A structural MRI study of global developmental delay in infants (<2 years old)
Hui-Miao Sun1, Qian-Yun Li2, Ru-Yi Xiao3
1Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Children Hospital of Shanxi Province (Shanxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital), Taiyuan, China.
Frontiers in Neurology
|September 5, 2022
Summary
Infants with global developmental delay (GDD) show altered cerebral cortex development, with thicker but smaller cortical surface areas compared to healthy controls. Brain asymmetry is also reduced in GDD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Global developmental delay (GDD) is a significant concern in pediatric neurology.
- Understanding the neuroanatomical underpinnings of GDD is crucial for early diagnosis and intervention.
- Structural magnetic resonance imaging (3D-MRI) offers detailed insights into brain development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate abnormal cerebral cortex development in infants with GDD using 3D-MRI.
- To compare cortical thickness (CT) and cortical surface area (SA) between infants with GDD and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized T1-weighted MRI scans from 67 infants with GDD and 135 healthy controls (HC).
- Processed MRI data using InfantSurfer for cortical surface reconstruction.
- Computed CT and SA for 68 brain regions, comparing GDD and HC groups.
Main Results:
- Infants with GDD exhibited bilaterally higher average CT than HC, with exceptions in specific regions.
- Cortical surface area (SA) was generally lower in the GDD group compared to HC.
- Healthy controls displayed significant brain asymmetry in CT and SA, which was reduced in the GDD group.
Conclusions:
- Global developmental delay is associated with distinct patterns of cerebral cortical development, including altered thickness and surface area.
- Reduced brain asymmetry in infants with GDD may indicate atypical neurodevelopmental trajectories.
- 3D-MRI is a valuable tool for characterizing neuroanatomical differences in GDD.
