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Stereological evaluation of volumetric asymmetry in healthy human cerebellum

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Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

Age-related volumetric differences in brain anatomy or volumetric brain analyses in many disorders are of interest. Delineating the normal anatomical cerebellar volume is of importance for both the anatomists and clinicians. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the cerebellar volume using a stereological technique and to determine the possible volumetric asymmetry depending on age and gender.

Materials and methods

Volumetric asymmetry of cerebellar hemispheres was evaluated using stereological method on the magnetic resonance images (MRI) of healthy male and female subjects. Randomly selected individuals (27 males, 27 females) aged between 10–86 years who have normal brain MRI were enclosed in the study. All the subjects were right handed. The individuals were divided into three groups according to age as 18–34 (young), 35–60 (middle aged) and 60–84 (elder) and their MRI images were analyzed. The data set were analyzed by two factor repeated measure analysis.

Results

Although the cerebellum was smaller between young and middle aged groups and also middle aged and elder groups, there were no any statistically significant differences between compared groups’ mean (P > 0.05). There were not statistically differences according to sex and age groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

There was no cerebellar asymmetry between compared groups. The stereological evaluation of cerebellar asymmetry in humans correlate with both gender and age groups is of importance for both clinicians and anatomists. The technique is simple, reliable, unbiased and inexpensive.

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Acknowledgment

Special thanks are expressed to Prof. Dr. Murat Firat for skilful assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey

    Nuket Gocmen-Mas & Sevda Senan

  2. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Can Pelin & Ragiba Zagyapan

  3. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Sinan Canan

  4. Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Ayse Canan Yazici

  5. Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey

    Hamit Selim Karabekir

  6. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey

    Bunyamin Sahin

Authors
  1. Nuket Gocmen-Mas
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  2. Can Pelin
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  3. Sinan Canan
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  4. Ayse Canan Yazici
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  5. Ragiba Zagyapan
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  6. Sevda Senan
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  7. Hamit Selim Karabekir
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  8. Bunyamin Sahin
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Correspondence to Nuket Gocmen-Mas.

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Gocmen-Mas, N., Pelin, C., Canan, S. et al. Stereological evaluation of volumetric asymmetry in healthy human cerebellum. Surg Radiol Anat 31, 177–181 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-008-0424-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-008-0424-4

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