Object: The study of brain size and growth has a long and contentious history, yet normal brain volume development has yet to be fully described. In particular, the normal brain growth and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation relationship is critical to characterize because it is impacted in numerous conditions of early childhood where brain growth and fluid accumulation are affected such as infection, hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, and a broad range of congenital disorders. This study aims to describe normal brain volume growth, particularly in the setting of cerebrospinal fluid accumulation. Methods: We analyzed 1067 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans from 505 healthy pediatric subjects from birth to age 18 to quantify component and regional brain volumes. The volume trajectories were compared between the sexes and hemispheres using Smoothing Spline ANOVA. Population growth curves were developed using Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape. Results: Brain volume peaked at 10-12 years of age. Males exhibited larger age-adjusted total brain volumes than females, and body size normalization procedures did not eliminate this difference. The ratio of brain to CSF volume, however, revealed a universal age-dependent relationship independent of sex or body size. Conclusions: These findings enable the application of normative growth curves in managing a broad range of childhood disease where cognitive development, brain growth, and fluid accumulation are interrelated.

中文翻译：

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正常的儿童大脑发育以及与脑脊液的普遍性和拟人关系

目的：对大脑大小和生长的研究历史悠久且争议重重，但尚未充分描述正常的大脑体积发展。特别是，正常的脑部生长和脑脊液（CSF）积累关系的表征至关重要，因为它在儿童早期的许多情况下都会受到影响，在这种情况下，脑部生长和体液的积累会受到影响，例如感染，出血，脑积水以及各种先天性疾病。这项研究旨在描述正常的脑容量增长，特别是在脑脊液积聚的情况下。方法：我们分析了从出生到18岁的505名健康小儿科目的1067次磁共振成像（MRI）扫描，以量化成分和区域性大脑体积。使用平滑样条方差分析比较性别和半球之间的体积轨迹。使用位置，比例和形状的通用加性模型开发了人口增长曲线。结果：脑容量在10至12岁时达到峰值。男性比女性具有更大的年龄调整后的总大脑容量，并且体重正常化程序不能消除这种差异。然而，大脑与CSF体积的比率显示出普遍的年龄依赖性关系，而与性别或体型无关。结论：这些发现使规范性生长曲线能够用于管理与认知发育，脑部生长和体液积聚相关的各种儿童疾病。结果：脑容量在10至12岁时达到峰值。男性比女性具有更大的年龄调整后的总大脑容量，并且体重正常化程序不能消除这种差异。然而，大脑与CSF体积的比率显示出普遍的年龄依赖性关系，而与性别或体型无关。结论：这些发现使规范性生长曲线能够用于管理与认知发育，脑部生长和体液积聚相关的各种儿童疾病。结果：脑容量在10至12岁时达到峰值。男性比女性具有更大的年龄调整后的总大脑容量，并且体重正常化程序不能消除这种差异。然而，大脑与CSF体积的比率显示出普遍的年龄依赖性关系，而与性别或体型无关。结论：这些发现使规范性生长曲线能够用于管理与认知发育，脑部生长和体液积聚相关的各种儿童疾病。