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Li Q, Xia M, Zeng D, Xu Y, Sun L, Liang X, Xu Z, Zhao T, Liao X, Yuan H, Liu Y, Huo R, Li S, He Y. Development of segregation and integration of functional connectomes during the first 1,000 days. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114168. [PMID: 38700981 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The first 1,000 days of human life lay the foundation for brain development and later cognitive growth. However, the developmental rules of the functional connectome during this critical period remain unclear. Using high-resolution, longitudinal, task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 930 scans of 665 infants aged 28 postmenstrual weeks to 3 years, we report the early maturational process of connectome segregation and integration. We show the dominant development of local connections alongside a few global connections, the shift of brain hubs from primary regions to high-order association cortices, the developmental divergence of network segregation and integration along the anterior-posterior axis, the prediction of neurocognitive outcomes, and their associations with gene expression signatures of microstructural development and neuronal metabolic pathways. These findings advance our understanding of the principles of connectome remodeling during early life and its neurobiological underpinnings and have implications for studying typical and atypical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiongling Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Mingrui Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Debin Zeng
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yuehua Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Lianglong Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xinyuan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zhilei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Tengda Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xuhong Liao
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Huishu Yuan
- Department of Radiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Radiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ran Huo
- Department of Radiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Shuyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Yong He
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China.
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Crotti M, Genoe S, Ben Itzhak N, Mailleux L, Ortibus E. The relation between neuroimaging and visual impairment in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: A systematic review. Brain Dev 2024; 46:75-92. [PMID: 38016876 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2023.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The structure-function relation between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and visual impairment (VI) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) has not been fully unravelled. The present systematic review aims to summarize the relation between brain lesions on MRI and VI in children and adolescents with CP. METHODS PubMed, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, and Cochrane Database were systematically searched according to the PRISMA checklist. A total of 45 articles met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS White matter lesions were most frequently associated with VI. Only 25 studies described lesions within specific structures, mainly in the optic radiations. Only four studies reported on the thalamus. 8.4% of children with CP showed no brain abnormalities on MRI. Diffusion-weighted MRI studies showed that decreased structural connectivity in the optic radiations, superior longitudinal fasciculus, posterior limb of the internal capsule, and occipital lobe is associated with more severe VI. CONCLUSIONS All types of brain lesions lead to visual dysfunctions, arguing for a comprehensive visual assessment in all children with CP. Whereas white matter damage is a well-known contributor, the exact contribution of specific visual structures requires further investigation, to enable early prediction, detection, and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Crotti
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Child and Youth Institute, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Sarah Genoe
- KU Leuven, Faculty of Medicine, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Nofar Ben Itzhak
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Child and Youth Institute, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Lisa Mailleux
- KU Leuven, Child and Youth Institute, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research group for Neurorehabilitation, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Els Ortibus
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Child and Youth Institute, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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Jiang W, Zhou Z, Li G, Yin W, Wu Z, Wang L, Ghanbari M, Li G, Yap PT, Howell BR, Styner MA, Yacoub E, Hazlett H, Gilmore JH, Keith Smith J, Ugurbil K, Elison JT, Zhang H, Shen D, Lin W. Mapping the evolution of regional brain network efficiency and its association with cognitive abilities during the first twenty-eight months of life. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 63:101284. [PMID: 37517139 PMCID: PMC10400876 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Human brain undergoes rapid growth during the first few years of life. While previous research has employed graph theory to study early brain development, it has mostly focused on the topological attributes of the whole brain. However, examining regional graph-theory features may provide unique insights into the development of cognitive abilities. Utilizing a large and longitudinal rsfMRI dataset from the UNC/UMN Baby Connectome Project, we investigated the developmental trajectories of regional efficiency and evaluated the relationships between these changes and cognitive abilities using Mullen Scales of Early Learning during the first twenty-eight months of life. Our results revealed a complex and spatiotemporally heterogeneous development pattern of regional global and local efficiency during this age period. Furthermore, we found that the trajectories of the regional global efficiency at the left temporal occipital fusiform and bilateral occipital fusiform gyri were positively associated with cognitive abilities, including visual reception, expressive language, receptive language, and early learning composite scores (P < 0.05, FDR corrected). However, these associations were weakened with age. These findings offered new insights into the regional developmental features of brain topologies and their associations with cognition and provided evidence of ongoing optimization of brain networks at both whole-brain and regional levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixiong Jiang
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Zhen Zhou
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Guoshi Li
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Weiyan Yin
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Zhengwang Wu
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Maryam Ghanbari
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Gang Li
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Pew-Thian Yap
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | - Martin A Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Essa Yacoub
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, USA
| | - Heather Hazlett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA; Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - John H Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - J Keith Smith
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, USA
| | - Jed T Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, USA
| | - Han Zhang
- Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dinggang Shen
- Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Weili Lin
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Goodman CV, Till C, Green R, El-Sabbagh J, Arbuckle TE, Hornung R, Lanphear B, Seguin JR, Booij L, Fisher M, Muckle G, Bouchard MF, Ashley-Martin J. Prenatal exposure to legacy PFAS and neurodevelopment in preschool-aged Canadian children: The MIREC cohort. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2023; 98:107181. [PMID: 37178772 PMCID: PMC10979774 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2023.107181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been shown to be neurotoxic in experimental studies, but epidemiological evidence linking prenatal PFAS exposure to child neurodevelopment is equivocal and scarce. OBJECTIVE To quantify associations between prenatal exposure to legacy PFAS and children's intelligence (IQ) and executive functioning (EF) in a Canadian pregnancy and birth cohort and to determine if these associations differ by child sex. METHODS We measured first-trimester plasma concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) study and assessed children's full-scale (n = 522), performance (n = 517), and verbal (n = 519) IQ using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III). Children's working memory (n = 513) and ability to plan and organize (n = 514) were assessed using a parent-reported questionnaire, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). We quantified associations between individual log2-transformed PFAS exposure and children's IQ and EF using multiple linear regression analyses and evaluated effect modification by child sex. We also used Repeated Holdout Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression models with effect modification by child sex to quantify the effect of combined exposure to all three PFAS chemicals on IQ and EF. All models were adjusted for key sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS Geometric mean plasma concentrations (IQR) for PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS were 1.68 (1.10-2.50), 4.97 (3.20-6.20) and 1.09 (0.67-1.60) μg/L respectively. We found evidence of effect modification by child sex in all models examining performance IQ (p < .01). Specifically, every doubling of PFOA, PFOS, and or PFHxS was inversely associated with performance IQ, but only in males (PFOA: B = -2.80, 95% CI: -4.92, -0.68; PFOS: B = -2.64, 95% CI: -4.77, -0.52; PFHxS: B = -2.92, 95% CI: -4.72, -1.12). Similarly, every quartile increase in the WQS index was associated with poorer performance IQ in males (B = -3.16, 95% CI: -4.90, -1.43), with PFHxS contributing the largest weight to the index. In contrast, no significant association was found for females (B = 0.63, 95% CI: -0.99, 2.26). No significant associations were found for EF in either males or females. CONCLUSIONS Higher prenatal PFAS exposure was associated with lower performance IQ in males, suggesting that this association may be sex- and domain-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly V Goodman
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Christine Till
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Rivka Green
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jana El-Sabbagh
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Tye E Arbuckle
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Richard Hornung
- Pediatrics and Environmental Health, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (retired), United States
| | - Bruce Lanphear
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Jean R Seguin
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Linda Booij
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mandy Fisher
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Gina Muckle
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Maryse F Bouchard
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Quebec, Quebec City, QC, Canada
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Petanjek Z, Banovac I, Sedmak D, Hladnik A. Dendritic Spines: Synaptogenesis and Synaptic Pruning for the Developmental Organization of Brain Circuits. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 34:143-221. [PMID: 37962796 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-36159-3_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Synaptic overproduction and elimination is a regular developmental event in the mammalian brain. In the cerebral cortex, synaptic overproduction is almost exclusively correlated with glutamatergic synapses located on dendritic spines. Therefore, analysis of changes in spine density on different parts of the dendritic tree in identified classes of principal neurons could provide insight into developmental reorganization of specific microcircuits.The activity-dependent stabilization and selective elimination of the initially overproduced synapses is a major mechanism for generating diversity of neural connections beyond their genetic determination. The largest number of overproduced synapses was found in the monkey and human cerebral cortex. The highest (exceeding adult values by two- to threefold) and most protracted overproduction (up to third decade of life) was described for associative layer IIIC pyramidal neurons in the human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.Therefore, the highest proportion and extraordinarily extended phase of synaptic spine overproduction is a hallmark of neural circuitry in human higher-order associative areas. This indicates that microcircuits processing the most complex human cognitive functions have the highest level of developmental plasticity. This finding is the backbone for understanding the effect of environmental impact on the development of the most complex, human-specific cognitive and emotional capacities, and on the late onset of human-specific neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zdravko Petanjek
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Ivan Banovac
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dora Sedmak
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ana Hladnik
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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Associations of lifetime concussion history and repetitive head impact exposure with resting-state functional connectivity in former collegiate American football players: An NCAA 15-year follow-up study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273918. [PMID: 36084077 PMCID: PMC9462826 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine associations of lifetime concussion history (CHx) and an advanced metric of lifetime repetitive head impact exposure with resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) across the whole-brain and among large-scale functional networks (Default Mode; Dorsal Attention; and Frontoparietal Control) in former collegiate football players. Individuals who completed at least one year of varsity collegiate football were eligible to participate in this observational cohort study (n = 48; aged 36–41 years; 79.2% white/Caucasian; 12.5±4.4 years of football played; all men). Individuals were excluded if they reported history/suspicion of psychotic disorder with active symptoms, contraindications to participation in study procedures (e.g., MRI safety concern), or inability to travel. Each participant provided concussion and football playing histories. Self-reported concussion history was analyzed in two different ways based on prior research: dichotomous “High” (≥3 concussions; n = 28) versus “Low” (<3 concussions; n = 20); and four ordinal categories (0–1 concussion [n = 19]; 2–4 concussions [n = 8]; 5–7 concussions [n = 9]; and ≥8 concussions [n = 12]). The Head Impact Exposure Estimate (HIEE) was calculated from football playing history captured via structured interview. Resting-state fMRI and T1-weighted MRI were acquired and preprocessed using established pipelines. Next, rsFC was calculated using the Seitzman et al., (2020) 300-ROI functional atlas. Whole-brain, within-network, and between-network rsFC were calculated using all ROIs and network-specific ROIs, respectively. Effects of CHx and HIEE on rsFC values were examined using separate multivariable linear regression models, with a-priori α set to 0.05. We observed no statistically significant associations between rsFC outcomes and either CHx or HIEE (ps ≥ .12). Neither CHx nor HIEE were associated with neural signatures that have been observed in studies of typical and pathological aging. While CHx and repetitive head impacts have been associated with changes in brain health in older former athletes, our preliminary results suggest that associations with rsFC may not be present in early midlife former football players.
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Galli J, Loi E, Molinaro A, Calza S, Franzoni A, Micheletti S, Rossi A, Semeraro F, Fazzi E. Age-Related Effects on the Spectrum of Cerebral Visual Impairment in Children With Cerebral Palsy. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:750464. [PMID: 35308614 PMCID: PMC8924515 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.750464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) is a very common finding in children affected by Cerebral Palsy (CP). In this paper we studied the characteristics of CVI of a large group of children with CP and CVI, describing their neurovisual profiles according to three different age subgroups (subgroup 1: infants 6 months–2 years; subgroup 2: pre-school age 3–5 years; subgroup 3: school age ≥ 6 years). Methods We enrolled 180 subjects (104 males, mean age 66 ± 42.6 months; range 6–192 months) with CP and CVI for the study. We carried out a demographic and clinical data collection, neurological examination, developmental or cognitive assessment, and a video-recorded visual function assessment including an evaluation of ophthalmological characteristics, oculomotor functions, and basic visual functions. In school-aged children, we also performed an evaluation of their cognitive-visual profiles. Results There were signs of CVI in all the three subgroups. Subgroup 1 (62 children) and subgroup 2 (50 children) were different for fixation (p = 0.02), visual acuity (p = 0.03) and contrast sensitivity (p < 0.01), being more frequently impaired in younger children. Comparing subgroup 2 with subgroup 3 (68 children), the older children presented more frequently myopia (p = 0.02) while the younger ones esotropia (p = 0.02) and alteration in smooth pursuit (p = 0.03) and saccades (p < 0.01). Furthermore, fixation, smooth pursuit, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and visual filed (p < 0.01) were more frequently impaired in younger children (subgroup 1) compared to the older ones. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) confirmed the different neurovisual profiles according to age: younger children with CP showed more signs of CVI compared to the older ones. 34 out of 68 children belonging to subgroup 3 underwent the cognitive visual evaluation; an impairment of cognitive visual skills was detected in 21 subjects. Conclusion Younger children with CP showed more signs of CVI compared to the older ones, likely for the physiological maturation of visual system and mechanisms of neuroplasticity. In this direction, we suggest an early neurovisual evaluation to detect any weak visual functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Galli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- *Correspondence: Jessica Galli,
| | - Erika Loi
- Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Anna Molinaro
- Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Stefano Calza
- BDbiomed, BODaI Lab, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandra Franzoni
- Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Serena Micheletti
- Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Andrea Rossi
- Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Francesco Semeraro
- Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Eye Clinic, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Elisa Fazzi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
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Fazzi E, Micheletti S, Calza S, Merabet L, Rossi A, Galli J. Early visual training and environmental adaptation for infants with visual impairment. Dev Med Child Neurol 2021; 63:1180-1193. [PMID: 34813110 PMCID: PMC8518055 DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.14865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of early visual training and environmental adaptation on visual function and neurological development in infants with visual impairment. METHOD This was a pilot intervention clinical trial study. Thirty infants (mean age 5.9mo, SD 2.1mo, range 4-11mo; 16 males, 14 females) with peripheral visual impairment (PVI, n=15) or cerebral visual impairment (CVI, n=15) participated in a 6-month visual intervention programme. Thirty matched infants (mean age 6mo, SD 1.4mo, range 4-9mo; 18 males, 12 females) served as a comparison group. Primary outcome measures were visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and qualitative ocular motor functions. Secondary outcomes were scores on the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales (GMDS). RESULTS The treatment group showed a significant improvement in all the primary outcomes (p<0.01). The comparison group improved only in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity (p<0.01). The treatment group showed greater improvement than the comparison group in visual fixation (p=0.033) and smooth pursuit (p<0.01). The CVI subgroup showed greater improvement in visual acuity than the PVI subgroup (p<0.01). GMDS subscales of hand-eye coordination (p=0.01) and performance (p<0.01) increased in the treatment group, while the total score of the comparison group decreased, driven by language (p=0.039) and hand-eye coordination (p=0.025) subscales. INTERPRETATION Results suggest that, in infants with visual impairment, visual function and certain developmental outcomes improve in response to early visual training and environmental adaptation, in an interactive context. What this paper adds Early visual training and environmental adaptation are associated with enhanced visual acuity and smooth pursuit. Early visual training and environmental adaptation are associated with an improvement of neurological developmental outcome. Performance, hand-eye coordination, and language scores in Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales increase after visual training. After training, visual acuity improves more in infants with cerebral rather than anterior visual impairment. Type and complexity of visual impairment contribute to determine infants' response to training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Fazzi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental SciencesUniversity of BresciaBresciaItaly,Unit of Child Neurology and PsychiatryASST Spedali Civili of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Serena Micheletti
- Unit of Child Neurology and PsychiatryASST Spedali Civili of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Stefano Calza
- Unit of Biostatistics and BioinformaticsDepartment of Molecular and Translational MedicineUniversity of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Lotfi Merabet
- The Laboratory for Visual NeuroplasticityDepartment of OphthalmologyMassachusetts Eye and EarHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMAUSA
| | - Andrea Rossi
- Unit of Child Neurology and PsychiatryASST Spedali Civili of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Jessica Galli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental SciencesUniversity of BresciaBresciaItaly,Unit of Child Neurology and PsychiatryASST Spedali Civili of BresciaBresciaItaly
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Bivi D, Di Chio T, Geri F, Morganti R, Goggi S, Baroni L, Mumolo MG, de Bortoli N, Peroni DG, Marchi S, Bellini M. Raising Children on a Vegan Diet: Parents' Opinion on Problems in Everyday Life. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13061796. [PMID: 34070399 PMCID: PMC8226937 DOI: 10.3390/nu13061796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing number of Italian families are adopting a vegan diet (VD) for their offspring from infancy for various reasons, with health benefits and ethics being the most common reasons. Barriers to effective communication with primary care pediatricians (PCPs) are perceived by many parents and, depending on the actors involved and the environment, a VD may affect social interactions in everyday life. A national cross-sectional survey was conducted between July and September 2020. Parents of children following a VD completed an online questionnaire. Data from 176 Italian parents were collected. About 72% (71.8%) of the children included in this study had been on a VD since weaning. Parents did not inform their primary care pediatricians (PCP) about the VD in 36.2% of the cases. In 70.8% of the cases, PCPs were perceived as skeptical or against a VD. About 70% (71.2%) of the parents relied on medical dietitians, and 28.2% on nutritionists/dietitians for dietary counseling. Parents administered an individual B12 supplement in 87.2% of the cases. To the best of our knowledge, this survey is the first which explores the relationship between vegan parents and their PCPs, the parental management of their children's diet and problems regarding the implementation of a VD in everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy Bivi
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Translational Sciences and New Technology in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (D.B.); (F.G.); (M.G.M.); (N.d.B.); (S.M.); (M.B.)
| | - Teresa Di Chio
- Pediatric Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona e Valli, Via Ospedale 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +41-77-953-70-77
| | - Francesca Geri
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Translational Sciences and New Technology in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (D.B.); (F.G.); (M.G.M.); (N.d.B.); (S.M.); (M.B.)
| | - Riccardo Morganti
- Section of Statistics, University Hospital of Pisa, 56100 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Silvia Goggi
- Scientific Society for Vegetarian Nutrition, Scientific Committee, Via Verdi 10/9, 30171 Mestre (VE), Italy; (S.G.); (L.B.)
| | - Luciana Baroni
- Scientific Society for Vegetarian Nutrition, Scientific Committee, Via Verdi 10/9, 30171 Mestre (VE), Italy; (S.G.); (L.B.)
| | - Maria Gloria Mumolo
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Translational Sciences and New Technology in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (D.B.); (F.G.); (M.G.M.); (N.d.B.); (S.M.); (M.B.)
| | - Nicola de Bortoli
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Translational Sciences and New Technology in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (D.B.); (F.G.); (M.G.M.); (N.d.B.); (S.M.); (M.B.)
| | - Diego Giampietro Peroni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pediatrics, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Santino Marchi
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Translational Sciences and New Technology in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (D.B.); (F.G.); (M.G.M.); (N.d.B.); (S.M.); (M.B.)
| | - Massimo Bellini
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Translational Sciences and New Technology in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (D.B.); (F.G.); (M.G.M.); (N.d.B.); (S.M.); (M.B.)
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10
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Sun Y, Gao K, Wu Z, Li G, Zong X, Lei Z, Wei Y, Ma J, Yang X, Feng X, Zhao L, Le Phan T, Shin J, Zhong T, Zhang Y, Yu L, Li C, Basnet R, Ahmad MO, Swamy MNS, Ma W, Dou Q, Bui TD, Noguera CB, Landman B, Gotlib IH, Humphreys KL, Shultz S, Li L, Niu S, Lin W, Jewells V, Shen D, Li G, Wang L. Multi-Site Infant Brain Segmentation Algorithms: The iSeg-2019 Challenge. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2021; 40:1363-1376. [PMID: 33507867 PMCID: PMC8246057 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2021.3055428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
To better understand early brain development in health and disorder, it is critical to accurately segment infant brain magnetic resonance (MR) images into white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Deep learning-based methods have achieved state-of-the-art performance; h owever, one of the major limitations is that the learning-based methods may suffer from the multi-site issue, that is, the models trained on a dataset from one site may not be applicable to the datasets acquired from other sites with different imaging protocols/scanners. To promote methodological development in the community, the iSeg-2019 challenge (http://iseg2019.web.unc.edu) provides a set of 6-month infant subjects from multiple sites with different protocols/scanners for the participating methods. T raining/validation subjects are from UNC (MAP) and testing subjects are from UNC/UMN (BCP), Stanford University, and Emory University. By the time of writing, there are 30 automatic segmentation methods participated in the iSeg-2019. In this article, 8 top-ranked methods were reviewed by detailing their pipelines/implementations, presenting experimental results, and evaluating performance across different sites in terms of whole brain, regions of interest, and gyral landmark curves. We further pointed out their limitations and possible directions for addressing the multi-site issue. We find that multi-site consistency is still an open issue. We hope that the multi-site dataset in the iSeg-2019 and this review article will attract more researchers to address the challenging and critical multi-site issue in practice.
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11
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Wen X, Wang R, Yin W, Lin W, Zhang H, Shen D. Development of Dynamic Functional Architecture during Early Infancy. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5626-5638. [PMID: 32537641 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Uncovering the moment-to-moment dynamics of functional connectivity (FC) in the human brain during early development is crucial for understanding emerging complex cognitive functions and behaviors. To this end, this paper leveraged a longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging dataset from 51 typically developing infants and, for the first time, thoroughly investigated how the temporal variability of the FC architecture develops at the "global" (entire brain), "mesoscale" (functional system), and "local" (brain region) levels in the first 2 years of age. Our results revealed that, in such a pivotal stage, 1) the whole-brain FC dynamic is linearly increased; 2) the high-order functional systems tend to display increased FC dynamics for both within- and between-network connections, while the primary systems show the opposite trajectories; and 3) many frontal regions have increasing FC dynamics despite large heterogeneity in developmental trajectories and velocities. All these findings indicate that the brain is gradually reconfigured toward a more flexible, dynamic, and adaptive system with globally increasing but locally heterogeneous trajectories in the first 2 postnatal years, explaining why infants have rapidly developing high-order cognitive functions and complex behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuyun Wen
- School of Data and Computer Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.,Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rifeng Wang
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Weiyan Yin
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Weili Lin
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Han Zhang
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dinggang Shen
- Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
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12
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Early behavioral profiles elucidating vulnerability and resiliency to later ASD outcomes. Dev Psychopathol 2020; 32:1217-1229. [PMID: 32928316 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420000814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit greater heterogeneity in behavioral presentation and outcomes relative to infants at low familial risk (LR), yet there is limited understanding of the diverse developmental profiles that characterize these infants. We applied a hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis approach to parse developmental heterogeneity in 420 toddlers with heightened (HR) and low (LR) familial risk for ASD using measures of four dimensions of development: language, social, play, and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB). Results revealed a two-cluster solution. Comparisons of clusters revealed significantly lower language, social, and play performance, and higher levels of restricted and repetitive behaviors in Cluster 1 relative to Cluster 2. In Cluster 1, 25% of children were later diagnosed with ASD compared to 8% in Cluster 2. Comparisons within Cluster 1 between subgroups of toddlers having ASD+ versus ASD- 36-month outcomes revealed significantly lower functioning in the ASD+ subgroup across cognitive, motor, social, language, symbolic, and speech dimensions. Findings suggest profiles of early development associated with resiliency and vulnerability to later ASD diagnosis, with multidimensional developmental lags signaling vulnerability to ASD diagnosis.
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13
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Abstract
While adult brains are known to be functionally flexible, the emergence of a functionally flexible brain during early infancy is largely uncharted due the lack of approaches to assess neural flexibility in infants. Using recent advances of multilayer network approaches and a cohort of typically developing children who underwent longitudinal MRI during the first 2 y of life, we investigated the developmental characteristics of brain neural flexibility. The temporal and spatial emergence of a functionally flexible brain was revealed. Brain regions with high neural flexibility appear consistent with the core regions supporting cognitive flexibility processing in adults, whereas brain regions governing basic brain functions exhibit lower neural flexibility, demonstrating the emergence of functionally flexible brain during early infancy. Adult brains are functionally flexible, a unique characteristic that is thought to contribute to cognitive flexibility. While tools to assess cognitive flexibility during early infancy are lacking, we aimed to assess the spatiotemporal developmental features of “neural flexibility” during the first 2 y of life. Fifty-two typically developing children 0 to 2 y old were longitudinally imaged up to seven times during natural sleep using resting-state functional MRI. Using a sliding window approach, MR-derived neural flexibility, a quantitative measure of the frequency at which brain regions change their allegiance from one functional module to another during a given time period, was used to evaluate the temporal emergence of neural flexibility during early infancy. Results showed that neural flexibility of whole brain, motor, and high-order brain functional networks/regions increased significantly with age, while visual regions exhibited a temporally stable pattern, suggesting spatially and temporally nonuniform developmental features of neural flexibility. Additionally, the neural flexibility of the primary visual network at 3 mo of age was significantly and negatively associated with cognitive ability evaluated at 5/6 y of age. The “flexible club,” comprising brain regions with neural flexibility significantly higher than whole-brain neural flexibility, were consistent with brain regions known to govern cognitive flexibility in adults and exhibited unique characteristics when compared to the functional hub and diverse club regions. Thus, MR-derived neural flexibility has the potential to reveal the underlying neural substrates for developing a cognitively flexible brain during early infancy.
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14
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Ciarrusta J, Dimitrova R, McAlonan G. Early maturation of the social brain: How brain development provides a platform for the acquisition of social-cognitive competence. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2020; 254:49-70. [PMID: 32859293 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Across the last century psychology has provided a lot of insight about social-cognitive competence. Recognizing facial expressions, joint attention, discrimination of cues and experiencing empathy are just a few examples of the social skills humans acquire from birth to adolescence. However, how very early brain maturation provides a platform to support the attainment of highly complex social behavior later in development remains poorly understood. Magnetic Resonance Imaging provides a safe means to investigate the typical and atypical maturation of regions of the brain responsible for social cognition in as early as the perinatal period. Here, we first review some technical challenges and advances of using functional magnetic resonance imaging on developing infants to then describe current knowledge on the development of diverse systems associated with social function. We will then explain how these characteristics might differ in infants with genetic or environmental risk factors, who are vulnerable to atypical neurodevelopment. Finally, given the rapid early development of systems necessary for social skills, we propose a new framework to investigate sensitive time windows of development when neural substrates might be more vulnerable to impairment due to a genetic or environmental insult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Ciarrusta
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment and Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ralica Dimitrova
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment and Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Grainne McAlonan
- Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment and Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
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15
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Steber S, Rossi S. So young, yet so mature? Electrophysiological and vascular correlates of phonotactic processing in 18-month-olds. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 43:100784. [PMID: 32510350 PMCID: PMC7184260 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated neural correlates of implicit phonotactic processing in 18-month-old children that just reached an important step in language development: the vocabulary spurt. Pseudowords, either phonotactically legal or illegal with respect to their native language, were acoustically presented to monolingually German raised infants. Neural activity was simultaneously assessed by means of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The former method excellently tracks fast processing mechanisms, whereas the latter reveals brain areas recruited. Results of the present study indicate that 18-month-olds recognize the linguistic properties of their native language based on phonotactics. This manifested in an increased N400 for legal compared to illegal pseudowords in the EEG conforming to adult-like mechanisms. Unfortunately, fNIRS findings did not support this discrimination ability. Possible methodological and brain maturational reasons might explain this null finding. This study provides evidence for the advantage of a multi-methodological approach in order to get a clear picture on neural language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Steber
- ICONE - Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Sonja Rossi
- ICONE - Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
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A Computational Framework for Dissociating Development-Related from Individually Variable Flexibility in Regional Modularity Assignment in Early Infancy. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 12267:13-21. [PMID: 34337613 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-59728-3_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Functional brain development in early infancy is a highly dynamic and complex process. Understanding each brain region's topological role and its development in the brain functional connectivity (FC) networks is essential for early disorder detection. A handful of previous studies have mostly focused on how FC network is changing regarding age. These approaches inevitably overlook the effect of individual variability for those at the same age that could shape unique cognitive capabilities and personalities among infants. With that in mind, we propose a novel computational framework based on across-subject across-age multilayer network analysis with a fully automatic (for parameter optimization), robust community detection algorithm. By detecting group consistent modules without losing individual information, this method allows a first-ever dissociation analysis of the two variability sources - age dependency and individual specificity - that greatly shape early brain development. This method is applied to a large cohort of 0-2 years old infants' functional MRI data during natural sleep. We not only detected the brain regions with greatest flexibility in this early developmental period but also identified five categories of brain regions with distinct development-related and individually variable flexibility changes. Our method is highly valuable for more thorough understanding of the early brain functional organizations and sheds light on early developmental abnormality detection.
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