Ryan L. Muetzel1,2, Paul F. Collins1, Bryon A. Mueller2, Kelvin O. Lim2, Monica Luciana1
1Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; 2Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Adolescent brain development has been studied using conventional imaging methods and, more recently, diffusion tensor imaging. Traditional fiber tracking analyses require manually defined seed regions, which can be labor-intensive and can also lead to rater bias. In the present study, we use a fully-automated tractography method to generate white matter tracts in a sample of 144 healthy individuals ages 9-23. Significant correlations between age and mean fractional anisotropy were observed in the cingulum bundle, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and superior longitudinal fasciculus. The data suggest the method used is sensitive to the subtle age-related changes in white matter in this population.