Early development of the functional brain network in newborns

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Network Science

Background:

• The human brain develops rapidly from prenatal to early postnatal stages, forming the basis for cognition and behavior.
• Understanding brain development is crucial for identifying neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Network science offers novel approaches to analyze complex brain development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of age, gender, weight, and developmental status on brain development using graph theory and network science.
• To uncover developmental rules governing functional brain network maturation in neonates.
• To identify potential biomarkers for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 421 neonates (31-45 postmenstrual weeks) in natural sleep.
• Application of graph theory and network science to examine functional connectome topologies.
• Investigation of global and local network properties, including efficiency, clustering, modularity, and small-worldness.

Main Results:

• Brain network efficiency, clustering, and small-worldness increased with age.
• Modularity and characteristic path length decreased with age.
• Normalized rich-club coefficient showed a U-shaped developmental trajectory, with impacts of gender, weight, and developmental status also observed.

Conclusions:

• Functional brain networks exhibit significant age-related maturation patterns in neonates.
• These findings provide new insights into brain development and its relationship with cognitive development.
• Network analysis may aid in understanding and identifying neurodevelopmental disorders.