How does preterm birth affect newborn brain networks?

What is the primary objective of the Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP)?

To provide a large dataset of functional and structural brain images from 20 to 44 weeks of gestational age (GA) to map the trajectories of human brain development.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

At what frequency range are resting-state networks (RSNs) predominantly decomposed in resting-state fMRI?

They are predominantly decomposed at low frequencies of less than 0.1 Hz, distinguishing them from cardiovascular signal.

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

How early in development can immature resting-state networks (RSNs) be identified in preterm infants?

Immature resting-state networks can be identified from as early as 26 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA).

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What is the developmental state of primary sensory and motor networks at term-equivalent age (TEA)?

Primary networks (sensorimotor, auditory, visual) are clearly apparent in a mature, adult-like configuration in both term and preterm-born infants.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What is the typical state of higher-order association networks at term-equivalent age (TEA)?

They appear to be largely fragmented at TEA and only synchronise into complete adult-like structures during the first or second year of life.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What major anatomical brain changes characterize the critical developmental window of term-equivalent age (TEA)?

The intense myelination of white matter and the rapid expansion in both the size and gyrification of the cerebral cortex.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

How was the normative set of resting-state networks (RSNs) defined in this study?

Using probabilistic group Independent Component Analysis (ICA) on a subsample of 24 healthy term-born infants scanned at 43.5-44.5 weeks PMA.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What is the function of dual regression in the study's subject-level analysis?

It is used to regress group-level spatial maps into individual subject 4D datasets to generate subject-specific spatial maps and time series.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What major brain injuries were used as exclusion criteria for the preterm study group?

Periventricular leukomalacia, grade 3 or 4 intraventricular hemorrhage, major intracerebral hemorrhage, and ischemic focal brain lesions.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What were the scan duration and total volume count for the optimized fMRI sequence?

The scan lasted 15 minutes 3 seconds and acquired a total of 2300 volumes.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What multiband excitation factor was utilized during fMRI data acquisition?

A multiband factor of 9 was used to achieve high temporal resolution.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What was the acquired spatial resolution of the high-temporal-resolution BOLD fMRI data?

The acquired spatial resolution was 2.15 mm isotropic.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

How did the researchers continuous-crop individual fMRI data to minimize head motion confounds?

They identified and cropped each dataset to a continuous sub-sample of 1600 volumes that contained the minimum number of motion-outlier volumes.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

At what motion threshold in the cropped dataset was a subject excluded entirely from the study?

Subjects with more than 160 motion-outlier volumes (10% of the cropped dataset) were excluded.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What dimensionality was chosen for the group Independent Component Analysis (ICA), and why?

A dimensionality of 30 was selected to maintain a pragmatic balance between robustness and interpretability.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

How many resting-state networks (RSNs) were identified from the group ICA components, and how were they categorized?

Eleven RSNs were identified, consisting of 5 primary networks and 6 association networks.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

How did the study define and calculate the parameter 'core network strength'?

It was calculated as the mean β parameter value within a subject's RSN map, after masking it with the corresponding group-ICA network template thresholded at Z > 3.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

Which class of resting-state networks showed increased spatial connectivity with older PMA at scan in term infants?

Brain regions showing increased connectivity with older postmenstrual age (PMA) were exclusively found in four of the association networks.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

Were any brain regions found to have a negative association with older postmenstrual age (PMA) at scan?

No, there were no brain tissue regions that showed a negative association with older age at scan.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What sex-specific functional connectivity difference was observed in newborn infants?

Female infants showed increased connectivity within the inferior occipito-temporal regions, including the posterior fusiform gyrus, in the visual association network.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What general effect did preterm birth have on core network strength across the identified RSNs?

Preterm birth caused a widespread 23-41% reduction in uncorrected core network strength across all 11 networks.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

Which specific brain area showed increased functional connectivity within the lateral motor network in preterm-born infants?

The bilateral superior parietal lobule showed increased functional connectivity within the lateral motor network in preterm-born infants.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What evidence indicates that the effect of prematurity on functional connectivity is dose-dependent?

A separate continuous analysis showed that a younger gestational age (GA) at birth was progressively associated with more severely impaired functional connectivity across all networks.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

Which subcortical structures were found to be strongly connected within the medial motor network at term-equivalent age?

The bilateral insula and the thalamus were strongly integrated within the medial motor network.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

How did the neonatal default mode network (DMN) precursor compare to the adult configuration?

It was highly fragmented, featuring a dominant posterior hub (precuneus/posterior cingulate) but showing limited frontoparietal connectivity and no temporal involvement.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

Why is the rapid maturation of the visual association network from 37 to 43.5 weeks PMA functionally logical?

It occurs during a critical period when newborn infants are increasingly exposed to and learning to resolve complex objects in their visual field.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

How do behavioral differences in female neonates align with the observed sex differences in fusiform gyrus connectivity?

Female neonates behavioral studies show they have an increased preference for looking at faces compared to males, matching the heightened connectivity of the face-sensitive fusiform area.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What anatomical structures are linked by the infant temporoparietal network, and what adult network does this resemble?

It connects a posterior module (extended Wernicke's area) to an anterior module (Broca's area), resembling the adult language network.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

Which major white-matter tract structurally facilitates the connectivity of the temporoparietal language network?

The arcuate fasciculus facilitates this long-range connection between anterior and posterior language modules.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What subcortical structure within the frontoparietal network showed increased connectivity with older PMA at scan, and what does this reflect?

The caudate nucleus, reflecting active development of the oculomotor corticostriatal system responsible for eye movement and visual fixation.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What mechanism do the authors hypothesize explains the abnormal increase in parieto-motor connectivity in preterm infants?

Premature exposure to the extrauterine environment, occurring during a developmental window of heightened sensorimotor plasticity, alters parieto-motor circuit formation.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What long-term neurocognitive and motor difficulties are hypothesized to stem from aberrant parietal connectivity at TEA?

Developmental coordination disorder, inattention, and intellectual impairment in later childhood.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What design feature of the dHCP imaging system created a sensitivity bias toward detecting signals in the cerebral cortex?

The use of a close-fitting head coil optimized for neonatal head sizes, combined with highly accelerated multiband EPI.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

Why is head motion a particularly challenging confound in neonatal resting-state fMRI analyses?

Because infant movement is inherently correlated with their arousal and sleep states, which directly affect resting-state neural activity.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified

What is the study's overall conceptual conclusion regarding the impact of preterm birth on functional brain networks?

Preterm birth is best conceptualized as a developmental perturbation that active reconfigures, rather than simply decreases, the overall organization of functional networks.

Source: The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity · DOI · quote verified