REGIONAL MRI MEASUREMENTS OF THE CORPUS-CALLOSUM - A METHODOLOGICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL-STUDY

A technique for quantifying the midsagittal size and shape of the corp us callosum (CC) from magnetic resonance brain scans is presented. The technique utilizes the distances to the ventral and dorsal boundaries of small sectors of the CC from a reference point to compute the size and shape parameters of the CC and its subdivisions, Intrarater and i nterrater interclass correlation coefficients for the area measurement s ranged from 0.88 to 0.99. Correlations between these automated measu res and those obtained by pixel counting were equally high, The corpus callosa of 104 (57 male and 47 female) right-handed healthy children and adolescents, ages 4-18, were examined in relation to age and sex, Corpus callosum growth was most striking for the splenium and isthmus with some changes in the midbody regions, The area and perimeter of th ese regions increased, shapes became more compact, and the boundaries became more regular with age. The length and curvature at the anterior and posterior regions of the CC increased more rapidly in males than in females, These significant and consistent results indicate that the method is reliable and sensitive to developmental changes of the CC.