Brain development in Chinese children and adolescents: a structural MRI study

Abstract

This is the first systematic study of Chinese children's brain development. Using optimized voxel-based morphometry, we investigated age-related changes in gray and white matter in Chinese children and adolescents aged 7 to 23 years. Results showed mostly linear reductions, but also some linear increases, in gray matter in many regions of the brain. Gray matter changes were more evident in the parietal and temporal regions than in the frontal and occipital regions. White matter showed significant linear increases in internal capsule, arcuate fasciculus, superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and cingulate fasciculus.