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White matter myelination during early infancy is linked to spatial gradients and myelin content at birth

Mareike Grotheer1,2, Mona Rosenke3, Hua Wu4

  • 1Department of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, 35039, Germany. mareike.grotheer@uni-marburg.de.

Nature Communications
|February 23, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Researchers tracked infant brain white matter development using MRI, finding myelination increases over the first six months. This study reveals specific patterns of brain development, crucial for understanding typical and atypical infant myelination.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Myelin sheath development is crucial for infant brain function.
  • Histology provides limited insight into longitudinal white matter development.
  • Postmortem studies cannot capture dynamic myelination processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally assess white matter development in infants using advanced MRI techniques.
  • To quantify myelination changes in infant white matter bundles.
  • To establish normative data for early brain development.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal diffusion MRI and quantitative MRI (longitudinal relaxation rate R1) were acquired in infants at 0, 3, and 6 months.
  • An automated method was developed to identify and quantify properties of white matter bundles.
  • R1 values, a proxy for myelin fraction, were measured across different white matter regions.

Main Results:

  • R1 values significantly increased in all white matter bundles from birth to 6 months.
  • White matter development showed non-uniform patterns, with faster development in less mature regions.
  • Development rates followed inferior-to-superior and anterior-to-posterior gradients.

Conclusions:

  • Longitudinal R1 measurements provide a novel, non-invasive method to track infant myelination.
  • The study elucidates typical spatial and temporal patterns of white matter development in early infancy.
  • Findings offer new avenues for investigating typical and atypical myelination in infant brain development.

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