Journal Article

Developmental patterns of white matter functional networks in neonates

Fang, Ke, Fang, Zhicong, Wang, Yuhan, Chen, Ruoqing, Liu, Mengting, Pan, Ningning, Wang, Yating, Li, Zhuoshuo, Wu, Xiaorui, Ge, Xinting, Li, Hongzhuang, Pan, Minmin

2025

Overview

•Successfully clustered the white matter functional networks of 10 neonates.•Identified significant differences in connectivity between preterm and full-term neonates.•Analyzed white matter connectivity and the effects of gender, age, and hemispheric differences.•Evaluated spontaneous activity of white matter networks with gender, age, and hemispheric effects. In recent years, the development of neonatal brain networks has become a research focus, with traditional studies primarily emphasizing gray matter (GM) functional networks. This study systematically explores the developmental characteristics of white matter (WM) functional networks in neonates. Utilizing data from the third release of the Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP), we analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 730 full-term and 157 preterm neonates. We successfully identified ten large-scale WM functional networks and validated their correspondence with established WM fiber tracts using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We examined WM functional networks from two dimensions: network functional connectivity and spontaneous activity, incorporating four factors: preterm birth status, age, sex, and hemispheric differences. The results indicate that WM network functional connectivity significantly increases with age, with preterm infants exhibiting lower connectivity than full-term infants, whereas no significant differences were observed between sexes or hemispheres. Regarding spontaneous activity, preterm infants showed lower amplitude in the low-frequency range, whereas in the high-frequency range, their amplitude distribution was more unstable and dispersed. Additionally, certain differences in spontaneous activity were observed between hemispheres and sexes. These findings provide novel insights into the early development of neonatal brain networks and hold significant implications for clinical interventions and treatment strategies for preterm infants.

• Publisher: Elsevier Inc,Elsevier Limited,Elsevier
• Subject: Brain - anatomy & histology / Brain - growth & development / Brain - physiology / Connectome - methods / Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Female / Functional magnetic resonance imaging / Humans / Infant, Newborn / Infant, Premature / Infants / Investigations / Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Male / Medical imaging / Neonates / Nerve Net - growth & development / Nerve Net - physiology / Network correlations / Neural networks / Neural Pathways - growth & development / Neural Pathways - physiology / Neuroimaging / Newborn babies / Premature birth / Radiology/Diagnostic Imaging / rs-fMRI / Spontaneous activity / Substantia alba / Substantia grisea / White Matter - anatomy & histology / White Matter - diagnostic imaging / White Matter - growth & development / White Matter - physiology / White matter functional network