Constructing 4D infant cortical surface atlases based on dynamic developmental trajectories of the cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Computational Anatomy

Background:

• Longitudinal (4D) cortical surface atlases are crucial for analyzing infant brain development but are currently lacking.
• The first two years of life represent a critical period of rapid structural and functional changes in the infant cerebral cortex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct the first longitudinal (4D) cortical surface atlases for infant brains covering ages 1 to 24 months.
• To parcellate these 4D atlases into developmentally and functionally distinct regions based on cortical thickness trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 202 serial MRI scans from 35 healthy infants.
• Employed groupwise registration for within-subject and intersubject cortical correspondence.
• Applied spectral clustering on averaged within-subject affinity matrices of cortical thickness trajectories for parcellation.

Main Results:

• Successfully constructed 4D infant cortical surface atlases with longitudinal consistency.
• Developed a novel parcellation method based on dynamic developmental trajectories of cortical thickness.
• Identified developmentally and functionally distinctive cortical regions within the infant brain.

Conclusions:

• The developed 4D infant cortical surface atlases provide a valuable resource for surface-based analysis of early brain development.
• This work facilitates a deeper understanding of dynamic cortical changes during the first two years of life.
• The novel parcellation strategy offers insights into the developmental trajectories of brain regions.