Neonatal brain dynamic functional connectivity in term and preterm infants and its association with early childhood neurodevelopment

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 16 - 15
• Main Authors: França, Lucas G. S., Ciarrusta, Judit, Gale-Grant, Oliver, Fenn-Moltu, Sunniva, Fitzgibbon, Sean, Chew, Andrew, Falconer, Shona, Dimitrova, Ralica, Cordero-Grande, Lucilio, Price, Anthony N., Hughes, Emer, O’Muircheartaigh, Jonathan, Duff, Eugene, Tuulari, Jetro J., Deco, Gustavo, Counsell, Serena J., Hajnal, Joseph V., Nosarti, Chiara, Arichi, Tomoki, Edwards, A. David, McAlonan, Grainne, Batalle, Dafnis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 08.02.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 59/36; 59/57; 631/378/116/1925; 631/378/116/2393; 631/378/2571/1696; 692/698/1688/64; Adult; Autism; Autistic Disorder; Brain; Brain - pathology; Brain Mapping; Child, Preschool; Childhood; Children; Cognition; Dynamics; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infants; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; multidisciplinary; Neonates; Neural networks; Neurodevelopment; Neuroimaging; Newborn babies; Premature babies; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Social behavior
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44050-z

Brain dynamic functional connectivity characterises transient connections between brain regions. Features of brain dynamics have been linked to emotion and cognition in adult individuals, and atypical patterns have been associated with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism. Although reliable functional brain networks have been consistently identified in neonates, little is known about the early development of dynamic functional connectivity. In this study we characterise dynamic functional connectivity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the first few weeks of postnatal life in term-born ( n  = 324) and preterm-born ( n  = 66) individuals. We show that a dynamic landscape of brain connectivity is already established by the time of birth in the human brain, characterised by six transient states of neonatal functional connectivity with changing dynamics through the neonatal period. The pattern of dynamic connectivity is atypical in preterm-born infants, and associated with atypical social, sensory, and repetitive behaviours measured by the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) scores at 18 months of age. Neonatal brain dynamics are not well understood. Here, the authors characterise brain transient states in neonates, and show that preterm infants display altered whole brain dynamics and an atypical repertoire of regional transient states, which are associated with behavioural outcomes at 18 months of age.