Isotropic apparent diffusion coefficient mapping of postnatal cerebral development

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) allows us to image the motion of tissue water. This has been used to demonstrate acute ischaemia. Diffusion imaging is also sensitive to water movement along neuronal tracts. Our objective was to map brain maturation in vivo using maps of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). We studied 22 children without neurological disease aged between 2 and 720 days. MRI was performed at 1.5 tesla. Multislice single-shot echoplanar DWI was performed at b 0 and 1000 s/mm2. ADC maps were generated automatically and measurements were performed in the basal ganglia, frontal and temporal white matter and the pons. There was a decrease over time in water diffusion in the areas examined, most marked in the frontal (0.887–1.898×10–3 mm2/s) and temporal (1.077–1.748×10–3 mm2/s)lobes. There was little change, after an initial decrease, in the basal ganglia (0.690–1.336×10–3 mm2/s). There was a difference in water diffusion between the anterior (0.687–1.581×10–3 mm2/s) and posterior (0.533–1.393×10–3 mm2/s) pons. These changes correlate well with those observed in progressive myelination: the increased water content probably reflects incomplete myelination and the decrease with time in water motion reflects the increase in myelinated brain.