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Connectivity precedes function in the development of the visual word form area
Zeynep M Saygin1,2, David E Osher3, Elizabeth S Norton4
1Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Nature Neuroscience
|August 9, 2016
Summary
Early brain connectivity, not function, predicts where the visual word form area (VWFA) develops. This suggests pre-existing neural connections guide the emergence of specialized brain regions during development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- The precise cortical location of functionally specialized brain regions remains poorly understood.
- Theories suggest either intrinsic genetic programs or extrinsic factors shape functional area development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether pre-existing extrinsic connectivity influences the development of functionally specific cortical regions.
- To test if early brain connectivity predicts the future location of the visual word form area (VWFA).
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study using diffusion and functional MRI on children at ages 5 and 8.
- Examined the development and location of the VWFA before and after reading acquisition.
- Analyzed connectivity "fingerprints" and functional responses at age 5 to predict VWFA location at age 8.
Main Results:
- The VWFA showed functional development between ages 5 and 8.
- Children's VWFA location at age 8 was predictable from their age 5 connectivity patterns.
- Functional responses at age 5 did not predict VWFA location.
Conclusions:
- Early extrinsic connectivity patterns appear to instruct the functional development and precise location of the VWFA.
- This finding suggests a general mechanism where neural connectivity guides cortical specialization.
- Connectivity, rather than initial function, may be a key determinant in brain development.
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