Brain Charts Map the Rapid Growth and Slow Decline of the Human Brain Over Our Lifetime
Published:07 Apr.2022 Source:University of Cambridge
The charts are the result of a research project spanning six continents and bringing together possibly the largest ever MRI datasets ever aggregated -- almost 125,000 brain scans from over a 100 different studies. Although not currently intended for clinical use, the team hopes the charts will become a routine clinical tool similar to how standardised paediatric growth charts are used.
Growth charts have been a cornerstone of paediatric healthcare for over 200 years and are used ubiquitously in clinics to help monitor the growth and development of children in comparison to their peers. A typical growth chart might plot age on the horizontal axis versus height on the vertical axis, but rather than being a single line, it will show a range that reflects the natural variability in height, weight or head circumference.