Modeling Brain Growth and Development

Many mental illnesses are thought to have their origins at early stages of development, encouraging increased research effort related to early neurodevelopment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has provided us with an unprecedented view of the brain in vivo. More recently, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI/DT-MRI), a magnetic resonance imaging technique, has enabled the characterization of the microstrucutral organization of tissue in vivo. As the brain develops, the water content in brain tissue decreases while protein and fat content increase due to processes such as myelination and axonal organization. Changes of signal intensity in structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion parameters of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) reflect these underlying biological changes.