Development of cortical microstructure in the preterm human brain
Open accessAbstract
Cortical maturation was studied in 65 infants between 27 and 46 wk postconception using structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Alterations in neural structure and complexity were inferred from changes in mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy, analyzed by sampling regions of interest and also by a unique whole-cortex mapping approach. Mean diffusivity was higher in gyri than sulci and in frontal compared with occipital lobes, decreasing consistently throughout the study period. Fractional anisotropy declined until 38 wk, with initial values and rates of change higher in gyri, frontal and temporal poles, and parietal cortex; and lower in sulcal, perirolandic, and medial occipital cortex. Neuroanatomical studies and experimental diffusion–anatomic correlations strongly suggested the interpretation that cellular and synaptic complexity and density increased steadily throughout the period, whereas elongation and branching of dendrites orthogonal to cortical columns was later and faster in higher-order association cortex, proceeding rapidly before becoming undetectable after 38 wk. The rate of microstructural maturation correlated locally with cortical growth, and predicted higher neurodevelopmental test scores at 2 y of age. Cortical microstructural development was reduced in a dose-dependent fashion by longer premature exposure to the extrauterine environment, and preterm infants at term-corrected age possessed less mature cortex than term-born infants. The results are compatible with predictions of the tension theory of cortical growth and show that rapidly developing cortical microstructure is vulnerable to the effects of premature birth, suggesting a mechanism for the adverse effects of preterm delivery on cognitive function.
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Hubs expand into the inferior frontal and insula regions at term age.
“hubs expand into the inferior frontal and insula regions at term age (Ball et al., 2013; Van Den Heuvel et al., 2015b).”
From Quantitative mapping of the brain’s structural connectivity using diffusion MRI tractography: A review (2022) · cites this paper as Ball et al., 2013
The Whole-Cortex Survey (page unavailable) mentions inferior frontal cortex and the insula as locations in diffusivity clusters, but does not identify network hubs or track their expansion. The Discussion (page unavailable) discusses cortical microstructural maturation and only speculates about its relationship to functional connectivity. Searches for hubs expanding into these regions at term found no supporting passage. (LLM, conf=0.72)
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- Authors
- Ball, G., Srinivasan, L., Aljabar, P., Counsell, S. J., Durighel, G., Hajnal, J. V., Rutherford, M. A., & Edwards, A. D.
- Affiliations
- St Thomas' Hospital (GB)
- Hammersmith Hospital (GB)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2013-05-21
- Volume
- 110
- Issue
- 23
- Pages
- 9541-9546
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC3677430
- OpenAlex
- W2077667106
- Cited by
- 331
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 18.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (RP-PG-0707-10154)
- Imperial College London
- King's College London
- Medical Research Council (MR/J014311/1, MR/K006355/1)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Neonatal and fetal brain pathology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
- Keywords
- cortical microstructure, cortical maturation, mean diffusivity, fractional anisotropy, diffusion MRI, gyri and sulci, cortical growth, preterm birth, neurodevelopmental outcomes, cognitive function, association cortex, dendrite elongation
- MeSH terms
- Cerebral Cortex, Child Development, Dendrites, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Premature, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Models, Statistical, Anisotropy, Diffusion Tensor Imaging
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