Developmental changes in connectivity-based parcellation in typical cortical areas during early life

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• The human cerebral cortex undergoes significant development in early life.
• Quantifying functional cortical parcellation changes during development has been challenging.
• Heterogeneous cortical development necessitates age-specific analytical approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize heterogeneous cerebral cortex development using connectivity-based parcellation.
• To investigate the developmental trajectories of primary motor cortex (M1), sensory cortex (S1), and insula from infancy to adulthood.
• To establish novel methods for quantifying cortical development in infants.

Main Methods:

• Employed tractography-based connectivity to parcellate sub-regions within M1, S1, and insula.
• Analyzed brain data from three developmental stages (first 2 years of life) and adulthood.
• Quantified connectivity profiles and volume fractions of identified cortical sub-regions.

Main Results:

• Identified distinct sub-regions in M1 (4), S1 (3), and insula (2) based on connectivity patterns.
• M1 and S1 sub-regions showed steady developmental changes in the first two years, aligning with adult patterns.
• Insula sub-regions exhibited minimal change in early life but significant divergence in adulthood.

Conclusions:

• Primary cortical areas (M1, S1) undergo early maturation, while higher-order areas like the insula mature later.
• Developmental trajectories of cortical regions are heterogeneous.
• Age-specific cortical parcellation is crucial for accurate analysis of infant brain development.