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Published on: September 12, 2011
Whole-brain mapping of structural connectivity in infants reveals altered connection strength associated with growth
A S Pandit1, E Robinson2, P Aljabar3
1Centre for the Developing Brain, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK, Institute of Clinical Sciences.
Insights
Premature birth is linked to reduced brain connectivity in infants. This study used MRI to show that older infants had stronger frontal lobe connections, while higher prematurity correlated with widespread weaker connections across the brain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Cerebral white-matter injury is prevalent in preterm infants, often leading to neurocognitive deficits.
- Understanding brain connectivity alterations post-preterm birth is crucial for elucidating the neurobiology of these impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize whole-brain macrostructural connectivity following preterm delivery.
- To investigate the impact of postconceptional age and degree of prematurity on brain connectivity using a data-driven approach.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data from 49 infants (25-35 weeks postconception) were analyzed between 11-31 months postconceptional age.
- An optimized pipeline combined anatomical and tissue segmentation with probabilistic diffusion tractography to map mean tract anisotropy.
- Sparse-penalized regression and stability selection identified white-matter tracts with connection strength related to delivery or imaging age.
Main Results:
- Older postconceptional age was associated with stronger connections in tracts involving frontal lobe structures.
- Increased prematurity at birth correlated with widespread reductions in connection strength across all cortical lobes and several subcortical structures.
- The analysis revealed age-related increases and prematurity-related decreases in intracerebral connection strength.
Conclusions:
- This non-subjective dMRI analysis successfully mapped whole-brain connectivity patterns in preterm infants.
- Findings support hypothesized developmental changes in connection strength and demonstrate widespread connectivity reductions associated with premature birth.
- This approach offers a comprehensive understanding of the neurobiological consequences of prematurity on brain development.
Abstract:
Cerebral white-matter injury is common in preterm-born infants and is associated with neurocognitive impairments. Identifying the pattern of connectivity changes in the brain following premature birth may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the neurobiology underlying these impairments. Here, we characterize whole-brain, macrostructural connectivity following preterm delivery and explore the influence of age and prematurity using a data-driven, nonsubjective analysis of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data. T1- and T2-weighted and -diffusion MRI were obtained between 11 and 31 months postconceptional age in 49 infants, born between 25 and 35 weeks postconception. An optimized processing pipeline, combining anatomical, and tissue segmentations with probabilistic diffusion tractography, was used to map mean tract anisotropy. White-matter tracts where connection strength was related to age of delivery or imaging were identified using sparse-penalized regression and stability selection. Older children had stronger connections in tracts predominantly involving frontal lobe structures. Increasing prematurity at birth was related to widespread reductions in connection strength in tracts involving all cortical lobes and several subcortical structures. This nonsubjective approach to mapping whole-brain connectivity detected hypothesized changes in the strength of intracerebral connections during development and widespread reductions in connectivity strength associated with premature birth.
