August 16, 2012

Multi-dimensional Brain Measurements Can Assess Child’s Age




Multi-dimensional Brain Measurements Can Assess Child’s Age

Timing of brain maturation is more tightly controlled than previously known

A national team of researchers have developed a multidimensional set of brain measurements that, when taken together, can accurately assess a child’s age with 92 percent accuracy.

“We have uncovered a ‘developmental clock’ within the brain—a biological signature of maturation that captures age differences quite well regardless of other kinds of differences that exist across individuals,” said first author Timothy T. Brown, PhD, a developmental cognitive neuroscientist.