Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

Structural and functional connectivity in infancy relate to communication skills at age 2 in children born very

Jennifer Vannest1, Mekibib Altaye2,3, Junqi Wang4

  • 1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati and Division of Speech-Language Pathology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.

Medrxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences
|June 29, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Early brain connectivity in very preterm infants predicts later communication skills. Both positive and negative associations were found, suggesting complex neural development pathways for communication in this high-risk group.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Preterm birth (≤32 weeks gestation) increases the risk of communication difficulties.
  • Early neural markers for these communication outcomes in preterm infants are not well understood.
  • Identifying early predictors is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between infant brain connectivity and communication skills at 24-30 months in very preterm children.
  • To explore if structural and functional connectivity patterns differ across various communication domains (verbal, gestural, social-affective, symbolic).

Main Methods:

  • Used MRI (resting-state functional and diffusion) at term-equivalent age in 180 very preterm infants.
  • Derived structural and functional brain connectomes.
  • Assessed communication skills using the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales (CSBS) at follow-up; analyzed associations using LASSO regression.

Main Results:

  • Significant associations were found between both functional and structural connectivity and overall communication scores.
  • Positive associations: Functional connectivity in left/right temporal regions linked to higher communication scores.
  • Negative associations: Several structural connections (cortical, cerebellar, subcortical) linked to communication outcomes, suggesting complex or compensatory network organization.

Conclusions:

  • Early brain connectivity variability in very preterm infants is associated with later communication development.
  • Distinct connectivity patterns relate to different communication domains.
  • Multimodal neuroimaging can identify early neural correlates, aiding in risk assessment and intervention for preterm populations.

Keywords:
brain connectivitycommunication developmentearly languagefunctional connectivityinfant neuroimagingpreterm birthstructural connectivity

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