Sexual Dimorphism in White Matter Developmental Trajectories Using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics.

ABSTRACT: Increasing evidence is emerging for sexual dimorphism in the trajectory of white matter development in children assessed using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and more recently diffusion MRI. Recent studies using diffusion MRI have examined cohorts with a wide age range (typically between 5 and 30 years) showing focal regions of differential diffusivity and fractional anisotropy (FA) and have implicated puberty as a possible contributory factor. To further investigate possible dimorphic trajectories in a young cohort, presumably closer to the expected onset of puberty, we used tract-based spatial statistics to investigate diffusion metrics. The cohort consisted of 23 males and 30 females between the ages of 8 and 16 years. Differences in diffusion metrics were corrected for age

SUBMITTER: Seunarine KK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4744889 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature