Thalamo-cortical and cerebello-cortical functional connectivity in development
Carolina Badke D'Andrea1,2,3, Scott Marek3, Andrew N Van4,5
1Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|June 9, 2023
Summary
Children show stronger thalamic functional connectivity than adults, particularly in the ventral thalamus and somatomotor face network. Cerebellar connectivity showed no developmental differences, suggesting distinct maturation of brain pathways.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Functional Neuroimaging
Background:
- The thalamus is a key relay for sensory, motor, and cognitive functions, integral to cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) and cortico-ponto-cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CPCTC) pathways.
- Developmental trajectories of these crucial neural circuits remain understudied, particularly in vivo using functional connectivity MRI.
- Limited research exists on developmental changes in thalamo-cortical and cerebello-cortical functional connectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate developmental differences in thalamic and cerebellar functional connectivity with cortical networks in children and adults.
- To compare functional connectivity patterns between children (7-12 years) and adults (19-40 years) using resting-state fMRI.
- To elucidate maturation patterns within CSTC and CPCTC pathways during human development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fMRI) to assess brain network connectivity.
- Analyzed functional connectivity between the thalamus and cerebellum with predefined cortical networks.
- Compared connectivity data from two distinct datasets: children (7-12 years) and adults (19-40 years).
Main Results:
- Found significantly stronger functional connectivity between the ventral thalamus and the somatomotor face cortical network in children compared to adults.
- Observed greater cortical network integration within the thalamus in children than in adults.
- No significant developmental differences were detected in cerebello-cortical functional connectivity.
Conclusions:
- Results indicate distinct developmental maturation patterns for CSTC and CPCTC pathways.
- The findings suggest a protracted development of thalamo-cortical circuits, particularly those involving the ventral thalamus and somatomotor regions.
- Cerebellar pathways appear to mature differently or earlier compared to thalamo-cortical circuits investigated.
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