Diffusion tensor imaging: Application to the study of the developing brain.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To provide an overview of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and its application to the study of white matter in the developing brain in both healthy and clinical samples.

METHOD:
The development of DTI and its application to brain imaging of white matter tracts is discussed. Forty-eight studies using DTI to examine diffusion properties of the developing brain are reviewed in the context of the structural magnetic resonance imaging literature. Reports of how brain diffusion properties are affected in pediatric clinical samples and how they relate to cognitive and behavioral phenotypes are reviewed.

RESULTS:
DTI has been used successfully to describe white matter development in pediatric samples. Changes in white matter diffusion properties are consistent across studies, with anisotropy increasing and overall diffusion decreasing with age. Diffusion measures in relevant white matter regions correlate with behavioral measures in healthy children and in clinical pediatric samples.

CONCLUSIONS:
DTI is an important tool for providing a more detailed picture of developing white matter than can be obtained with conventional magnetic resonance imaging alone.

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Author information

Author/s: Cascio, Carissa J (CJ); Gerig, Guido (G); Piven, Joseph (J);

Affiliation: Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center, Campus Box #3366, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3366, USA.

Grants: R01 MH 61696 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R01 MH 64580 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; T32 HD 41027 (Agency:NICHD NIH HHS) ; U54 MH 66418 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review

Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Feb; vol 46 (issue 2) : pp 213-23

Dates: Created 2007/01/23; Completed 2007/02/22; Revised 2007/12/03;

PMID: 17242625, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Age Factors
Brain - pathology
Child
Child, Preschool
Developmental Disabilities - diagnosis; etiology

Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Nerve Fibers, Myelinated - pathology
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