MORPHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE HYDROCEPHALIC BRAIN - RELATIONSHIPS WITH COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENT

The effects of early hydrocephalus and related brain anomalies on cogn itive skills are not well understood. In this study, magnetic resonanc e scans were obtained from 99 children aged from 6 to 13 years with ei ther shunted hydrocephalus (n=42) or arrested (unshunted) hydrocephalu s (n=19), from patient controls with no hydrocephalus (n=23), and from normal, nonpatient controls (n=15). Lateral ventricle volumes and are a measurements of the internal capsules and centra semiovale in both h emispheres were obtained from these scans, along with area measurement s of the corpus callosum, Results revealed reductions in the size of t he corpus callosum in the shunted hydrocephalus group, In addition, la teral ventricle volumes were larger and internal capsule areas were sm aller in both hemispheres in children with shunted and arrested hydroc ephalus. The centra semiovale measurements did not differentiate the g roups, Correlating these measurements with concurrent assessments of v erbal and nonverbal cognitive skills, motor abilities, and executive f unctions revealed robust relationships only between the area of the co rpus callosum and nonverbal cognitive skills and motor abilities. Thes e results support the theory of a prominent role for the corpus callos um defects characteristic of many children with shunted hydrocephalus in the spatial cognition deficits commonly observed in these children.