Premature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networks
Abstract Structural brain organization in infancy is associated with later cognitive, behavioral, and educational outcomes. Due to practical limitations, such as technological advancements and data availability of fetal MRI, there is still much we do not know about the early emergence of topological...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55178-x |
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| _version_ | 1841544546232565760 |
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| author | Alexa Mousley Danyal Akarca Duncan E. Astle |
| author_facet | Alexa Mousley Danyal Akarca Duncan E. Astle |
| author_sort | Alexa Mousley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Structural brain organization in infancy is associated with later cognitive, behavioral, and educational outcomes. Due to practical limitations, such as technological advancements and data availability of fetal MRI, there is still much we do not know about the early emergence of topological organization. We combine the developing Human Connectome Project’s large infant dataset with generative network modeling to simulate the emergence of network organization over early development. Preterm infants had reduced connectivity, shorter connection lengths, and lower network efficiency compared to term-born infants. The models were able to recapitulate the organizational differences between term and preterm networks and revealed that preterm infant networks are better simulated under tighter wiring constraints than term infants. Tighter constraints for preterm models resulted in shorter connection lengths while preserving vital, long-range rich club connections. These simulations suggest that preterm birth is associated with a renegotiation of the cost-value wiring trade-off that may drive the emergence of different network organization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ccdf59dd95aa40e196d1baf1cea29f34 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-ccdf59dd95aa40e196d1baf1cea29f342025-01-12T12:29:48ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111510.1038/s41467-024-55178-xPremature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networksAlexa Mousley0Danyal Akarca1Duncan E. Astle2MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of CambridgeMRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of CambridgeMRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of CambridgeAbstract Structural brain organization in infancy is associated with later cognitive, behavioral, and educational outcomes. Due to practical limitations, such as technological advancements and data availability of fetal MRI, there is still much we do not know about the early emergence of topological organization. We combine the developing Human Connectome Project’s large infant dataset with generative network modeling to simulate the emergence of network organization over early development. Preterm infants had reduced connectivity, shorter connection lengths, and lower network efficiency compared to term-born infants. The models were able to recapitulate the organizational differences between term and preterm networks and revealed that preterm infant networks are better simulated under tighter wiring constraints than term infants. Tighter constraints for preterm models resulted in shorter connection lengths while preserving vital, long-range rich club connections. These simulations suggest that preterm birth is associated with a renegotiation of the cost-value wiring trade-off that may drive the emergence of different network organization.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55178-x |
| spellingShingle | Alexa Mousley Danyal Akarca Duncan E. Astle Premature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networks Nature Communications |
| title | Premature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networks |
| title_full | Premature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networks |
| title_fullStr | Premature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Premature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networks |
| title_short | Premature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networks |
| title_sort | premature birth changes wiring constraints in neonatal structural brain networks |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55178-x |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alexamousley prematurebirthchangeswiringconstraintsinneonatalstructuralbrainnetworks AT danyalakarca prematurebirthchangeswiringconstraintsinneonatalstructuralbrainnetworks AT duncaneastle prematurebirthchangeswiringconstraintsinneonatalstructuralbrainnetworks |