ABSTRACT
The human brain is a complex organ from both a structural and functional viewpoint. In order to arrive at its adult form, the brain undergoes a massively complex series of sequential developmental transformations, where each step is predicated on successful completion of the previous developmental stages. Using in vivo magnetic resonance imaging of the brain postnatally, we cannot see the preceding developments directly, but rather, we see the net accumulated consequences of the sequences of prior events. The integration of advanced imaging technology, with knowledge of developmental events, permits a rational reasoning system for looking into the past developmental history in order to better understand the anatomic consequences of normal and altered neuroanatomic development.
