Click on image to view larger version.



FIG 4. Maturational decreases of the three diffusion tensor eigenvalues ({lambda}max, {lambda}int, {lambda}min) in the gray matter of the lentiform nucleus and the gray matter of the head of the caudate nucleus for 161 participants of postconceptional ages 7 months to 12 years. Vertical dashed line indicates age of normal term birth: 40 gestational weeks. Solid lines through data are theoretical predictions for the age-varying values of {lambda}max (top line), {lambda}int (middle line), and {lambda}min (bottom line) from Monte Carlo simulation of a spherical diffusion model, to which the age-dependent parameters and SNR are given as input (see Methods for details of the theoretical model).

A, Gray matter of the lentiform nucleus. Values of {lambda}max (open inverted triangles), {lambda}int (closed circles), and {lambda}min (open squares) are in 10-3 mm2/s.

B, Gray matter of the lentiform nucleus. Each eigenvalue is expressed in terms of its fraction of the trace of the diffusion tensor Trace(D), where Trace(D) is the sum of the three eigenvalues.

C, Gray matter of the head of the caudate nucleus. Values of {lambda}max (open inverted triangles), {lambda}int (closed circles), and {lambda}min (open squares) are in 10-3 mm2/s.

D, Gray matter of the head of the caudate nucleus. Each eigenvalue is expressed in terms of its fraction of the trace of the diffusion tensor Trace(D), where Trace(D) is the sum of the three eigenvalues.