Cerebral tissue water spin-spin relaxation times in human neonates at 2.4 Tesla: Methodology and the effects of maturation

Using a 4-echo spin-echo sequence, cerebral T-2 was measured in specific an atomic regions in eleven healthy newborn infants, whose gestational plus po stnatal ages (GPAs) lay between 37 and 42 weeks. For a region in the pens, T-2 was 141 +/- 9 ms (mean +/- standard deviation), and no significant depe ndence upon GPA was seen. In the thalamus mean T-2 was 136 +/- 13 ms, and T -2 demonstrated a significant negative linear dependence upon age (r = 0.69 0; p < 0.02). In periventricular and frontal regions, mean T-2 were 217 +/- 33, and 228 +/- 32 ms respectively, and more marked negative linear correl ations with age were observed (r = 0.833; p < 0.001 and r = 0.722; p < 0.02 ). For these regions, the rate of T-2 decrease with age appeared to be rela ted to known patterns of myelination. For the parietal region studied, mean T-2 was 204 +/- 34 ms, no significant dependence upon GPA being seen. T-2 shows promise as an objective measure of cerebral development in the perina tal period. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.