Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

On two equations about brain volume, cranial capacity and age

  • Medical Imaging
  • Published:
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aim

We decided to study the relationship between brain volume and cranial capacity and the relationship between brain volume and age on a series of CT from healthy adults.

Methods

Fifty-eight healthy volunteers (27 women, 31 men, age range 18–95 years) were examined using our imaging protocols. The volunteers had no present or past neuropsychiatric illness and no abuse of alcohol or illicit drugs.

Results

Mean intracranial volume was 1,384.6 cm3 (standard deviation = 135.27, range 1,106–1,656) and mean brain volume was 1,201.0 cm3 (standard deviation = 142.52, range 791–1,500). Linear regression between brain volume and cranial capacity yielded this formula: brain volume = 182.3 + 0.7 × cranial capacity. Multivariate analysis yielded a relationship between cranial capacity, brain volume and age as follows: brain volume = 396.5–3.5 × age + 0.7 × cranial capacity.

Conclusion

This study could be supplemented by the collection of data such as, the size of the individuals in order to study the relationship between size of the brain and stature because this relation remains unclear.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Abbott AH, Netherway DJ, Niemann DB, Clark B, Yamamoto M, Cole J, Hanieh A, Moore MH, David DJ (2000) CT-determined intracranial volume for a normal population. J Craniofac Surg 11:211–223

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Allen JS, Damasio H, Grabowski TJ (2002) Normal neuroanatomical variation in the human brain: an MRI-volumetric study. Am J Phys Anthropol 118:341–358

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Blatter DD, Bigler ED, Gale SD, Johnson SC, Anderson CV, Burnett BM, Parker N, Kurth S, Horn SD (1995) Volumetric analysis of brain IRM. Normative database spanning 5 decades of life. Am J Neuroradiol 16:241–251

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Paul Broca (1879) Méthode des moyennes. Bull Soc Anthropol 2:756–820

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Buckner RL, Head D, Parker J, Fotenos AF, Marcus D, Morris JC, Snyder AZ (2004) A unified approach for morphometric and functional data analysis in young, old, and demented adults using automated atlas-based head size normalization. Neuroimage 23:724–738

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Coffey CE, Lucke JF, Saxton JA (1998) Sex differences in brain aging: a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study. Arch Neurol 55:169–179

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Conroy GC, Vannier MW (1984) Noninvasive three-dimensional computer imaging of matrix-filled fossil skulls by high-resolution tomography. Science 26:456–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Courchesne E, Chisum HJ, Townsend J, Cowles A, Covington J, Egaas B, Harwood M, Hinds S, Press GA (2000) Normal brain development and aging: quantitative analysis at in vivo MR imaging in healthy volunteers. Radiology 216:672–682

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Davis PJM, Wright EA (1977) A new method for measuring cranial cavity volume and its application to the assessment of cerebral atrophy. Neuropath Appl Neuro 3:341–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Dekaban AS, Sadowsky M (1978) Changes in brain weights during the span of humain life: relation of brain weights to body heights and body weights. Ann Neurol 4:345–356

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ge Y, Groosman I, Bobb JS, Robin ML, Mannon LJ, Kolson L (2002) Age related toral gray matter and white matter changes in normal adult brain. Part I: volumetric MR imaging analysis. Am J Neuroradiol 23:1327–1333

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ho KC, Roessmann U, Straumfjord JV, Monroe G (1980) Analysis of brain weight. Adult brain weight in relation to sex, race and age. Arch Pathol Lab Med 104:635–639

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Holloway RL, Broadfield DC, Yua MS et al (2004) The human fossil record. Volume 3. Brain endocasts. The paleoneurological Evidence. Wiley, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  14. Kruggel F (2006) MRI-based volumetry of head compartments: normative values of healthy adlults. NeuroImage 30:1–11

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Mazonakis M, Karampekios S, Damilakis J, Voloudaki A, Gourtsoyiannis N (2004) Stereological estimation of intracranial volume on CT image. Eur Radiol 14:1285–1290

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Mueller EA, Moore MM, Kerr DCR (1998) Brain volume preserved in healthy edrely through the eleventh decade. Neurology 51:1555–1562

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Olivier G (1960) Pratique Anthropologique. Vigot frères Editeurs, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  18. Pakkenberg H, Voight J (1964) Brain weight of the Danes: forensic material. Acta Anat 56:297–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Peters M, Jäncke L, Staiger JF, Schlaug G, Huang Y, Steinmetz H (1998) Unsolved problems in comparing brain sizes in Homo sapiens. Brain Cognition 37:254–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Pfefferbaum A, Mathalon DH, Sullivan EV, Rawles JM, Zipusky RB, Lim KO (1994) A quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study of changes in brain morphology from infancy to late adulthood. Arch Neurol 51:874–887

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Sahin B, Acer N, Sonmez OF, Emirzeoglu M, Basaloglu H, Uzun A, Bilgic S (2007) Comparison of four methods for the estimation of intracranial volume: a gold standard study. Clin Anat 20:766–773

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Topinard P (1888) Le poids de l’Encéphale d’après les registres de Paul Broca. Mémoires de la société d’anthropologie 3:33–41

    Google Scholar 

  23. Whitwell JL, Crum WR, Watt HC, Fox NC (2001) Normalization of cerebral volumes by use of intracranial volume: implications for longitudinal quantitative MR imaging. Am J Neuroradiol 22:1483–1489

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Witelson SF, Beresh H, Kigar DL (2006) Intelligence and brain size in 100 postmortem brains: sex, lateralization and age factors. Brain 129:386–398

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Wolf H, Kruggel F, Hensel A (2003) The relationship between head size and intracranial volume in elderly subjects. Brain Res 973:74–80

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Yushkevich PA, Piven J, Hazlett HC, Smith RG, Ho S, Gee JC, Gerig G (2006) User 3D active contour segmentation of anatomical structures: significantly improved efficiency and reliability. Neuroimage 31:116–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Zilles K (1972) Biometric analysis of fresh volumes of various prosencephalic brain regions in 78 human adult brains. Gegenbaurs Morphologishes Jahrbuch 118:234–273

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest statement

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Chirurgie Maxillofaciale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pellegrin, Place Amélie Raba Léon, 33076, Bordeaux, France

    Anne-Sophie Ricard & Claire Majoufre-Lefebvre

  2. Laboratoire d’Anatomie Médico-Chirurgicale Appliquée, Université Bordeaux 2, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33000, Bordeaux, France

    Mathieu Laurentjoye, Michel Montaudon & Philippe Caix

  3. Service de Neuroradiologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pellegrin, Place Amélie Raba Léon, 33076, Bordeaux, France

    Vincent Dousset

  4. Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche Informatique, Université de Bordeaux, 33405, Talence, France

    Pascal Desbarats

  5. Laboratoire d’Anthropologie des Populations du Passé, PACEA-UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, 33405, Talence, France

    Bruno Maureille

  6. Service de Chirurgie Maxillofaciale, Centre François Xavier Michelet, Chu Pellegrin, Place Amélie Raba Léon, 33076, Bordeaux, France

    Anne-Sophie Ricard

Authors
  1. Anne-Sophie Ricard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pascal Desbarats
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mathieu Laurentjoye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michel Montaudon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Philippe Caix
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Vincent Dousset
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Claire Majoufre-Lefebvre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Bruno Maureille
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne-Sophie Ricard.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ricard, AS., Desbarats, P., Laurentjoye, M. et al. On two equations about brain volume, cranial capacity and age. Surg Radiol Anat 32, 989–995 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-010-0650-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-010-0650-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation