A comparison between the cerebral index, cranial capacity and brain weight of male and female 7-12 years old children in Arak (Central Iran)

The comparison between human skulls of different races is achieved by computing anthropometric indices. The present study was concerned with an ethnic subgroup for which no anthropometric information was yet available. This cross-sectional research was carried out in 2003 on 1,695 native children 7-12 years old (890 males and 805 females) in Arak, which is located in Central Iran. Anthropometric data were obtained according to Hrdlicka's method. All anthropometric data were drafted in checklists collected by two medical students who had been trained for obtaining inter-observer validity, and they were blind to the contents of the research. Differences in anthropometric data were tested by means of the X2-test and T-test. Using a linear regression analysis, we investigated the relation between CI (cephalic index) in males and females, and the brain weight and cranial capacity. The results showed a significant difference in cranial capacity, brain weight and cranial index between two male and female groups of 7-12 years old children in Arak (p