Major advance in the knowledge of the brain : creation of a bank of reference images by MRI

Dmitroza/epictura

Published the 14.12.2017 at 14: 30

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IRMcerveau

The data of this large MRI study of brain go well beyond the few results that will please feminists. A mapping of volumes of its various structures through the ages has recently been carried out by a team composed of computer scientists, brain scientists, and biologists. To achieve this, they have analysed a very large number of images to the brain for all periods of life, from the baby of a few months to the elderly person over 90 years of age. This is the first time that such a high number of MRI scans, covering a wide period of life is used. This study was conducted thanks to an MRI centre developed by the CNRS, the universities of Bordeaux and Valencia, centre, which has analysed more than 53 000 MRI of the brain.

For what concerns the evolution through the ages of several brain structures, 3 000 MRI brain were analyzed. This work has allowed to verify if their volumes in a given patient are in the normal range or not, depending on the age and sex, and thus to follow the evolution over time. See, for example, a hippocampal-size-smaller than average may indicate a possible case of Alzheimer’s.

In addition, this study also showed that there are differences in the evolution of the brain of men and women : thus, it appears that the female brain reaches its peak of maturity before males, 1 to 3 years earlier following the structure ; but also that the male brain, after 80 years, will atrophy more quickly than that of women.

Beyond these findings without the application of therapeutic essential, this work shows that the we now have a valuable tool to aid in the diagnosis : they offer a reference template to detect abnormalities. The researchers will continue their research in the framework of, among others, Alzheimer’s disease, in order to determine the time at which the evolution of brains, both healthy and sick diverges.