Age-Dependent White Matter Characteristics of the Cerebellar Peduncles from Infancy Through Adolescence

Lisa Bruckert, Katie Shpanskaya, Emily S. McKenna, Lauren R. Borchers, Maya Yablonski, Tal Blecher, Michal Ben-Shachar, Katherine E. Travis, Heidi M. Feldman, Kristen W. Yeom

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cerebellum-cerebrum connections are essential for many motor and cognitive functions and cerebellar disorders are prevalent in childhood. The middle (MCP), inferior (ICP), and superior cerebellar peduncles (SCP) are the major white matter pathways that permit communication between the cerebellum and the cerebrum. Knowledge about the microstructural properties of these cerebellar peduncles across childhood is limited. Here, we report on a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging tractography study to describe age-dependent characteristics of the cerebellar peduncles in a cross-sectional sample of infants, children, and adolescents from newborn to 17 years of age (N = 113). Scans were collected as part of clinical care; participants were restricted to those whose scans showed no abnormal findings and whose history and exam had no risk factors for cerebellar abnormalities. A novel automated tractography protocol was applied. Results showed that mean tract-FA increased, while mean tract-MD decreased from infancy to adolescence in all peduncles. Rapid changes were observed in both diffusion measures in the first 24 months of life, followed by gradual change at older ages. The shape of the tract profiles was similar across ages for all peduncles. These data are the first to characterize the variability of diffusion properties both across and within cerebellar white matter pathways that occur from birth through later adolescence. The data represent a rich normative data set against which white matter alterations seen in children with posterior fossa conditions can be compared. Ultimately, the data will facilitate the identification of sensitive biomarkers of cerebellar abnormalities.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)372-387
Number of pages16
JournalCerebellum
Volume18
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Jun 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Funding

Funding This study was funded by the following grants: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (RO1 HD069162 to Feldman, PI and 5K99HD084749 to Travis, PI) and the Stanford Transdisciplinary Initiatives Program, Child Health Research Institute (1186741-100-DHDHY).

FundersFunder number
Child Health Research Institute1186741-100-DHDHY
National Institutes of HealthRO1 HD069162
National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentK99HD084749
School of Medicine, Stanford University
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

    Keywords

    • Cerebellum
    • Children and adolescents
    • Development
    • Diffusion MRI
    • Tractography
    • White matter

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