Science & technology | Frames of mind

The first reference charts for the human brain have been completed

They could become a useful tool in tracking healthy (and unhealthy) ageing

IF A DOCTOR wants to know how well a child is growing, she can turn to clinically validated charts that lay out precisely how that child compares to the norm for their age and sex. Not only can the doctor look up, say, how many centimetres shorter or taller the child is than the average for their age, but exactly what height percentile they fall into. Medical diagnoses can then be made based on an absolute comparison with the statistical norm.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Frames of mind”

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