Morphologic Variants of the Hand Motor Cortex in Developing Brains from Neonates through Childhood Assessed by MR Imaging

作者：Fan Wu, Huifang Zhao, Y. Zhang, Miaomiao Wang, C. Liu, X Wang, Yannan Cheng, Chao Jin, Jian Yang, Xianjun Li · 发表于：American Journal of Neuroradiology · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.3174/ajnr.a7386 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies、Action Observation and Synchronization、Infant Development and Preterm Care

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Knowledge of anatomic markers of the hand motor cortex is essential in the evaluation and treatment of motor neurologic diseases for both adults and developing populations. However, hand motor cortex variants in developing brains remain to be investigated. Our objective was to observe morphologic variants of the hand motor cortex in developing brains from neonates through childhood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 542 participants (0∼15 years of age) were retrospectively enrolled and divided into different age groups. The hand motor cortex morphology was evaluated on the basis of 3D T1WI. Variations in hand motor cortex variants were compared among different age groups. Inter-gender and interhemispheric differences of hand motor cortex variants were also evaluated. RESULTS: Various hand motor cortex variants could be observed in developing brains, even in the neonatal period. One new morphologic shape, “immature Ω,” was found in neonates and infants. The proportion of this new shape decreased dramatically during the first year after birth, then disappeared after 1 year of age. It persisted for a longer time in the right hemisphere and in males. However, sex or hemispheric effects on the distribution of the proportion of variants were not statistically significant. Furthermore, the proportion of concordance of the bilateral hand motor cortex showed an increasing trend with age ( P = .006), higher in females than males. CONCLUSIONS: Various...