Volumetric study of the hippocampus and amygdala in normal human brain during childhood and adolescence

• Published in: Tanta Medical Journal Vol. 52; no. 2; pp. 151 - 157
• Main Authors: Nofal, Farida H.M., Abo Elala, Aml M.A., Nosseir, Nermin S., Ismail, Radwa R.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.2024
• ISSN: 1110-1415; 2314-8624
• DOI: 10.4103/tmj.tmj_6_24

Background The hippocampus and amygdala play critical roles in memory, emotion, and learning, so understanding their development is essential for comprehending how these functions mature throughout life. Aim Study volumetric changes of the hippocampus and amygdala in the normal human brain across childhood and adolescence. Patients and methods Sixty healthy Egyptian persons of both sexes aged between 6 and 21 years were recruited from the Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University. Three age groups were formed based on the following ranges: group I: 24 people (6–10 years), group II: 19 persons (11–15 years), and group III: 17 people (16–21 years). Three-dimesnional T1 sequence was conducted using a slice thickness of 0.5 mm. Brain images were sent to a personal computer workstation, where the slicer 5.0.2 was used to generate consistent morphometric measurements by manual tracing. Results The mean values of hippocampus-corrected volumes in each group revealed right asymmetry, but amygdala-corrected volumes exhibited no difference ( P >0.05) between the right and left hemispheres. Regarding the total corrected hippocampus and amygdala volumes, there was a highly significant increase in early adolescence compared with childhood, followed by a highly significant decline in group III (late adolescent). Conclusion Volumes of corrected hippocampus and amygdala increased during childhood and early adolescence groups but decreased during the late adolescence group.