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Published on: November 21, 2023
Neuronal Coupling Modes Show Differential Development in the Early Cortical Activity Networks of Human Newborns
Pauliina Yrjölä1,2, Sampsa Vanhatalo3,2, Anton Tokariev1,2
1BABA Center, Pediatric Research Center, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, New Children's Hospital and HUS Diagnostic Center, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki 00290, Finland pauliina.yrjola@helsinki.fi anton.tokariev@helsinki.fi.
Insights
This study reveals how brain networks develop in preterm infants, showing distinct patterns for different types of neuronal coupling (ICMs) crucial for lifelong neurocognitive function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- The third trimester is crucial for developing functional brain networks supporting lifelong neurocognitive performance.
- The emergence of neuronal coupling within these networks during early development is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize early spatiotemporal patterns in the development of local cortical function and intrinsic coupling modes (ICMs) in preterm infants.
- To provide developmental templates for distinct intrinsic coupling modes (ICMs) for future research.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal high-density electroencephalographic (hd-EEG) recordings were used in preterm infants from 33 to 45 weeks of conceptional age (CA).
- Analysis focused on local cortical power, phase-phase correlations (PPCs), amplitude-amplitude correlations (AACs), and phase-amplitude correlations (PACs).
Main Results:
- Absolute local power increased with conceptional age (CA) across all frequencies.
- Local phase-amplitude correlations (PACs) exhibited sleep state-specific, biphasic development peaking before term-equivalent age.
- Amplitude-amplitude correlations (AACs) and distant PACs decreased globally, while phase-phase correlations (PPCs) showed frequency- and region-selective development.
Conclusions:
- Distinct intrinsic coupling modes (ICMs) exhibit spectrally and spatially differential development during the neonatal period.
- Findings provide developmental templates for neuronal coupling, essential for understanding neurodevelopmental trajectories.
Abstract:
The third trimester is a critical period for the development of functional networks that support the lifelong neurocognitive performance, yet the emergence of neuronal coupling in these networks is poorly understood. Here, we used longitudinal high-density electroencephalographic recordings from preterm infants during the period from 33 to 45 weeks of conceptional age (CA) to characterize early spatiotemporal patterns in the development of local cortical function and the intrinsic coupling modes [ICMs; phase-phase (PPCs), amplitude-amplitude (AACs), and phase-amplitude correlations (PACs)]. Absolute local power showed a robust increase with CA across the full frequency spectrum, while local PACs showed sleep state-specific, biphasic development that peaked a few weeks before normal birth. AACs and distant PACs decreased globally at nearly all frequencies. In contrast, the PPCs showed frequency- and region-selective development, with an increase of coupling strength with CA between frontal, central, and occipital regions at low-delta and alpha frequencies together with a wider-spread decrease at other frequencies. Our findings together present the spectrally and spatially differential development of the distinct ICMs during the neonatal period and provide their developmental templates for future basic and clinical research.
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