Resting-State Network Complexity and Magnitude Are Reduced in Prematurely Born Infants

Longitudinal associations between language network characteristics in the infant brain and school-age reading abilities are mediated by early-developing phonological skills

Reading acquisition is a prolonged learning process relying on language development starting in utero. Behavioral longitudinal studies reveal prospective associations between infant language abilities and preschool/kindergarten phonological development that relates to subsequent reading performance. While recent pediatric neuroimaging work has begun to characterize the neural network underlying language development in infants, how this neural network scaffolds long-term language and reading acquisition remains unknown. We addressed this question in a 7-year longitudinal study from infancy to school-age. Seventy-six infants completed resting-state fMRI scanning, and underwent standardized language assessments in kindergarten. Of this larger cohort, forty-one were further assessed on their emergent word reading abilities after receiving formal reading instructions. Hierarchical clustering analyses identified a modular infant language network in which functional connectivity (FC) of the inferior frontal module prospectively correlated with kindergarten-age phonological skills and emergent word reading abilities. These correlations were obtained when controlling for infant age at scan, nonverbal IQ and parental education. Furthermore, kindergarten-age phonological skills mediated the relationship between infant FC and school-age reading abilities, implying a critical mid-way milestone for long-term reading development from infancy. Overall, our findings illuminate the neurobiological mechanisms by which infant language capacities could scaffold long-term reading acquisition.

Highlights

Clustering analyses revealed a modular language network in the infant brainInfant language network characteristics associate with school-age reading outcomesThese longitudinal associations are mediated by kindergarten-age phonological skills.

Longitudinal associations between language network characteristics in the infant brain and school-age reading abilities are mediated by early-developing phonological skills

Reading acquisition is a prolonged learning process relying on language development starting in utero. Behavioral longitudinal studies reveal prospective associations between infant language abilities and preschool/kindergarten phonological development that relates to subsequent reading performance. While recent pediatric neuroimaging work has begun to characterize the neural network underlying language development in infants, how this neural network scaffolds long-term language and reading acquisition remains unknown. We addressed this question in a 7-year longitudinal study from infancy to school-age. Seventy-six infants completed resting-state fMRI scanning, and underwent standardized language assessments in kindergarten. Of this larger cohort, forty-one were further assessed on their emergent word reading abilities after receiving formal reading instructions. Hierarchical clustering analyses identified a modular infant language network in which functional connectivity (FC) of the inferior frontal module prospectively correlated with kindergarten-age phonological skills and emergent word reading abilities. These correlations were obtained when controlling for infant age at scan, nonverbal IQ and parental education. Furthermore, kindergarten-age phonological skills mediated the relationship between infant FC and school-age reading abilities, implying a critical mid-way milestone for long-term reading development from infancy. Overall, our findings illuminate the neurobiological mechanisms by which infant language capacities could scaffold long-term reading acquisition.

Brain age predicted using graph convolutional neural network explains neurodevelopmental trajectory in preterm neonates

OBJECTIVES

Dramatic brain morphological changes occur throughout the third trimester of gestation. In this study, we investigated whether the predicted brain age (PBA) derived from graph convolutional network (GCN) that accounts for cortical morphometrics in third trimester is associated with postnatal abnormalities and neurodevelopmental outcome.

METHODS

In total, 577 T1 MRI scans of preterm neonates from two different datasets were analyzed; the NEOCIVET pipeline generated cortical surfaces and morphological features, which were then fed to the GCN to predict brain age. The brain age index (BAI; PBA minus chronological age) was used to determine the relationships among preterm birth (i.e., birthweight and birth age), perinatal brain injuries, postnatal events/clinical conditions, BAI at postnatal scan, and neurodevelopmental scores at 30 months.

RESULTS

Brain morphology and GCN-based age prediction of preterm neonates without brain lesions (mean absolute error [MAE]: 0.96 weeks) outperformed conventional machine learning methods using no topological information. Structural equation models (SEM) showed that BAI mediated the influence of preterm birth and postnatal clinical factors, but not perinatal brain injuries, on neurodevelopmental outcome at 30 months of age.

CONCLUSIONS

Brain morphology may be clinically meaningful in measuring brain age, as it relates to postnatal factors, and predicting neurodevelopmental outcome.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

Understanding the neurodevelopmental trajectory of preterm neonates through the prediction of brain age using a graph convolutional neural network may allow for earlier detection of potential developmental abnormalities and improved interventions, consequently enhancing the prognosis and quality of life in this vulnerable population.

KEY POINTS

•Brain age in preterm neonates predicted using a graph convolutional network with brain morphological changes mediates the pre-scan risk factors and post-scan neurodevelopmental outcomes. •Predicted brain age oriented from conventional deep learning approaches, which indicates the neurodevelopmental status in neonates, shows a lack of sensitivity to perinatal risk factors and predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes. •The new brain age index based on brain morphology and graph convolutional network enhances the accuracy and clinical interpretation of predicted brain age for neonates.

Regional homogeneity as a marker of sensory cortex dysmaturity in preterm infants

Atypical perinatal sensory experience in preterm infants is thought to increase their risk of neurodevelopmental disabilities by altering the development of the sensory cortices. Here, we used resting-state fMRI data from preterm and term-born infants scanned between 32 and 48 weeks post-menstrual age to assess the effect of early ex-utero exposure on sensory cortex development. Specifically, we utilized a measure of local correlated-ness called regional homogeneity (ReHo). First, we demonstrated that the brain-wide distribution of ReHo mirrors the known gradient of cortical maturation. Next, we showed that preterm birth differentially reduces ReHo across the primary sensory cortices. Finally, exploratory analyses showed that the reduction of ReHo in the primary auditory cortex of preterm infants is related to increased risk of autism at 18 months. In sum, we show that local connectivity within sensory cortices has different developmental trajectories, is differentially affected by preterm birth, and may be associated with later neurodevelopment.

Prenatal Magnesium Sulfate and Functional Connectivity in Offspring at Term-Equivalent Age

Importance

Understanding the effect of antenatal magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) treatment on functional connectivity will help elucidate the mechanism by which it reduces the risk of cerebral palsy and death.

Objective

To determine whether MgSO4 administered to women at risk of imminent preterm birth at a gestational age between 30 and 34 weeks is associated with increased functional connectivity and measures of functional segregation and integration in infants at term-equivalent age, possibly reflecting a protective mechanism of MgSO4.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study was nested within a randomized placebo-controlled trial performed across 24 tertiary maternity hospitals. Participants included infants born to women at risk of imminent preterm birth at a gestational age between 30 and 34 weeks who participated in the MAGENTA (Magnesium Sulphate at 30 to 34 Weeks' Gestational Age) trial and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term-equivalent age. Ineligibility criteria included illness precluding MRI, congenital or genetic disorders likely to affect brain structure, and living more than 1 hour from the MRI center. One hundred and fourteen of 159 eligible infants were excluded due to incomplete or motion-corrupted MRI. Recruitment occurred between October 22, 2014, and October 25, 2017. Participants were followed up to 2 years of age. Analysis was performed from February 1, 2021, to February 27, 2024. Observers were blind to patient groupings during data collection and processing.

Exposures

Women received 4 g of MgSO4 or isotonic sodium chloride solution given intravenously over 30 minutes.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Prior to data collection, it was hypothesized that infants who were exposed to MgSO4 would show enhanced functional connectivity compared with infants who were not exposed.

Results

A total of 45 infants were included in the analysis: 24 receiving MgSO4 treatment and 21 receiving placebo; 23 (51.1%) were female and 22 (48.9%) were male; and the median gestational age at scan was 40.0 (IQR, 39.1-41.1) weeks. Treatment with MgSO4 was associated with greater voxelwise functional connectivity in the temporal and occipital lobes and deep gray matter structures and with significantly greater clustering coefficients (Hedge g, 0.47 [95% CI, -0.13 to 1.07]), transitivity (Hedge g, 0.51 [95% CI, -0.10 to 1.11]), local efficiency (Hedge g, 0.40 [95% CI, -0.20 to 0.99]), and global efficiency (Hedge g, 0.31 [95% CI, -0.29 to 0.90]), representing enhanced functional segregation and integration.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study, infants exposed to MgSO4 had greater voxelwise functional connectivity and functional segregation, consistent with increased brain maturation. Enhanced functional connectivity is a possible mechanism by which MgSO4 protects against cerebral palsy and death.

Listening Preference for Child-Directed Speech Versus Time-Reversed Speech in Moderate-Preterm Infants Compared to Full-Term Infants

PURPOSE

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether there is a listening preference for child-directed speech (CDS) over backward speech in moderate-preterm infants (MPIs).

METHOD

Eighteen MPIs of gestational age of 32.0 weeks (range: 32-34.06 weeks), chronological age of 8.09 months, and maturation age of 6.48 months served as the experimental group. The two control groups consisted of a total of 36 infants-20 full-term infants matched for chronological age and 16 full-term infants matched for maturation age. The infants were tested using the central fixation procedure and were presented with 16 trials of CDS and backward speech. A follow-up was conducted 5 years after the initial experiment using a developmental and a five-item parent questionnaire.

RESULTS

MPIs did not demonstrate a preference for CDS over backward speech, whereas both control groups demonstrated a listening preference for CDS over backward speech. MPIs showed a delayed use of first words and word combinations and lower scores on the five-item questionnaire compared to term infants. Twelve MPIs (67%) did not demonstrate a preference for CDS over backward speech. Four of them (33%) were later diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

The lack of preference for CDS over backward speech in the MPIs group suggests delayed developmental pattern of speech processing compared to full-term peers. Delays in neurological maturation as well as listening experience in an unregulated environment outside the uterus during a sensitive period of brain development may affect the recognition of phonological and prosodic patterns that support listening preference for speech over backward speech.

Differences in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations of spontaneous brain activity between preterm and term infants

Objectives

To date, the majority of research on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in the developing brain has primarily centered on adolescents and adults, leaving a gap in understanding variations in spontaneous brain activity at rest in preterm infants. This study aimed to uncover and comprehend the distinctions in spontaneous brain activity between preterm and term infants, with the goal of establishing a foundation for assessing the condition of preterm infants.

Methods

In this study, 14 term infants and 15 preterm infants with equivalent gestational age were carefully chosen from the neonatal unit of Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) intensity was assessed using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine brain activity in both groups. Subsequently, the differences between the term and preterm infants were statistically analyzed using a two-sample t-test. A p-value of <0.05, corrected for the REST Gaussian Random Fields, was deemed to be statistically significant.

Results

In comparison to the term infant group, the preterm infant group exhibited a significant increase in the ALFF value in the left precuneus, left frontal superior orbital gyrus, and left calcarine cortex.

Conclusion

Significant variances in spontaneous brain activity have been observed in various regions between term infants and preterm infants of equivalent gestational age. These variations could potentially impact the emotional and cognitive development of preterm infants in the long term.

Functional parcellation of the neonatal cortical surface

The cerebral cortex is organized into distinct but interconnected cortical areas, which can be defined by abrupt differences in patterns of resting state functional connectivity (FC) across the cortical surface. Such parcellations of the cortex have been derived in adults and older infants, but there is no widely used surface parcellation available for the neonatal brain. Here, we first demonstrate that existing parcellations, including surface-based parcels derived from older samples as well as volume-based neonatal parcels, are a poor fit for neonatal surface data. We next derive a set of 283 cortical surface parcels from a sample of n = 261 neonates. These parcels have highly homogenous FC patterns and are validated using three external neonatal datasets. The Infomap algorithm is used to assign functional network identities to each parcel, and derived networks are consistent with prior work in neonates. The proposed parcellation may represent neonatal cortical areas and provides a powerful tool for neonatal neuroimaging studies.

The past, current, and future of neonatal intensive care units with artificial intelligence: a systematic review

Machine learning and deep learning are two subsets of artificial intelligence that involve teaching computers to learn and make decisions from any sort of data. Most recent developments in artificial intelligence are coming from deep learning, which has proven revolutionary in almost all fields, from computer vision to health sciences. The effects of deep learning in medicine have changed the conventional ways of clinical application significantly. Although some sub-fields of medicine, such as pediatrics, have been relatively slow in receiving the critical benefits of deep learning, related research in pediatrics has started to accumulate to a significant level, too. Hence, in this paper, we review recently developed machine learning and deep learning-based solutions for neonatology applications. We systematically evaluate the roles of both classical machine learning and deep learning in neonatology applications, define the methodologies, including algorithmic developments, and describe the remaining challenges in the assessment of neonatal diseases by using PRISMA 2020 guidelines. To date, the primary areas of focus in neonatology regarding AI applications have included survival analysis, neuroimaging, analysis of vital parameters and biosignals, and retinopathy of prematurity diagnosis. We have categorically summarized 106 research articles from 1996 to 2022 and discussed their pros and cons, respectively. In this systematic review, we aimed to further enhance the comprehensiveness of the study. We also discuss possible directions for new AI models and the future of neonatology with the rising power of AI, suggesting roadmaps for the integration of AI into neonatal intensive care units.

Functional parcellation of the neonatal brain

The cerebral cortex is organized into distinct but interconnected cortical areas, which can be defined by abrupt differences in patterns of resting state functional connectivity (FC) across the cortical surface. Such parcellations of the cortex have been derived in adults and older infants, but there is no widely used surface parcellation available for the neonatal brain. Here, we first demonstrate that adult- and older infant-derived parcels are a poor fit with neonatal data, emphasizing the need for neonatal-specific parcels. We next derive a set of 283 cortical surface parcels from a sample of n=261 neonates. These parcels have highly homogenous FC patterns and are validated using three external neonatal datasets. The Infomap algorithm is used to assign functional network identities to each parcel, and derived networks are consistent with prior work in neonates. The proposed parcellation may represent neonatal cortical areas and provides a powerful tool for neonatal neuroimaging studies.

Does fetal growth restriction induce neuropathology within the developing brainstem?

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a complex obstetric issue describing a fetus that does not reach its genetic growth potential. The primary cause of FGR is placental dysfunction resulting in chronic fetal hypoxaemia, which in turn causes altered neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory development, some of which may be pathophysiological, particularly for neonatal life. The brainstem is the critical site of cardiovascular, respiratory and autonomic control, but there is little information describing how chronic hypoxaemia and the resulting FGR may affect brainstem neurodevelopment. This review provides an overview of the brainstem-specific consequences of acute and chronic hypoxia, and what is known in FGR. In addition, we discuss how brainstem structural alterations may impair functional control of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Finally, we highlight the clinical and translational findings of the potential roles of the brainstem in maintaining cardiorespiratory adaptation in the transition from fetal to neonatal life under normal conditions and in response to the pathological environment that arises during development in growth-restricted infants. This review emphasises the crucial role that the brainstem plays in mediating cardiovascular and respiratory responses during fetal and neonatal life. We assess whether chronic fetal hypoxaemia might alter structure and function of the brainstem, but this also serves to highlight knowledge gaps regarding FGR and brainstem development.

Early development of the functional brain network in newborns

During the prenatal period and the first postnatal years, the human brain undergoes rapid growth, which establishes a preliminary infrastructure for the subsequent development of cognition and behavior. To understand the underlying processes of brain functioning and identify potential sources of developmental disorders, it is essential to uncover the developmental rules that govern this critical period. In this study, graph theory modeling and network science analysis were employed to investigate the impact of age, gender, weight, and typical and atypical development on brain development. Local and global topologies of functional connectomes obtained from rs-fMRI data were collected from 421 neonates aged between 31 and 45 postmenstrual weeks who were in natural sleep without any sedation. The results showed that global efficiency, local efficiency, clustering coefficient, and small-worldness increased with age, while modularity and characteristic path length decreased with age. The normalized rich-club coefficient displayed a U-shaped pattern during development. The study also examined the global and local impacts of gender, weight, and group differences between typical and atypical cases. The findings presented some new insights into the maturation of functional brain networks and their relationship with cognitive development and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Socioeconomic disadvantage and parental mood/affective problems links negative parenting and executive dysfunction in children born very preterm

Poverty increases the risk of poorer executive function (EF) in children born full-term (FT). Stressors associated with poverty, including variability in parenting behavior, may explain links between poverty and poorer EF, but this remains unclear for children born very preterm (VPT). We examine socioeconomic and parental psychosocial adversity on parenting behavior, and whether these factors independently or jointly influence EF in children born VPT. At age five years, 154 children (VPT = 88, FT = 66) completed parent-child interaction and EF tasks. Parental sensitivity, intrusiveness, cognitive stimulation, and positive and negative regard were coded with the Parent-Child Interaction Rating Scale. Socioeconomic adversity spanned maternal demographic stressors, Income-to-Needs ratio, and Area Deprivation Index. Parents completed measures of depression, anxiety, inattention/hyperactivity, parenting stress, and social-communication interaction (SCI) problems. Parental SCI problems were associated with parenting behavior in parents of children born VPT, whereas socioeconomic adversity was significant in parents of FT children. Negative parenting behaviors, but not positive parenting behaviors, were related to child EF. This association was explained by parental depression/anxiety symptoms and socioeconomic adversity. Results persisted after adjustment for parent and child IQ. Findings may inform research on dyadic interventions that embed treatment for parental mood/affective symptoms and SCI problems to improve childhood EF.

Maturation of large-scale brain systems over the first month of life

The period immediately after birth is a critical developmental window, capturing rapid maturation of brain structure and a child's earliest experiences. Large-scale brain systems are present at delivery, but how these brain systems mature during this narrow window (i.e. first weeks of life) marked by heightened neuroplasticity remains uncharted. Using multivariate pattern classification techniques and functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging, we detected robust differences in brain systems related to age in newborns (n = 262; R2 = 0.51). Development over the first month of life occurred brain-wide, but differed and was more pronounced in brain systems previously characterized as developing early (i.e. sensorimotor networks) than in those characterized as developing late (i.e. association networks). The cingulo-opercular network was the only exception to this organizing principle, illuminating its early role in brain development. This study represents a step towards a normative brain "growth curve" that could be used to identify atypical brain maturation in infancy.

Network-specific selectivity of functional connections in the neonatal brain

The adult human brain is organized into functional brain networks, groups of functionally connected segregated brain regions. A key feature of adult functional networks is long-range selectivity, the property that spatially distant regions from the same network have higher functional connectivity than spatially distant regions from different networks. Although it is critical to establish the status of functional networks and long-range selectivity during the neonatal period as a foundation for typical and atypical brain development, prior work in this area has been mixed. Although some studies report distributed adult-like networks, other studies suggest that neonatal networks are immature and consist primarily of spatially isolated regions. Using a large sample of neonates (n = 262), we demonstrate that neonates have long-range selective functional connections for the default mode, fronto-parietal, and dorsal attention networks. An adult-like pattern of functional brain networks is evident in neonates when network-detection algorithms are tuned to these long-range connections, when using surface-based registration (versus volume-based registration), and as per-subject data quantity increases. These results help clarify factors that have led to prior mixed results, establish that key adult-like functional network features are evident in neonates, and provide a foundation for studies of typical and atypical brain development.

Postnatal serum IGF-1 levels associate with brain volumes at term in extremely preterm infants

BACKGROUND

Growth factors important for normal brain development are low in preterm infants. This study investigated the link between growth factors and preterm brain volumes at term.

MATERIAL/METHODS

Infants born <28 weeks gestational age (GA) were included. Endogenous levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, brain-derived growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor (expressed as area under the curve [AUC] for serum samples from postnatal days 1, 7, 14, and 28) were utilized in a multivariable linear regression model. Brain volumes were determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term equivalent age.

RESULTS

In total, 49 infants (median [range] GA 25.4 [22.9-27.9] weeks) were included following MRI segmentation quality assessment and AUC calculation. IGF-1 levels were independently positively associated with the total brain (p < 0.001, β = 0.90), white matter (p = 0.007, β = 0.33), cortical gray matter (p = 0.002, β = 0.43), deep gray matter (p = 0.008, β = 0.05), and cerebellar (p = 0.006, β = 0.08) volume adjusted for GA at birth and postmenstrual age at MRI. No associations were seen for other growth factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Endogenous exposure to IGF-1 during the first 4 weeks of life was associated with total and regional brain volumes at term. Optimizing levels of IGF-1 might improve brain growth in extremely preterm infants.

IMPACT

High serum levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 during the first month of life were independently associated with increased total brain volume, white matter, gray matter, and cerebellar volume at term equivalent age in extremely preterm infants. IGF-1 is a critical regulator of neurodevelopment and postnatal levels are low in preterm infants. The effects of IGF-1 levels on brain development in extremely preterm infants are not fully understood. Optimizing levels of IGF-1 may benefit early brain growth in extremely preterm infants. The effects of systemically administered IGF-1/IGFBP3 in extremely preterm infants are now being investigated in a randomized controlled trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03253263).

The confound of head position in within-session connectome fingerprinting in infants

Individuals differ in their functional connectome, which can be demonstrated using a "fingerprinting" analysis in which the connectome from an individual in one dataset is used to identify the same person from an independent dataset. Recently, the origin of these fingerprints has been studied by examining if they are present in infants. The results have varied considerably, with identification rates from 10 to 90%. When fingerprinting has been performed by splitting a single imaging session into two split-sessions (within session), identification rates were higher than when two full-sessions (between sessions) were compared. This study examined whether a methodological difference could account for this variation. It was hypothesized that the infant's exact head position in the head coil may affect the measured connectome, due to the gradual inhomogeneity of signal-to-noise in phased-array coils and the breadth of possible positions for a small infant head in a head coil. This study examined the impact of this using resting state functional MRI data from the Developing Human Connectome Project second release. Using functional timeseries, fingerprinting identification was high (84-91%) within a session while between sessions it was low (7%).Using N = 416 infants' head positions, a map of the average signal-to-noise across the physical volume of the head coil was calculated and was used (independent group of 44 infants with two scan sessions) to demonstrate a significant relationship between head position in the head coil and functional connectivity. Using only the head positions (signal-to-noise values extrapolated from the group average map) of the independent group of 44 infants, high identification success was achieved across split-sessions (within session) but not full-sessions (between sessions). Using a model examining factors influencing the stability of the functional connectome, head position was seen as the strongest of the explanatory variables. We conclude within-session fingerprinting is affected by head position and future infant functional fingerprint analyses must use a different strategy or account for this impact.

Neonatal motor functional connectivity and motor outcomes at age two years in very preterm children with and without high-grade brain injury

Preterm-born children have high rates of motor impairments, but mechanisms for early identification remain limited. We hypothesized that neonatal motor system functional connectivity (FC) would relate to motor outcomes at age two years; currently, this relationship is not yet well-described in very preterm (VPT; born <32 weeks' gestation) infants with and without brain injury. We recruited 107 VPT infants - including 55 with brain injury (grade III-IV intraventricular hemorrhage, cystic periventricular leukomalacia, post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus) - and collected FC data at/near term-equivalent age (35-45 weeks postmenstrual age). Correlation coefficients were used to calculate the FC between bilateral motor and visual cortices and thalami. At two years corrected-age, motor outcomes were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing data, and regression models related FC measures to motor outcomes. Within the brain-injured group only, interhemispheric motor cortex FC was positively related to gross motor outcomes. Thalamocortical and visual FC were not related to motor scores. This suggests neonatal alterations in motor system FC may provide prognostic information about impairments in children with brain injury.

The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Neighborhood Crime on Neonatal Functional Connectivity

BACKGROUND

Maternal exposure to adversity during pregnancy has been found to affect infant brain development; however, the specific effect of prenatal crime exposure on neonatal brain connectivity remains unclear. Based on existing research, we hypothesized that living in a high-crime neighborhood during pregnancy would affect neonatal frontolimbic connectivity over and above other individual- and neighborhood-level adversity and that these associations would be mediated by maternal psychosocial stress.

METHODS

Participants included 399 pregnant women, recruited as part of the eLABE (Early Life Adversity, Biological Embedding, and Risk for Developmental Precursors of Mental Disorders) study. In the neonatal period, 319 healthy, nonsedated infants were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (repetition time = 800 ms; echo time = 37 ms; voxel size = 2.0 × 2.0 × 2.0 mm3; multiband = 8) on a Prisma 3T scanner and had at least 10 minutes of high-quality data. Crime data at the block group level were obtained from Applied Geographic Solution. Linear regressions and mediation models tested associations between crime, frontolimbic connectivity, and psychosocial stress.

RESULTS

Living in a neighborhood with high property crime during pregnancy was related to weaker neonatal functional connectivity between the thalamus-anterior default mode network (aDMN) (β = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.25 to -0.04, p = .008). Similarly, high neighborhood violent crime was related to weaker functional connectivity between the thalamus-aDMN (β = -0.16, 95% CI = -0.29 to -0.04, p = .01) and amygdala-hippocampus (β = -0.16, 95% CI = -0.29 to -0.03, p = .02), controlling for other types of adversity. Psychosocial stress partially mediated relationships between the thalamus-aDMN and both violent and property crime.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that prenatal exposure to crime is associated with weaker neonatal limbic and frontal functional brain connections, providing another reason for targeted public policy interventions to reduce crime.

Sensory-based interventions in the NICU: systematic review of effects on preterm brain development

BACKGROUND

Infants born preterm are known to be at risk for abnormal brain development and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes. To improve early neurodevelopment, several non-pharmacological interventions have been developed and implemented in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Sensory-based interventions seem to improve short-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in the inherently stressful NICU environment. However, how this type of intervention affects brain development in the preterm population remains unclear.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted for published studies in the past 20 years reporting the effects of early, non-pharmacological, sensory-based interventions on the neonatal brain after preterm birth.

RESULTS

Twelve randomized controlled trials (RCT) reporting short-term effects of auditory, tactile, and multisensory interventions were included after the screening of 1202 articles. Large heterogeneity was identified among studies in relation to both types of intervention and outcomes. Three areas of focus for sensory interventions were identified: auditory-based, tactile-based, and multisensory interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Diversity in interventions and outcome measures challenges the possibility to perform an integrative synthesis of results and to translate these for evidence-based clinical practice. This review identifies gaps in the literature and methodological challenges for the implementation of RCTs of sensory interventions in the NICU.

IMPACT

This paper represents the first systematic review to investigate the effect of non-pharmacological, sensory-based interventions in the NICU on neonatal brain development. Although reviewed RCTs present evidence on the impact of such interventions on the neonatal brain following preterm birth, it is not yet possible to formulate clear guidelines for clinical practice. This review integrates existing literature on the effect of sensory-based interventions on the brain after preterm birth and identifies methodological challenges for the conduction of high-quality RCTs.

Early-life stress exposure and large-scale covariance brain networks in extremely preterm-born infants

The stressful extrauterine environment following premature birth likely has far-reaching and persistent adverse consequences. The effects of early "third-trimester" ex utero stress on large-scale brain networks' covariance patterns may provide a potential avenue to understand how early-life stress following premature birth increases risk or resilience. We evaluated the impact of early-life stress exposure (e.g., quantification of invasive procedures) on maturational covariance networks (MCNs) between 30 and 40 weeks of gestational age in 180 extremely preterm-born infants (<28 weeks of gestation; 43.3% female). We constructed MCNs using covariance of gray matter volumes between key nodes of three large-scale brain networks: the default mode network (DMN), executive control network (ECN), and salience network (SN). Maturational coupling was quantified by summating the number of within- and between-network connections. Infants exposed to high stress showed significantly higher SN but lower DMN maturational coupling, accompanied by DMN-SN decoupling. Within the SN, the insula, amygdala, and subthalamic nucleus all showed higher maturational covariance at the nodal level. In contrast, within the DMN, the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and fusiform showed lower coupling following stress. The decoupling between DMN-SN was observed between the insula/anterior cingulate cortex and posterior parahippocampal gyrus. Early-life stress showed longitudinal network-specific maturational covariance patterns, leading to a reprioritization of developmental trajectories of the SN at the cost of the DMN. These alterations may enhance the ability to cope with adverse stimuli in the short term but simultaneously render preterm-born individuals at a higher risk for stress-related psychopathology later in life.

NeoRS: A Neonatal Resting State fMRI Data Preprocessing Pipeline

Resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) has been shown to be a promising tool to study intrinsic brain functional connectivity and assess its integrity in cerebral development. In neonates, where functional MRI is limited to very few paradigms, rsfMRI was shown to be a relevant tool to explore regional interactions of brain networks. However, to identify the resting state networks, data needs to be carefully processed to reduce artifacts compromising the interpretation of results. Because of the non-collaborative nature of the neonates, the differences in brain size and the reversed contrast compared to adults due to myelination, neonates can’t be processed with the existing adult pipelines, as they are not adapted. Therefore, we developed NeoRS, a rsfMRI pipeline for neonates. The pipeline relies on popular neuroimaging tools (FSL, AFNI, and SPM) and is optimized for the neonatal brain. The main processing steps include image registration to an atlas, skull stripping, tissue segmentation, slice timing and head motion correction and regression of confounds which compromise functional data interpretation. To address the specificity of neonatal brain imaging, particular attention was given to registration including neonatal atlas type and parameters, such as brain size variations, and contrast differences compared to adults. Furthermore, head motion was scrutinized, and motion management optimized, as it is a major issue when processing neonatal rsfMRI data. The pipeline includes quality control using visual assessment checkpoints. To assess the effectiveness of NeoRS processing steps we used the neonatal data from the Baby Connectome Project dataset including a total of 10 neonates. NeoRS was designed to work on both multi-band and single-band acquisitions and is applicable on smaller datasets. NeoRS also includes popular functional connectivity analysis features such as seed-to-seed or seed-to-voxel correlations. Language, default mode, dorsal attention, visual, ventral attention, motor and fronto-parietal networks were evaluated. Topology found the different analyzed networks were in agreement with previously published studies in the neonate. NeoRS is coded in Matlab and allows parallel computing to reduce computational times; it is open-source and available on GitHub (https://github.com/venguix/NeoRS). NeoRS allows robust image processing of the neonatal rsfMRI data that can be readily customized to different datasets.

Altered functional connectivity in children born very preterm at school age

Children born very preterm are at significant risk of neurodevelopmental impairment. This study sought to identify differences in cognitive function in children born very preterm compared to term-born controls and investigate alteration in white matter microstructure and functional connectivity (FC) based on tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and resting-state functional MRI, respectively. At 6 years of age, 36 children born very preterm (< 32 weeks' gestation) without major neurological disabilities and 26 term-born controls were tested using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition, and Child Behavior Checklist. Whole-brain deterministic tractography and FC measurements were performed in both groups. The very preterm group had significantly lower intelligence scores than the term-born controls. The TBSS revealed no significant differences between the two groups, whereas FC was significantly increased between the frontoparietal network and the language network and was significantly decreased between the right salience network nodes in the very preterm group. The altered FC patterns between specific regions of the higher-order networks may reflect underlying deficits in the functional network architecture associated with cognitive function. Further studies are needed to demonstrate a direct connection between FC in these regions and cognitive function.

Real-time motion monitoring improves functional MRI data quality in infants

Imaging the infant brain with MRI has improved our understanding of early neurodevelopment. However, head motion during MRI acquisition is detrimental to both functional and structural MRI scan quality. Though infants are typically scanned while asleep, they commonly exhibit motion during scanning causing data loss. Our group has shown that providing MRI technicians with real-time motion estimates via Framewise Integrated Real-Time MRI Monitoring (FIRMM) software helps obtain high-quality, low motion fMRI data. By estimating head motion in real time and displaying motion metrics to the MR technician during an fMRI scan, FIRMM can improve scanning efficiency. Here, we compared average framewise displacement (FD), a proxy for head motion, and the amount of usable fMRI data (FD ≤ 0.2 mm) in infants scanned with (n = 407) and without FIRMM (n = 295). Using a mixed-effects model, we found that the addition of FIRMM to current state-of-the-art infant scanning protocols significantly increased the amount of usable fMRI data acquired per infant, demonstrating its value for research and clinical infant neuroimaging.

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MRI studies of the infant brain are critical for studying early neurodevelopment.

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Head motion diminishes MRI data quality, which can adversely affect infant imaging.

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We show that real-time head motion monitoring improves fMRI scan quality in infants.

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Being able to monitor motion during fMRI acquisition improves scanning efficiency.

Covariance and Correlation Analysis of Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data Acquired in a Clinical Trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Exercise in Older Individuals

We describe and apply novel methodology for whole-brain analysis of resting state fMRI functional connectivity data, combining conventional multi-channel Pearson correlation with covariance analysis. Unlike correlation, covariance analysis preserves signal amplitude information, which feature of fMRI time series may carry physiological significance. Additionally, we demonstrate that dimensionality reduction of the fMRI data offers several computational advantages including projection onto a space of manageable dimension, enabling linear operations on functional connectivity measures and exclusion of variance unrelated to resting state network structure. We show that group-averaged, dimensionality reduced, covariance and correlation matrices are related, to reasonable approximation, by a single scalar factor. We apply this methodology to the analysis of a large, resting state fMRI data set acquired in a prospective, controlled study of mindfulness training and exercise in older, sedentary participants at risk for developing cognitive decline. Results show marginally significant effects of both mindfulness training and exercise in both covariance and correlation measures of functional connectivity.

Advanced Brain Imaging in Preterm Infants: A Narrative Review of Microstructural and Connectomic Disruption

Preterm birth disrupts the in utero environment, preventing the brain from fully developing, thereby causing later cognitive and behavioral disorders. Such cerebral alteration occurs beneath an anatomical scale, and is therefore undetectable by conventional imagery. Prematurity impairs the microstructure and thus the histological process responsible for the maturation, including the myelination. Cerebral MRI diffusion tensor imaging sequences, based on water’s motion into the brain, allows a representation of this maturation process. Similarly, the brain’s connections become disorganized. The connectome gathers structural and anatomical white matter fibers, as well as functional networks referring to remote brain regions connected one over another. Structural and functional connectivity is illustrated by tractography and functional MRI, respectively. Their organizations consist of core nodes connected by edges. This basic distribution is already established in the fetal brain. It evolves greatly over time but is compromised by prematurity. Finally, cerebral plasticity is nurtured by a lifetime experience at microstructural and macrostructural scales. A preterm birth causes a negative and early disruption, though it can be partly mitigated by positive stimuli based on developmental neonatal care.

Discrete white matter abnormalities at age 8-11 years in children born extremely preterm are not associated with adverse cognitive or motor outcomes

AIM

Little is known about the prevalence of discrete white matter abnormalities (WMA) beyond the first years in children born extremely preterm (EPT) and the relation to neurodevelopmental outcomes. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of discrete WMA in children born EPT and the relationship to neonatal white matter injuries (WMI), white matter (WM) volume, WM diffusivity and neurodevelopment.

METHODS

The study was a part of a longitudinal follow-up study of EPT neonates. All children were scanned at Karolinska University hospital 2004-2007 (neonates) and 2014-2015 (children at 8-11 years). WMA was qualitatively assessed by visual inspection. Developmental assessment was conducted at 12 years.

RESULTS

In total, 112 children (median age 10.3 years, 56 girls) underwent MRI of the brain (68 EPT, 45 controls). In the EPT group, a subset had MRI around term equivalent age (n = 61). In the EPT group, the prevalence of discrete WMA at 8-11 years was 52%. There was a positive association between WMI at TEA and 8-11 years. There was no association between WMI and WM volumes or diffusivity at 8-11 years. Discrete WMA was not related to neurodevelopmental outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Discrete WMA was prevalent in children born EPT at 8-11 years but were not related to neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Early development of sleep and brain functional connectivity in term-born and preterm infants

The proper development of sleep and sleep-wake rhythms during early neonatal life is crucial to lifelong neurological well-being. Recent data suggests that infants who have poor quality sleep demonstrate a risk for impaired neurocognitive outcomes. Sleep ontogenesis is a complex process, whereby alternations between rudimentary brain states-active vs. wake and active sleep vs. quiet sleep-mature during the last trimester of pregnancy. If the infant is born preterm, much of this process occurs in the neonatal intensive care unit, where environmental conditions might interfere with sleep. Functional brain connectivity (FC), which reflects the brain's ability to process and integrate information, may become impaired, with ensuing risks of compromised neurodevelopment. However, the specific mechanisms linking sleep ontogenesis to the emergence of FC are poorly understood and have received little investigation, mainly due to the challenges of studying causal links between developmental phenomena and assessing FC in newborn infants. Recent advancements in infant neuromonitoring and neuroimaging strategies will allow for the design of interventions to improve infant sleep quality and quantity. This review discusses how sleep and FC develop in early life, the dynamic relationship between sleep, preterm birth, and FC, and the challenges associated with understanding these processes. IMPACT: Sleep in early life is essential for proper functional brain development, which is essential for the brain to integrate and process information. This process may be impaired in infants born preterm. The connection between preterm birth, early development of brain functional connectivity, and sleep is poorly understood. This review discusses how sleep and brain functional connectivity develop in early life, how these processes might become impaired, and the challenges associated with understanding these processes. Potential solutions to these challenges are presented to provide direction for future research.

Filtering respiratory motion artifact from resting state fMRI data in infant and toddler populations

The importance of motion correction when processing resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data is well-established in adult cohorts. This includes adjustments based on self-limited, large amplitude subject head motion, as well as factitious rhythmic motion induced by respiration. In adults, such respiration artifact can be effectively removed by applying a notch filter to the motion trace, resulting in higher amounts of data retained after frame censoring (e.g., "scrubbing") and more reliable correlation values. Due to the unique physiological and behavioral characteristics of infants and toddlers, rs-fMRI processing pipelines, including methods to identify and remove colored noise due to subject motion, must be appropriately modified to accurately reflect true neuronal signal. These younger cohorts are characterized by higher respiration rates and lower-amplitude head movements than adults; thus, the presence and significance of comparable respiratory artifact and the subsequent necessity of applying similar techniques remain unknown. Herein, we identify and characterize the consistent presence of respiratory artifact in rs-fMRI data collected during natural sleep in infants and toddlers across two independent cohorts (aged 8-24 months) analyzed using different pipelines. We further demonstrate how removing this artifact using an age-specific notch filter allows for both improved data quality and data retention in measured results. Importantly, this work reveals the critical need to identify and address respiratory-driven head motion in fMRI data acquired in young populations through the use of age-specific motion filters as a mechanism to optimize the accuracy of measured results in this population.

Avalanche criticality in individuals, fluid intelligence, and working memory

The critical brain hypothesis suggests that efficient neural computation can be achieved through critical brain dynamics. However, the relationship between human cognitive performance and scale‐free brain dynamics remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the whole‐brain avalanche activity and its individual variability in the human resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. We showed that though the group‐level analysis was inaccurate because of individual variability, the subject wise scale‐free avalanche activity was significantly associated with maximal synchronization entropy of their brain activity. Meanwhile, the complexity of functional connectivity, as well as structure–function coupling, is maximized in subjects with maximal synchronization entropy. We also observed order–disorder phase transitions in resting‐state brain dynamics and found that there were longer times spent in the subcritical regime. These results imply that large‐scale brain dynamics favor the slightly subcritical regime of phase transition. Finally, we showed evidence that the neural dynamics of human participants with higher fluid intelligence and working memory scores are closer to criticality. We identified brain regions whose critical dynamics showed significant positive correlations with fluid intelligence performance and found that these regions were located in the prefrontal cortex and inferior parietal cortex, which were believed to be important nodes of brain networks underlying human intelligence. Our results reveal the possible role that avalanche criticality plays in cognitive performance and provide a simple method to identify the critical point and map cortical states on a spectrum of neural dynamics, ranging from subcriticality to supercriticality.

OUP accepted manuscript

One of the great frontiers of consciousness science is understanding how early consciousness arises in the development of the human infant. The reciprocal relationship between the default mode network and fronto-parietal networks—the dorsal attention and executive control network—is thought to facilitate integration of information across the brain and its availability for a wide set of conscious mental operations. It remains unknown whether the brain mechanism of conscious awareness is instantiated in infants from birth. To address this gap, we investigated the development of the default mode and fronto-parietal networks and of their reciprocal relationship in neonates. To understand the effect of early neonate age on these networks, we also assessed neonates born prematurely or before term-equivalent age. We used the Developing Human Connectome Project, a unique Open Science dataset which provides a large sample of neonatal functional MRI data with high temporal and spatial resolution. Resting state functional MRI data for full-term neonates (n = 282, age 41.2 weeks ± 12 days) and preterm neonates scanned at term-equivalent age (n = 73, 40.9 weeks ± 14.5 days), or before term-equivalent age (n = 73, 34.6 weeks ± 13.4 days), were obtained from the Developing Human Connectome Project, and for a reference adult group (n = 176, 22–36 years), from the Human Connectome Project. For the first time, we show that the reciprocal relationship between the default mode and dorsal attention network was present at full-term birth or term-equivalent age. Although different from the adult networks, the default mode, dorsal attention and executive control networks were present as distinct networks at full-term birth or term-equivalent age, but premature birth was associated with network disruption. By contrast, neonates before term-equivalent age showed dramatic underdevelopment of high-order networks. Only the dorsal attention network was present as a distinct network and the reciprocal network relationship was not yet formed. Our results suggest that, at full-term birth or by term-equivalent age, infants possess key features of the neural circuitry that enables integration of information across diverse sensory and high-order functional modules, giving rise to conscious awareness. Conversely, they suggest that this brain infrastructure is not present before infants reach term-equivalent age. These findings improve understanding of the ontogeny of high-order network dynamics that support conscious awareness and of their disruption by premature birth.

OUP accepted manuscript

Very preterm children are more likely to exhibit difficulties in socio-emotional processing than their term-born peers. Emerging socio-emotional problems may be partly due to alterations in limbic system development associated with infants’ early transition to extrauterine life. The amygdala is a key structure in this system and plays a critical role in various aspects of socio-emotional development, including emotion regulation. The current study tested the hypothesis that amygdala resting-state functional connectivity at term-equivalent age would be associated with socio-emotional outcomes in childhood. Participants were 129 very preterm infants (<33 weeks' gestation) who underwent resting-state functional MRI at term and received a neurodevelopmental assessment at 4–7 years (median = 4.64). Using the left and right amygdalae as seed regions, we investigated associations between whole-brain seed-based functional connectivity and three socio-emotional outcome factors which were derived using exploratory factor analysis (Emotion Moderation, Social Function and Empathy), controlling for sex, neonatal sickness, post-menstrual age at scan and social risk. Childhood Emotion Moderation scores were significantly associated with neonatal resting-state functional connectivity of the right amygdala with right parahippocampal gyrus and right middle occipital gyrus, as well as with functional connectivity of the left amygdala with the right thalamus. No significant associations were found between amygdalar resting-state functional connectivity and either Social Function or Empathy scores. The current findings show that amygdalar functional connectivity assessed at term is associated with later socio-emotional outcomes in very preterm children.

Metabolic-endocrine disruption due to preterm birth impacts growth, body composition, and neonatal outcome

Despite optimized nutrition, preterm-born infants grow slowly and tend to over-accrete body fat. We hypothesize that the premature dissociation of the maternal-placental-fetal unit disrupts the maintenance of physiological endocrine function in the fetus, which has severe consequences for postnatal development. This review highlights the endocrine interactions of the maternal-placental-fetal unit and the early perinatal period in both preterm and term infants. We report on hormonal levels (including tissue, thyroid, adrenal, pancreatic, pituitary, and placental hormones) and nutritional supply and their impact on infant body composition. The data suggest that the premature dissociation of the maternal-placental-fetal unit leads to a clinical picture similar to panhypopituitarism. Further, we describe how the premature withdrawal of the maternal-placental unit, neonatal morbidities, and perinatal stress can cause differences in the levels of growth-promoting hormones, particularly insulin-like growth factors (IGF). In combination with the endocrine disruption that occurs following dissociation of the maternal-placental-fetal unit, the premature adaptation to the extrauterine environment leads to early and fast accretion of fat mass in an immature body. In addition, we report on interventional studies that have aimed to compensate for hormonal deficiencies in infants born preterm through IGF therapy, resulting in improved neonatal morbidity and growth. IMPACT: Preterm birth prematurely dissociates the maternal-placental-fetal unit and disrupts the metabolic-endocrine maintenance of the immature fetus with serious consequences for growth, body composition, and neonatal outcomes. The preterm metabolic-endocrine disruption induces symptoms resembling anterior pituitary failure (panhypopituitarism) with low levels of IGF-1, excessive postnatal fat mass accretion, poor longitudinal growth, and failure to thrive. Appropriate gestational age-adapted nutrition alone seems insufficient for the achievement of optimal growth of preterm infants. Preliminary results from interventional studies show promising effects of early IGF-1 supplementation on postnatal development and neonatal outcomes.

How prenatal exposures shape the infant brain: Insights from infant neuroimaging studies

Brain development during the prenatal period is rapid and unparalleled by any other time during development. Biological systems undergoing rapid development are at higher risk for disorganizing influences. Therefore, certain prenatal exposures impact brain development, increasing risk for negative neurodevelopmental outcome. While prenatal exposures have been associated with cognitive and behavioral outcomes later in life, the underlying macroscopic brain pathways remain unclear. Here, we review magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies investigating the association between prenatal exposures and infant brain development focusing on prenatal exposures via maternal physical health factors, maternal mental health factors, and maternal drug and medication use. Further, we discuss the need for studies to consider multiple prenatal exposures in parallel and suggest future directions for this body of research.

Structural and functional connectivity in premature neonates

Advances in neuroimaging have increasingly enabled researchers to investigate whether alterations in brain development commonly identified in preterm infants underlie their high risk of long-term neurodevelopmental impairment, including sensory, motor, cognitive, and psychiatric deficits. This review begins by examining the growing body of literature utilizing advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to probe structural (via diffusion MRI) and functional (via resting state-functional MRI) connectivity development in the preterm brain during the neonatal period, both in the presence and absence of brain injury. It then details the recent work linking neonatal brain connectivity measures to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric outcomes in prematurely-born cohorts. Finally, building upon the recent substantive growth in the utilization of these neuroimaging modalities, it concludes by highlighting areas in which continued optimization of age-specific acquisition and analysis techniques for these data remains necessary, efforts fundamental to advancing the field toward establishing individual-level predictive capabilities in this high-risk population.

Breakdown of Whole-brain Dynamics in Preterm-born Children

The brain operates at a critical point that is balanced between order and disorder. Even during rest, unstable periods of random behavior are interspersed with stable periods of balanced activity patterns that support optimal information processing. Being born preterm may cause deviations from this normal pattern of development. We compared 33 extremely preterm (EPT) children born at < 27 weeks of gestation and 28 full-term controls. Two approaches were adopted in both groups, when they were 10 years of age, using structural and functional brain magnetic resonance imaging data. The first was using a novel intrinsic ignition analysis to study the ability of the areas of the brain to propagate neural activity. The second was a whole-brain Hopf model, to define the level of stability, desynchronization, or criticality of the brain. EPT-born children exhibited fewer intrinsic ignition events than controls; nodes were related to less sophisticated aspects of cognitive control, and there was a different hierarchy pattern in the propagation of information and suboptimal synchronicity and criticality. The largest differences were found in brain nodes belonging to the rich-club architecture. These results provide important insights into the neural substrates underlying brain reorganization and neurodevelopmental impairments related to prematurity.

Multi-scale structural rich-club organization of the brain in full-term newborns: a combined DWI and fMRI study

Objective.Our understanding of early brain development is limited due to rapid changes in white matter pathways after birth. In this study, we introduced a multi-scale cross-modal approach to investigate the rich club (RC) organization and topology of the structural brain networks in 40 healthy neonates using diffusion-weighted imaging and resting-state fMRI data.Approach.A group independent component analysis was first performed to identify eight resting state networks (RSNs) used as functional modules. A groupwise whole-brain functional parcellation was also performed at five scales comprising 100-900 parcels. The distribution of RC nodes was then investigated within and between the RSNs. We further assessed the distribution of short and long-range RC, feeder and local connections across different parcellation scales.Main results.Sharing the scale-free characteristic of small-worldness, the neonatal structural brain networks exhibited an RC organization at different nodal scales (NSs). The subcortical, sensory-motor and default mode networks were found to be strongly involved in the RC organization of the structural brain networks, especially in the zones where the RSNs overlapped, with an average cross-scale proportion of 45.9%, 28.5% and 10.5%, respectively. A large proportion of the connector hubs were found to be RC members for the coarsest (73%) to finest (92%) NSs. Our results revealed a prominent involvement of cortico-subcortical and cortico-cerebellar white matter pathways in the RC organization of the neonatal brain. Regardless of the NS, the majority (more than 65.2%) of the inter-RSN connections were long distance RC or feeder with an average physical connection of 105.5 and 97.4 mm, respectively. Several key RC regions were identified, including the insula and cingulate gyri, middle and superior temporal gyri, hippocampus and parahippocampus, fusiform gyrus, precuneus, superior frontal and precentral gyri, calcarine fissure and lingual gyrus.Significance.Our results emphasize the importance of the multi-scale connectivity analysis in assessing the cross-scale reproducibility of the connectivity results concerning the global and local topological properties of the brain networks. Our findings may improve our understanding of the early brain development.

Distinct effects of prematurity on MRI metrics of brain functional connectivity, activity, and structure: Univariate and multivariate analyses

Premature birth affects the developmental trajectory of the brain during a period of intense maturation with possible lifelong consequences. To better understand the effect of prematurity on brain structure and function, we performed blood‐oxygen‐level dependent (BOLD) and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 40 weeks of postmenstrual age on 88 newborns with variable gestational age (GA) at birth and no evident radiological alterations. We extracted measures of resting‐state functional connectivity and activity in a set of 90 cortical and subcortical brain regions through the evaluation of BOLD correlations between regions and of fractional amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuation (fALFF) within regions, respectively. Anatomical information was acquired through the assessment of regional volumes. We performed univariate analyses on each metric to examine the association with GA at birth, the spatial distribution of the effects, and the consistency across metrics. Moreover, a data‐driven multivariate analysis (i.e., Machine Learning) framework exploited the high dimensionality of the data to assess the sensitivity of each metric to the effect of premature birth. Prematurity was associated with bidirectional alterations of functional connectivity and regional volume and, to a lesser extent, of fALFF. Notably, the effects of prematurity on functional connectivity were spatially diffuse, mainly within cortical regions, whereas effects on regional volume and fALFF were more focal, involving subcortical structures. While the two analytical approaches delivered consistent results, the multivariate analysis was more sensitive in capturing the complex pattern of prematurity effects. Future studies might apply multivariate frameworks to identify premature infants at risk of a negative neurodevelopmental outcome.

MRI of the Neonatal Brain: A Review of Methodological Challenges and Neuroscientific Advances

In recent years, exploration of the developing brain has become a major focus for researchers and clinicians in an attempt to understand what allows children to acquire amazing and unique abilities, as well as the impact of early disruptions (eg, prematurity, neonatal insults) that can lead to a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders. Noninvasive neuroimaging methods such as MRI are essential to establish links between the brain and behavioral changes in newborns and infants. In this review article, we aim to highlight recent and representative studies using the various techniques available: anatomical MRI, quantitative MRI (relaxometry, diffusion MRI), multiparametric approaches, and functional MRI. Today, protocols use 1.5 or 3T MRI scanners, and specialized methodologies have been put in place for data acquisition and processing to address the methodological challenges specific to this population, such as sensitivity to motion. MR sequences must be adapted to the brains of newborns and infants to obtain relevant good soft-tissue contrast, given the small size of the cerebral structures and the incomplete maturation of tissues. The use of age-specific image postprocessing tools is also essential, as signal and contrast differ from the adult brain. Appropriate methodologies then make it possible to explore multiple neurodevelopmental mechanisms in a precise way, and assess changes with age or differences between groups of subjects, particularly through large-scale projects. Although MRI measurements only indirectly reflect the complex series of dynamic processes observed throughout development at the molecular and cellular levels, this technique can provide information on brain morphology, structural connectivity, microstructural properties of gray and white matter, and on the functional architecture. Finally, MRI measures related to clinical, behavioral, and electrophysiological markers have a key role to play from a diagnostic and prognostic perspective in the implementation of early interventions to avoid long-term disabilities in children. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1.

The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity

The Developing Human Connectome Project is an Open Science project that provides the first large sample of neonatal functional MRI data with high temporal and spatial resolution. These data enable mapping of intrinsic functional connectivity between spatially distributed brain regions under normal and adverse perinatal circumstances, offering a framework to study the ontogeny of large-scale brain organization in humans. Here, we characterize in unprecedented detail the maturation and integrity of resting state networks (RSNs) at term-equivalent age in 337 infants (including 65 born preterm). First, we applied group independent component analysis to define 11 RSNs in term-born infants scanned at 43.5–44.5 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). Adult-like topography was observed in RSNs encompassing primary sensorimotor, visual and auditory cortices. Among six higher-order, association RSNs, analogues of the adult networks for language and ocular control were identified, but a complete default mode network precursor was not. Next, we regressed the subject-level datasets from an independent cohort of infants scanned at 37–43.5 weeks PMA against the group-level RSNs to test for the effects of age, sex and preterm birth. Brain mapping in term-born infants revealed areas of positive association with age across four of six association RSNs, indicating active maturation in functional connectivity from 37 to 43.5 weeks PMA. Female infants showed increased connectivity in inferotemporal regions of the visual association network. Preterm birth was associated with striking impairments of functional connectivity across all RSNs in a dose-dependent manner; conversely, connectivity of the superior parietal lobules within the lateral motor network was abnormally increased in preterm infants, suggesting a possible mechanism for specific difficulties such as developmental coordination disorder, which occur frequently in preterm children. Overall, we found a robust, modular, symmetrical functional brain organization at normal term age. A complete set of adult-equivalent primary RSNs is already instated, alongside emerging connectivity in immature association RSNs, consistent with a primary-to-higher order ontogenetic sequence of brain development. The early developmental disruption imposed by preterm birth is associated with extensive alterations in functional connectivity.

Bedside functional monitoring of the dynamic brain connectivity in human neonates

Clinicians have long been interested in functional brain monitoring, as reversible functional losses often precedes observable irreversible structural insults. By characterizing neonatal functional cerebral networks, resting-state functional connectivity is envisioned to provide early markers of cognitive impairments. Here we present a pioneering bedside deep brain resting-state functional connectivity imaging at 250-μm resolution on human neonates using functional ultrasound. Signal correlations between cerebral regions unveil interhemispheric connectivity in very preterm newborns. Furthermore, fine-grain correlations between homologous pixels are consistent with white/grey matter organization. Finally, dynamic resting-state connectivity reveals a significant occurrence decrease of thalamo-cortical networks for very preterm neonates as compared to control term newborns. The same method also shows abnormal patterns in a congenital seizure disorder case compared with the control group. These results pave the way to infants' brain continuous monitoring and may enable the identification of abnormal brain development at the bedside.

Tract-Specific Relationships Between Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers and Periventricular White Matter in Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus of Prematurity

BACKGROUND

Posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) is associated with neurological morbidity and complex neurosurgical care. Improved tools are needed to optimize treatments and to investigate the developmental sequelae of PHH.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of PHH.

METHODS

A total of 14 preterm (PT) infants with PHH and 46 controls were included. PT CSF was collected at temporizing surgery in PHH infants (PHH PT CSF) or lumbar puncture in controls. Term-equivalent age (TEA) CSF was acquired via implanted device or at permanent CSF diversion surgery in PHH (PHH-TEA-CSF) or lumbar puncture in controls. TEA dMRI scans were used to measure fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) in the genu of corpus callosum (gCC), posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC), and optic radiations (OPRA). Associations between dMRI measures and CSF amyloid precursor protein (APP), neural cell adhesion-1 (NCAM-1), and L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) were assessed using Pearson correlations.

RESULTS

APP, NCAM-1, and L1CAM were elevated over controls in PHH-PT-CSF and PHH-TEA-CSF. dMRI FA and MD differed between control and PHH infants across all tracts. PHH-PT-CSF APP levels correlated with gCC and OPRA FA and PLIC MD, while L1CAM correlated with gCC and OPRA FA. In PHH-TEA-CSF, only L1CAM correlated with OPRA MD.

CONCLUSION

Tract-specific associations were observed between dMRI and CSF biomarkers at the initiation of PHH treatment. dMRI and CSF biomarker analyses provide innovative complementary methods for examining PHH-related white matter injury and associated developmental sequelae.

Cumulative procedural pain and brain development in very preterm infants: A systematic review of clinical and preclinical studies

Very preterm infants may manifest neurodevelopmental impairments, even in the absence of brain lesions. Pathogenesis is complex and multifactorial. Evidence suggests a role of early adversities on neurodevelopmental outcomes, via epigenetic regulation and changes in brain architecture. In this context, we focused on cumulative pain exposure which preterm neonates experience in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We systematically searched for: i) evidence linking pain with brain development and exploring the potential pathogenetic role of epigenetics; ii) preclinical research supporting clinical observational studies. Nine clinical neuroimaging studies, during neonatal or school age, mostly from the same research group, revealed volume reduction of white and gray matter structures in association with postnatal pain exposure. Three controlled animal studies mimicking NICU settings found increased cell death or apoptosis; nevertheless, eligible groups were limited in size. Epigenetic modulation (SLC6A4 promoter methylation) was identified in only two clinical trials. We call for additional research and, although knowledge gaps, we also point out the urgent need of minimizing painful procedures in NICUs.

Neuroimaging in infants with prenatal opioid exposure: Current evidence, recent developments and targets for future research

Prenatal opioid exposure (POE) has shown to be a risk factor for adverse long-term cognitive and behavioral outcomes in offspring. However, the neural mechanisms of these outcomes remain poorly understood. While preclinical and human studies suggest that these outcomes may be due to opioid-mediated changes in the fetal and early postnatal brain, other maternal, social, and environmental factors are also shown to play a role. Recent neuroimaging studies reveal brain alterations in children with POE. Early neuroimaging and novel methodology could provide an in vivo mechanistic understanding of opioid mediated alterations in developing brain. However, this is an area of ongoing research. In this review we explore recent imaging developments in POE, with emphasis on the neonatal and infant brain, and highlight some of the challenges of imaging the developing brain in this population. We also highlight evidence from animal models and imaging in older children and youth to understand areas where future research may be targeted in infants with POE.

Exploring functional brain activity in neonates: A resting-state fMRI study

The human brain is born with a certain maturity, but quantitatively measuring the maturation and development of functional brain activity in neonates remains a topic of vigorous scientific research, especially the dynamic characteristics. To address this, T1w, T2w, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 40 full-term healthy neonates and 38 adults were adopted in this study. Group differences of local brain activity and functional connectivity between neonates and adults from both static and dynamic perspectives were explored. We found that the neonatal brain is largely immature in general. Sensorimotor areas were the most active, well-connected, and temporally dynamic. Compared with adults, visual and primary auditory areas in neonates showed higher or similar local activity but lower static and dynamic connections with other brain regions. Our findings provide new references and valuable insights for time-varying and local brain functional activity in neonates.

The developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) automated resting-state functional processing framework for newborn infants

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An automated and robust pipeline to minimally pre-process highly confounded neonatal fMRI data.

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Includes integrated dynamic distortion and slice-to-volume motion correction.

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A robust multimodal registration approach which includes custom neonatal templates.

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Incorporates an automated and self-reporting QC framework to quantify data quality and identify issues for further inspection.

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Data analysis of 538 infants imaged at 26–45 weeks post-menstrual age.

The developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) aims to create a detailed 4-dimensional connectome of early life spanning 20–45 weeks post-menstrual age. This is being achieved through the acquisition of multi-modal MRI data from over 1000 in- and ex-utero subjects combined with the development of optimised pre-processing pipelines. In this paper we present an automated and robust pipeline to minimally pre-process highly confounded neonatal resting-state fMRI data, robustly, with low failure rates and high quality-assurance. The pipeline has been designed to specifically address the challenges that neonatal data presents including low and variable contrast and high levels of head motion. We provide a detailed description and evaluation of the pipeline which includes integrated slice-to-volume motion correction and dynamic susceptibility distortion correction, a robust multimodal registration approach, bespoke ICA-based denoising, and an automated QC framework. We assess these components on a large cohort of dHCP subjects and demonstrate that processing refinements integrated into the pipeline provide substantial reduction in movement related distortions, resulting in significant improvements in SNR, and detection of high quality RSNs from neonates.

Functional brain connectivity in ex utero premature infants compared to in utero fetuses

Brain structural changes in premature infants appear before term age. Functional differences between premature infants and healthy fetuses during this period have yet to be explored. Here, we examined brain connectivity using resting state functional MRI in 25 very premature infants (VPT; gestational age at birth <32 weeks) and 25 healthy fetuses with structurally normal brain MRIs. Resting state data were evaluated using seed-based correlation analysis and network-based statistics using 23 regions of interest (ROIs) per hemisphere. Functional connectivity strength, the Pearson correlation between blood oxygenation level dependent signals over time across all ROIs, was compared between groups. In both cohorts, connectivity between homotopic ROIs showed a decreasing medial to lateral gradient. The cingulate cortex, medial temporal lobe and the basal ganglia shared the strongest connections. In premature infants, connections involving superior temporal, hippocampal, and occipital areas, among others, were stronger compared to fetuses. Premature infants showed stronger connectivity in sensory input and stress-related areas suggesting that extra-uterine environment exposure alters the development of select neural networks in the absence of structural brain injury.

Making of the mind

The essence of the mind is consciousness. It emerged early during evolution and ontogeny appears to follow the same process as phylogeny. Consciousness comes from multiple sources, including visual, auditory, sensorimotor and proprioceptive senses. These gradually combine during development to build a unified consciousness, due to the constant interactions between the brain, body, and environment. In the human the emergence of consciousness depends on the activation of the cortex by thalamocortical connections around 24 weeks after conception. Then, the human foetus can be potentially conscious, as it is aware of its body and reacts to touch, smell and sound and shows social expressions in response to external stimuli. However, it is mainly asleep and probably not aware of itself and its environment. In contrast, the newborn infant is awake after its first breaths of air and can be aware of its own self and others, express emotions and share feelings. The development of consciousness is a progressive, stepwise, structural and functional evolution of multiple intricate components. The infant fulfils some of the more basic criteria for consciousness. However, there are some important missing pieces at this stage, as it cannot remember the past and anticipate the future.

Sleep State Modulates Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Neonates

The spontaneous cerebral activity that gives rise to resting-state networks (RSNs) has been extensively studied in infants in recent years. However, the influence of sleep state on the presence of observable RSNs has yet to be formally investigated in the infant population, despite evidence that sleep modulates resting-state functional connectivity in adults. This effect could be extremely important, as most infant neuroimaging studies rely on the neonate to remain asleep throughout data acquisition. In this study, we combine functional near-infrared spectroscopy with electroencephalography to simultaneously monitor sleep state and investigate RSNs in a cohort of healthy term born neonates. During active sleep (AS) and quiet sleep (QS) our newborn neonates show functional connectivity patterns spatially consistent with previously reported RSN structures. Our three independent functional connectivity analyses revealed stronger interhemispheric connectivity during AS than during QS. In turn, within hemisphere short-range functional connectivity seems to be enhanced during QS. These findings underline the importance of sleep state monitoring in the investigation of RSNs.