Alterations of resting state networks and structural connectivity in relation to the prefrontal and anterior
Andrew J Degnan1, Jessica L Wisnowski, SoYoung Choi
1aDepartment of Pediatric Radiology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC bDepartment of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania cBrain and Creativity Institute dSignal and Image Processing Institute, University of Southern California eDepartment of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California fBluestone Center for Clinical Research, New York University, New York, New York USA gTwins Institute for Genetics Research, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Insights
Late preterm birth alters prefrontal cortex connectivity in children, showing increased functional connectivity in key networks despite normal cognitive test scores. This suggests subtle white matter changes impacting brain development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Late preterm birth (34-36 6/7 weeks gestational age) is linked to cognitive and social deficits.
- The prefrontal cortex, crucial for higher cognitive functions, is vulnerable during late prematurity due to its prolonged development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate structural and functional prefrontal cortex connectivity in children born late preterm without advanced postnatal care.
- To assess if altered connectivity correlates with cognitive outcomes in this population.
Main Methods:
- Neuropsychological testing and advanced MRI (T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted, resting-state fMRI) were performed on 19 late preterm and 19 term-born preadolescents.
- Functional connectivity and probabilistic tractography analyses focused on medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex.
- Default mode, salience, and central-executive networks were examined.
Main Results:
- Late preterm children exhibited hyperconnectivity within major resting-state networks originating from frontal cortex seeds.
- Decreased functional connectivity was noted in the right parahippocampal region.
- Probabilistic tractography revealed altered white matter streamlines in frontal pathways and the corpus callosum.
Conclusions:
- Prefrontal cortical connectivity is significantly altered in late preterm infants, characterized by hyperconnectivity in key networks.
- Despite altered brain connectivity, neuropsychological deficits were not observed in late preterm children compared to term-born controls.
- Findings suggest subtle disruptions in white matter maturation during late gestation, impacting prefrontal cortex development.
Abstract:
Late preterm birth is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for cognitive and social deficits. The prefrontal cortex is particularly vulnerable to injury in late prematurity because of its protracted development and extensive cortical connections. Our study examined children born late preterm without access to advanced postnatal care to assess structural and functional connectivity related to the prefrontal cortex. Thirty-eight preadolescents [19 born late preterm (34-36 /7 weeks gestational age) and 19 at term] were recruited from a developing community in Brazil. Participants underwent neuropsychological testing. Individuals underwent three-dimensional T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted, and resting state functional MRI. Probabilistic tractography and functional connectivity analyses were carried out using unilateral seeds combining the medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex. Late preterm children showed increased functional connectivity within regions of the default mode, salience, and central-executive networks from both right and left frontal cortex seeds. Decreased functional connectivity was observed within the right parahippocampal region from left frontal seeding. Probabilistic tractography showed a pattern of decreased streamlines in frontal white matter pathways and the corpus callosum, but also increased streamlines in the left orbitofrontal white matter and the right frontal white matter when seeded from the right. Late preterm children and term control children scored similarly on neuropsychological testing. Prefrontal cortical connectivity is altered in late prematurity, with hyperconnectivity observed in key resting state networks in the absence of neuropsychological deficits. Abnormal structural connectivity indicated by probabilistic tractography suggests subtle changes in white matter development, implying disruption of normal maturation during the late gestational period.
More Related Videos
10:43Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity
Published on: July 1, 2014
12:09Network Analysis of the Default Mode Network Using Functional Connectivity MRI in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Published on: August 5, 2014