Early childhood is characterized by vast changes in behaviors supported by the hippocampus and an increased susceptibility of the hippocampus to environmental influences. Thus, it is an important time to investigate the development of the hippocampus. Existing research suggests subregions of the hippocampus (i.e., head, body, tail) have dissociable functions and that the relations between subregions and cognitive abilities vary across development. However, longitudinal research examining age‐related changes in subregions in humans, particularly during early childhood (i.e., 4–6 years), is limited. Using a large sample of 184 healthy 4‐ to 8‐year‐old children, the present study is the first to characterize developmental changes in hippocampal subregion volume from early‐ to mid‐childhood. Results reveal differential developmental trajectories in hippocampal head, body, and tail during this period. Specifically, head volume showed a quadratic pattern of change, and both body and tail showed linear increases, resulting in a pattern of cubic change for total hippocampal volume. Further, main effects of sex on hippocampal volume (males > females) and hemispheric differences in developmental trajectories were observed. These findings provide an improved understanding of the development of the hippocampus and have important implications for research investigating a range of cognitive abilities and behaviors.

中文翻译：

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从儿童早期到中期海马亚区的纵向发育。

幼儿期的特点是海马体支持的行为发生巨大变化，海马体对环境影响的敏感性增加。因此，现在是研究海马体发育的重要时期。现有研究表明，海马体的子区域（即头部、身体、尾部）具有可分离的功能，并且子区域与认知能力之间的关系因发育而异。然而，对人类亚区域年龄相关变化的纵向研究，特别是在幼儿期（即 4-6 岁），是有限的。本研究使用 184 名 4 至 8 岁健康儿童的大样本，首次描述了从儿童早期到中期海马亚区体积的发育变化。结果揭示了在此期间海马头部、身体和尾部的不同发育轨迹。具体来说，头部体积呈二次变化模式，身体和尾部呈线性增加，导致海马总体积呈三次变化模式。此外，还观察到性别对海马体积（男性 > 女性）和半球发育轨迹差异的主要影响。这些发现提供了对海马体发育的更好理解，并对调查一系列认知能力和行为的研究具有重要意义。此外，还观察到性别对海马体积（男性 > 女性）和半球发育轨迹差异的主要影响。这些发现提供了对海马体发育的更好理解，并对调查一系列认知能力和行为的研究具有重要意义。此外，还观察到性别对海马体积（男性 > 女性）和半球发育轨迹差异的主要影响。这些发现提供了对海马体发育的更好理解，并对调查一系列认知能力和行为的研究具有重要意义。