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Dopierała AAW, López Pérez D, Mercure E, Pluta A, Malinowska-Korczak A, Evans S, Wolak T, Tomalski P. Watching talking faces: The development of cortical representation of visual syllables in infancy. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 244:105304. [PMID: 37481794 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
From birth, we perceive speech by hearing and seeing people talk. In adults cortical representations of visual speech are processed in the putative temporal visual speech area (TVSA), but it remains unknown how these representations develop. We measured infants' cortical responses to silent visual syllables and non-communicative mouth movements using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Our results indicate that cortical specialisation for visual speech may emerge during infancy. The putative TVSA was active to both visual syllables and gurning around 5 months of age, and more active to gurning than to visual syllables around 10 months of age. Multivariate pattern analysis classification of distinct cortical responses to visual speech and gurning was successful at 10, but not at 5 months of age. These findings imply that cortical representations of visual speech change between 5 and 10 months of age, showing that the putative TVSA is initially broadly tuned and becomes selective with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra A W Dopierała
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
| | - David López Pérez
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
| | | | - Agnieszka Pluta
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Bioimaging Research Center, World Hearing Centre, Warsaw, Poland.
| | | | - Samuel Evans
- University of Westminister, London, UK; Kings College London, London, UK.
| | - Tomasz Wolak
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Bioimaging Research Center, World Hearing Centre, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Przemysław Tomalski
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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2
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Li X, Chen H, Hu Y, Larsen RJ, Sutton BP, McElwain NL, Gao W. Functional neural network connectivity at 3 months predicts infant-mother dyadic flexibility during play at 6 months. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8321-8332. [PMID: 37020357 PMCID: PMC10321085 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Early functioning of neural networks likely underlies the flexible switching between internal and external orientation and may be key to the infant's ability to effectively engage in social interactions. To test this hypothesis, we examined the association between infants' neural networks at 3 months and infant-mother dyadic flexibility (denoting the structural variability of their interaction dynamics) at 3, 6, and 9 months. Participants included thirty-five infants (37% girls) and their mothers (87% White). At 3 months, infants participated in a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging session, and functional connectivity (FC) within the default mode (DMN) and salience (SN) networks, as well as DMN-SN internetwork FC, were derived using a seed-based approach. When infants were 3, 6, and 9 months, infant-mother dyads completed the Still-Face Paradigm where their individual engagement behaviors were observed and used to quantify dyadic flexibility using state space analysis. Results revealed that greater within-DMN FC, within-SN FC, and DMN-SN anticorrelation at 3 months predicted greater dyadic flexibility at 6 months, but not at 3 and 9 months. Findings suggest that early synchronization and interaction between neural networks underlying introspection and salience detection may support infants' flexible social interactions as they become increasingly active and engaged social partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei Li
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 905 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Haitao Chen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, 116 N. Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048, CA, United States
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Geffen Hall, 885 Tiverton Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Yannan Hu
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 905 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Ryan J Larsen
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Bradley P Sutton
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1406 W. Green St, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Nancy L McElwain
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 905 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Wei Gao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, 116 N. Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048, CA, United States
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Geffen Hall, 885 Tiverton Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
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3
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Gervain J, Minagawa Y, Emberson L, Lloyd-Fox S. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy to study the early developing brain: future directions and new challenges. NEUROPHOTONICS 2023; 10:023519. [PMID: 37020727 PMCID: PMC10068680 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.10.2.023519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Significance Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a frequently used neuroimaging tool to explore the developing brain, particularly in infancy, with studies spanning from birth to toddlerhood (0 to 2 years). We provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities that the developmental fNIRS field faces, after almost 25 years of research. Aim We discuss the most recent advances in fNIRS brain imaging with infants and outlines the trends and perspectives that will likely influence progress in the field in the near future. Approach We discuss recent progress and future challenges in various areas and applications of developmental fNIRS from methodological and technological innovations to data processing and statistical approaches. Results and Conclusions The major trends identified include uses of fNIRS "in the wild," such as global health contexts, home and community testing, and hyperscanning; advances in hardware, such as wearable technology; assessment of individual variation and developmental trajectories particularly while embedded in studies examining other environmental, health, and context specific factors and longitudinal designs; statistical advances including resting-state network and connectivity, machine learning and reproducibility, and collaborative studies. Standardization and larger studies have been, and will likely continue to be, a major goal in the field, and new data analysis techniques, statistical methods, and collaborative cross-site projects are emerging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Gervain
- University of Padua, Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Padua, Italy
- University of Padua, Padova Neuroscience Center, Padua, Italy
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
| | - Yasuyo Minagawa
- Keio University, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Lauren Emberson
- University of British Columbia, Department of Psychology, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah Lloyd-Fox
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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4
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Naoi N, Minagawa Y, Yamamoto JI, Kojima S. Infants' Prefrontal Hemodynamic Responses and Functional Connectivity During Joint Attention in an Interactive-Live Setting. FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 2022; 4:821248. [PMID: 35782576 PMCID: PMC9240356 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2022.821248] [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: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study examined cerebral hemodynamic responses and functional connectivity during joint attention either initiated by infants (Initiating Joint Attention, IJA condition) or by their partner (Responding to Joint Attention, RJA condition). To capture responses to natural social cues in infants aged 7–12 months using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we employed an interactive-live paradigm for IJA and RJA. During the measurement, an adult sat facing an infant, and objects, such as small stuffed animals, paired with sound toys were presented to the right or left side of the screen. In the RJA condition, the adult gazed at the infants' eyes and then to the objects to encourage the infants to follow the adult's gaze. On the other hand, in the IJA condition, the adult followed the infant's gaze as it shifted to the presented object. Our results indicate that the concentration of oxy-Hb in the bilateral ventral prefrontal region had significantly decreased, then followed by an increase in the right dorsal prefrontal region in the RJA. In addition, a selective activation in the bilateral dorsal prefrontal region was seen in the IJA condition. Moreover, the infants exhibited increased functional connectivity especially within the right ventral prefrontal region during RJA condition when compared with IJA conditions. These findings suggest that RJA and IJA recruit specific brain networks localized in the prefrontal cortex of infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nozomi Naoi
- Department of Psychology and Linguistics, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Nozomi Naoi
| | - Yasuyo Minagawa
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
- Graduate School of Human Relations, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
- Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jun-ichi Yamamoto
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
- Graduate School of Human Relations, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
- Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shozo Kojima
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
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Tomita N, Kumano H. Self-focused attention related to social anxiety during free speaking tasks activates the right frontopolar area. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02319-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
AbstractSelf-focused attention (SFA) and other-focused attention (OFA) are central maintenance factors of social anxiety. Tomita et al., Cognitive Therapy and Research 44:511–525, 2020 investigated brain activities when manipulating SFA and OFA during speech tasks, after controlling for social anxiety, using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and eye-tracking. Compared with the control condition, the SFA condition demonstrated greater activity in the right frontopolar area (rFPA) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In the OFA condition, relative to controls, activity was greater in the left superior temporal gyrus. We investigated whether the activity in these brain areas increased in healthy individuals in proportion to their social anxiety tendency without manipulating SFA and OFA. Thirty-nine participants performed speech tasks under a no attentional manipulation (no-instruction) condition and a control (looking at various places) condition. Brain activity was measured using NIRS (oxy-Hb responses), and eye movements were tracked. We found that higher social anxiety was associated with higher rFPA activity in the no-instruction condition compared to the control condition and that higher subjective SFA during the no-instruction condition with higher social anxiety was associated with increased rFPA between the no-instruction and control conditions. These results suggest that greater activity in the rFPA is a useful objective measure of SFA related to social anxiety during speech tasks.
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6
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Kelsey CM, Farris K, Grossmann T. Variability in Infants' Functional Brain Network Connectivity Is Associated With Differences in Affect and Behavior. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:685754. [PMID: 34177669 PMCID: PMC8220897 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.685754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability in functional brain network connectivity has been linked to individual differences in cognitive, affective, and behavioral traits in adults. However, little is known about the developmental origins of such brain-behavior correlations. The current study examined functional brain network connectivity and its link to behavioral temperament in typically developing newborn and 1-month-old infants (M [age] = 25 days; N = 75) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Specifically, we measured long-range connectivity between cortical regions approximating fronto-parietal, default mode, and homologous-interhemispheric networks. Our results show that connectivity in these functional brain networks varies across infants and maps onto individual differences in behavioral temperament. Specifically, connectivity in the fronto-parietal network was positively associated with regulation and orienting behaviors, whereas connectivity in the default mode network showed the opposite effect on these behaviors. Our analysis also revealed a significant positive association between the homologous-interhemispheric network and infants' negative affect. The current results suggest that variability in long-range intra-hemispheric and cross-hemispheric functional connectivity between frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex is associated with individual differences in affect and behavior. These findings shed new light on the brain origins of individual differences in early-emerging behavioral traits and thus represent a viable novel approach for investigating developmental trajectories in typical and atypical neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Kelsey
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Katrina Farris
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Tobias Grossmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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7
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Bayet L, Perdue KL, Behrendt HF, Richards JE, Westerlund A, Cataldo JK, Nelson CA. Neural responses to happy, fearful and angry faces of varying identities in 5- and 7-month-old infants. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 47:100882. [PMID: 33246304 PMCID: PMC7695867 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
fNIRS and looking responses to emotional faces were measured in 5- and 7-month-olds. Emotional faces had varying identities within happy, angry, and fearful blocks. Temporo-parietal and frontal activations were observed, particularly to happy faces. Infants looked longer to the mouth region of angry faces. No difference in behavior or neural activity observed between 5- and 7-month-olds.
The processing of facial emotion is an important social skill that develops throughout infancy and early childhood. Here we investigate the neural underpinnings of the ability to process facial emotion across changes in facial identity in cross-sectional groups of 5- and 7-month-old infants. We simultaneously measured neural metabolic, behavioral, and autonomic responses to happy, fearful, and angry faces of different female models using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), eye-tracking, and heart rate measures. We observed significant neural activation to these facial emotions in a distributed set of frontal and temporal brain regions, and longer looking to the mouth region of angry faces compared to happy and fearful faces. No differences in looking behavior or neural activations were observed between 5- and 7-month-olds, although several exploratory, age-independent associations between neural activations and looking behavior were noted. Overall, these findings suggest more developmental stability than previously thought in responses to emotional facial expressions of varying identities between 5- and 7-months of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie Bayet
- Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine L Perdue
- Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hannah F Behrendt
- Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Charles A Nelson
- Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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8
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Xu M, Minagawa Y, Kumazaki H, Okada KI, Naoi N. Prefrontal Responses to Odors in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Functional NIRS Measurement Combined With a Fragrance Pulse Ejection System. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:523456. [PMID: 33132871 PMCID: PMC7579723 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.523456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are impaired not only in social competencies but also in sensory perception, particularly olfaction. The olfactory ability of individuals with ASD has been examined in several psychophysical studies, but the results have been highly variable, which might be primarily due to methodological difficulties in the control of odor stimuli (e.g., the problem of lingering scents). In addition, the neural correlates of olfactory specificities in individuals with ASD remain largely unknown. To date, only one study has investigated this issue using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The present study utilized a sophisticated method-a pulse ejection system-to present well-controlled odor stimuli to participants with ASD using an ASD-friendly application. With this advantageous system, we examined their odor detection, identification, and evaluation abilities and measured their brain activity evoked by odors using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). As the odor detection threshold (DT) of participants with ASD was highly variable, these participants were divided into two groups according to their DT: an ASD-Low DT group and an ASD-High DT group. Behavioral results showed that the ASD-High DT group had a significantly higher DT than the typically developing (control) group and the ASD-Low DT group, indicating their insensitivity to the tested odors. In addition, while there was no significant difference in the odor identification ability between groups, there was some discrepancy between the groups' evaluations of odor pleasantness. The brain data identified, for the first time, that neural activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was significantly weaker in the ASD-High DT group than in the control group. Moreover, the strength of activity in the right DLPFC was negatively correlated with the DT. These findings suggest that participants with ASD have impairments in the higher-order function of olfactory processing, such as olfactory working memory and/or attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingdi Xu
- Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.,Center of Life-Span Development of Communication Skills, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yasuyo Minagawa
- Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.,Center of Life-Span Development of Communication Skills, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan.,Global Centre for Advanced Research on Logic and Sensibility, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Ken-Ichi Okada
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Nozomi Naoi
- Global Centre for Advanced Research on Logic and Sensibility, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.,Division of Arts and Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
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9
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Tomita N, Minamide A, Kumano H. Neural Correlates Supported by Eye Movements of Self-Focused Attention and Other-Focused Attention in Social Situations. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-019-10075-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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10
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Bulgarelli C, de Klerk CCJM, Richards JE, Southgate V, Hamilton A, Blasi A. The developmental trajectory of fronto-temporoparietal connectivity as a proxy of the default mode network: a longitudinal fNIRS investigation. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:2717-2740. [PMID: 32128946 PMCID: PMC7294062 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) is a network of brain regions that is activated while we are not engaged in any particular task. While there is a large volume of research documenting functional connectivity within the DMN in adults, knowledge of the development of this network is still limited. There is some evidence for a gradual increase in the functional connections within the DMN during the first 2 years of life, in contrast to other functional resting‐state networks that support primary sensorimotor functions, which are online from very early in life. Previous studies that investigated the development of the DMN acquired data from sleeping infants using fMRI. However, sleep stages are known to affect functional connectivity. In the current longitudinal study, fNIRS was used to measure spontaneous fluctuations in connectivity within fronto‐temporoparietal areas—as a proxy for the DMN—in awake participants every 6 months from 11 months till 36 months. This study validates a method for recording resting‐state data from awake infants, and presents a data analysis pipeline for the investigation of functional connections with infant fNIRS data, which will be beneficial for researchers in this field. A gradual development of fronto‐temporoparietal connectivity was found, supporting the idea that the DMN develops over the first years of life. Functional connectivity reached its maximum peak at about 24 months, which is consistent with previous findings showing that, by 2 years of age, DMN connectivity is similar to that observed in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Bulgarelli
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.,Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Carina C J M de Klerk
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - John E Richards
- Institute for Mind and Brain, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
| | | | - Antonia Hamilton
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anna Blasi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
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11
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Receptive versus interactive video screens: A role for the brain's default mode network in learning from media. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2019.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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12
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McDonald NM, Perdue KL, Eilbott J, Loyal J, Shic F, Pelphrey KA. Infant brain responses to social sounds: A longitudinal functional near-infrared spectroscopy study. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 36:100638. [PMID: 30889544 PMCID: PMC7033285 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Infants are responsive to and show a preference for human vocalizations from very early in development. While previous studies have provided a strong foundation of understanding regarding areas of the infant brain that respond preferentially to social vs. non-social sounds, how the infant brain responds to sounds of varying social significance over time, and how this relates to behavior, is less well understood. The current study uniquely examined longitudinal brain responses to social sounds of differing social-communicative value in infants at 3 and 6 months of age using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). At 3 months, infants showed similar patterns of widespread activation in bilateral temporal cortices to communicative and non-communicative human non-speech vocalizations, while by 6 months infants showed more similar, and focal, responses to social sounds that carried increased social value (infant-directed speech and human non-speech communicative sounds). In addition, we found that brain activity at 3 months of age related to later brain activity and receptive language abilities as measured at 6 months. These findings suggest areas of consistency and change in auditory social perception between 3 and 6 months of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M McDonald
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 S. Frontage Rd., New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Katherine L Perdue
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 1 Autumn St., 6th Floor, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Jeffrey Eilbott
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 S. Frontage Rd., New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Jaspreet Loyal
- Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Hospital, 20 York St., New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
| | - Frederick Shic
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 S. Frontage Rd., New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Kevin A Pelphrey
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 S. Frontage Rd., New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
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13
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The infant brain in the social world: Moving toward interactive social neuroscience with functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 87:38-49. [PMID: 29371139 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Typically developing infants rapidly acquire a sophisticated array of social skills within the first year of life. These social skills are largely learned within the context of day-to-day interactions with caregivers. While social neuroscience has made great gains in our knowledge of the underlying neural circuitry of social cognition and behavior, much of this work has focused on experiments that sacrifice ecological validity for experimental control. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a promising methodology for measuring brain activity in the context of naturalistic social interactions. Here, we review what we have learned from fNIRS studies that have used traditional experimental stimuli to study social development during infancy. We then discuss recent infant fNIRS studies that have utilized more naturalistic social stimuli, followed by a discussion of applications of this methodology to the study of atypical social development, with a focus on infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder. We end with recommendations for applying fNIRS to studies of typically developing and at-risk infants in naturalistic social situations.
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