Toward Developmental Connectomics of the Human Brain

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Network Science

Background:

• Brain development involves complex network evolution from infancy to adulthood.
• Disruptions in these developmental patterns are linked to neuropsychiatric disorders like autism and ADHD.
• Imaging connectomics provides a framework to study these brain network changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in understanding typical and atypical human brain network development from birth to early adulthood.
• To examine the application of connectomic approaches in studying developmental trajectories.
• To highlight network alterations in major developmental neuropsychiatric disorders.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing imaging connectomics and graph theory to analyze brain network organization.
• Comparing structural and functional brain network development across different life stages.
• Investigating network topology in typical development versus developmental disorders.

Main Results:

• Structural brain networks exhibit adult-like organization at birth, with refinement and increased integration during development.
• Functional networks undergo more substantial maturational changes, with shifting hub regions and evolving modular architecture.
• Both structural and functional networks show topological disorganization in conditions like autism spectrum disorder and ADHD.

Conclusions:

• Structural brain networks mature earlier than functional networks, providing an anatomical backbone.
• Functional networks display more dynamic maturational changes, crucial for cognitive development.
• Connectomics offers a valuable perspective for understanding brain development and associated disorders.