¹Child Psychiatry Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, MD, USA

Correspondence: Dr N Gogtay, Child Psychiatry Branch, NIMH, Bldg 10, Room 3N202, MSC-1600, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Tel: +1 301 435 4494; E-mail: gogtayn@mail.nih.gov

Received 7 May 2007; Revised 11 July 2007; Accepted 30 July 2007; Published online 12 September 2007.

Abstract

Noninvasive brain imaging permits longitudinal studies of anatomic brain development in healthy and psychiatrically ill children. The time course for gray matter maturation varies by region and parallels earlier histological studies, indicating dynamic patterns of overproduction and regression. Developmental trajectories vary in relation to gender, intelligence, and overall functioning. Twin studies show high heritability for brain volumes, which varies with region and with age. Diagnostically specific, illness-related changes as well as outcome-associated plastic response are observed as illustrated for two pediatric populations, childhood-onset schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conditions which may be, in part, disorders of brain plasticity.