FIGURE 1. Growth patterns in the developing human brain detected at ages 3–15 years.
From the following article:
Growth patterns in the developing brain detected by using continuum mechanical tensor maps
Paul M. Thompson, Jay N. Giedd, Roger P. Woods, David MacDonald, Alan C. Evans and Arthur W. Toga
Nature 404, 190-193(9 March 2000)
doi:10.1038/35004593
A rostro-caudal wave of peak growth rates is detected in young normal subjects scanned repeatedly across time spans of up to four years. Between ages 3 and 6 years, peak growth rates (red colours; 60–80% locally) were detected in the frontal circuits of the corpus callosum, which sustain mental vigilance and regulate the planning of new actions. Older children displayed fastest growth at the callosal isthmus, which innervates temporo-parietal systems supporting spatial association and language function. Between ages 11–15 years, growth rates still peak at the isthmus, but are attenuated.
