Analysis of brain weight. II. Adult brain weight in relation to body height, weight, and surface area.

Analysis of 1,261 adult subjects, ages 25 to 80 years, showed that there is a positive relationship between the brain weight and the body dimensions. The brain weight, however, increases at a slower rate than the body dimensions. There is indication that only a small portion of the brain varies with variation in the body dimensions. Among parameters, the brain weight correlates best with the body surface area, followed by the body height and body weight. The brain weight is related to the body weight partly because it increases with increasing height. When adjusted to body dimensions, the brain weight is greater for white men than for black men and for white women than for black men. Our study also shows that the loss of brain mass proceeds at a slightly faster rate than loss of body mass.