Maturation of human cerebrum observed in vivo during adolescence.

In the present study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), age changes in the morphology of the cerebral cortex, greatest in the frontal and parietal convexities, were observed during adolescence. Results suggest that increases in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the sulci of these cortical regions accompany grey matter decreases. Smaller reductions in volume are also observed in subcortical grey matter nuclei. These apparent grey matter volume reductions presumably reflect processes of late brain maturation. The changes may be related to decreasing neural plasticity.