compared with the healthy control group, the aMCI group showed lower Weibull β parameters (shape factor) in both the whole-brain networks and all seven subnetworks (false-discovery rate-corrected, p < 0.05). These decreases of the Weibull β parameters in the whole-brain networks and all subnetworks except for ventral attention were associated with reduced cognitive performance in individuals with aMCI. Thus, we provided a short-tailed model to capture intrinsic connectivity structure of the human brain functional networks in health and disease.

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Brain growth after surgical treatment for infant postinfectious hydrocephalus in Sub-Saharan Africa: 2-year results of a randomized trial

Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics ◽

10.3171/2021.2.peds20949 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Steven J. Schiff ◽

Abhaya V. Kulkarni ◽

Edith Mbabazi-Kabachelor ◽

John Mugamba ◽

Peter Ssenyonga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surgical Treatment ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Cognitive Outcome ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Third Ventriculostomy ◽

Normal Brain ◽

Brain Growth ◽

Sub Saharan

OBJECTIVE Hydrocephalus in infants, particularly that with a postinfectious etiology, is a major public health burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors of this study aimed to determine whether surgical treatment of infant postinfectious hydrocephalus in Uganda results in sustained, long-term brain growth and improved cognitive outcome. METHODS The authors performed a trial at a single center in Mbale, Uganda, involving infants (age < 180 days old) with postinfectious hydrocephalus randomized to endoscopic third ventriculostomy plus choroid plexus cauterization (ETV+CPC; n = 51) or ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS; n = 49). After 2 years, they assessed developmental outcome with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition (BSID-III), and brain volume (raw and normalized for age and sex) with CT scans. RESULTS Eighty-nine infants were assessed for 2-year outcome. There were no significant differences between the two surgical treatment arms in terms of BSID-III cognitive score (p = 0.17) or brain volume (p = 0.36), so they were analyzed together. Raw brain volumes increased between baseline and 2 years (p < 0.001), but this increase occurred almost exclusively in the 1st year (p < 0.001). The fraction of patients with a normal brain volume increased from 15.2% at baseline to 50.0% at 1 year but then declined to 17.8% at 2 years. Substantial normalized brain volume loss was seen in 21.3% patients between baseline and year 2 and in 76.7% between years 1 and 2. The extent of brain growth in the 1st year was not associated with the extent of brain volume changes in the 2nd year. There were significant positive correlations between 2-year brain volume and all BSID-III scores and BSID-III changes from baseline. CONCLUSIONS In Sub-Saharan Africa, even after successful surgical treatment of infant postinfectious hydrocephalus, early posttreatment brain growth stagnates in the 2nd year. While the reasons for this finding are unclear, it further emphasizes the importance of primary infection prevention and mitigation strategies along with optimizing the child’s environment to maximize brain growth potential.

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