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Updated: Mar 2, 2026
Preterm EEG: A Multimodal Neurophysiological Protocol
Published on: February 18, 2012
Functional thalamocortical connectivity development and alterations in preterm infants during the neonatal period
Yue Cai1, Xiushuang Wu2, Zihui Su3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China; Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Insights
Preterm infants with punctate white matter lesions show altered thalamo-salience connectivity, suggesting functional compensation for brain processing challenges before term equivalent age.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The thalamus is frequently impacted in preterm infants, especially those with white matter lesions (WML).
- Understanding functional brain development in preterm infants with WML is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the development and alterations in functional thalamocortical connectivity.
- To compare connectivity in preterm infants with and without punctate white matter lesions (PWMLs) before term equivalent age (TEA).
Main Methods:
- Utilized independent component analysis (ICA) for infant brain networks.
- Performed thalamus parcellation via partial correlation.
- Reconstructed thalamocortical connectivity between thalamus clusters and the whole brain.
Main Results:
- Thalamo-salience (SA) and thalamo-sensorimotor (SM) connectivity were the primary identified networks.
- Both preterm groups showed significant development in thalamo-SA and thalamo-SM connectivity.
- PWML infants exhibited increased parietal thalamo-SA connectivity compared to normal preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants with PWMLs display altered thalamo-SA connectivity.
- These alterations may represent functional compensation mechanisms for impaired thalamocortical processing due to PWMLs.
Abstract:
The thalamus is one of the most commonly affected brain regions in preterm infants, particularly in infants with white matter lesions (WML). The aim of this paper is to explore the development and alterations of the functional thalamocortical connectivity in preterm infants with and without punctate white matter lesions (PWMLs) during the period before term equivalent age (TEA). In this study, twenty-two normal preterm infants (NP), twenty-two preterm infants with PWMLs and thirty-one full-term control infants (FT) were enrolled. Thalamus parcellation was performed based on partial correlation between the thalamus and seven well-recognized infant networks obtained from independent component analysis (ICA), and thalamocortical connectivity was further reconstructed between the defined thalamus clusters and the whole brain. Thalamo-salience (SA) and thalamo-sensorimotor (SM) connectivity were predominantly identified, while other types of thalamocortical connectivity remained largely limited during the neonatal period. Both preterm groups exhibited prominent development in thalamo-SA and thalamo-SM connectivity during this period. Compared with NP infants, PWML infants demonstrated increased connectivity in the parietal area in thalamo-SA connectivity but no significant differences in thalamo-SM connectivity. Our results reveal that compared with NP infants, PWML infants exhibit slightly altered thalamo-SA connectivity, and this alteration is deduced to be functional compensations for inefficient thalamocortical processing due to PWMLs.
