Scientists Map Brains of Kids
L O N D O N, March 8 -- Scientists said today they hadsuccessfully mapped the development of the brains of childrenbetween the ages of 3 and 15.
The achievement, reported in the science journal Nature, isthe first time detailed maps of growth patterns of the humanbrain have been recorded.
Arthur Toga and researchers at the UCLA School of Medicinein Los Angeles said the images provided new information aboutwhich areas of the brain were involved in learning at differentages.
The high resolution, three-dimensional magnetic resonanceimaging scans used in the mapping could also help trackthe effects of drug treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’sand cancer.
Intricate Growth
“We detected striking, spatially complex patterns of growthand tissue loss in the developing human brain,” Toga said inthe study.
The scans of 3- and 6-year-olds showed peak growthrates in frontal circuits of the brain that help to sustain avigilant mental state and to plan new actions.
The researchers also found that growth rates in an area ofthe brain linked to language were slow between the ages of 3and 6 but speeded up from 6 to 15 years, when fine tuning oflanguage usually occurs.
“The ability to learn new languages declines rapidly afterthe age of 12 years, as does the ability to recover languagefunction if linguistic areas in one brain hemisphere aresurgically resected,” the scientists added.
The intervals of the scans ranged from two weeks to fouryears. Computers were used to calculate the growth patterns ofthe brain.
Scientists from the Child Psychiatry Branch of the NationalInstitute of Mental Health in Washington and the MontrealNeurological Institute in Canada also collaborated on theresearch.
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