Imaging structural and functional brain development in early childhood

Abstract

In humans, the period from term birth to ~2 years of age is characterized by rapid and dynamic brain development and plays an important role in cognitive development and risk for disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Recent imaging studies have begun to delineate the growth trajectories of brain structure and function in the first years after birth and their relationship to cognition and risk for neuropsychiatric disorders. This Review discusses the development of grey and white matter, structural and functional networks, as well as genetic and environmental influences on early childhood brain development. We also discuss initial evidence regarding the usefulness of early imaging biomarkers for predicting cognitive outcomes and risk for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Concurrent maturation of visuomotor skills and motion perception in typically‐developing children and adolescents

“…A large body of research demonstrates that basic visual functions such as visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, motion perception, and binocularity undergo significant improvement during the first year of life (Atkinson & Braddick, ); however, the maturation process continues over the next several years (e.g., binocularity: Giaschi, Narasimhan, Solski, Harrison, & Wilcox, ; motion perception: Hadad, Maurer, & Lewis, ; visual acuity and contrast sensitivity: Leat, Yadav, & Irving, ). Recent research demonstrates that improvements in behavior during development are associated with a wide range of neurobiological changes in the primary visual cortex, including changes in morphology, connectivity, and the balance between excitatory and inhibitory synapses (reviewed in Gilmore, Knickmeyer, & Gao, ; Siu & Murphy, ). Importantly, the primary visual cortex is the origin of two anatomically distinct and functionally semi‐independent cortical pathways, with one extending ventrally to the temporal cortex, and the other dorsally to the parietal cortex (Goodale, ).…”

White matter in infancy is prospectively associated with language outcome in kindergarten

“…Yet the complex trajectory of language acquisition extends well beyond childhood (Owens, 2008). Environmental input and experience over time play a crucial role in shaping the trajectory of language acquisition (Rowe, 2012;Weisleder and Fernald, 2013), but the first two years of life signify a particularly rapid period of language development and brain maturation (Pujol et al, 2006), and are increasingly recognized to set an important foundation for long-term development (Gilmore et al, 2018). To date, it remains unknown whether the neural scaffold for language established in infancy is prospectively associated with the protracted trajectory of language development.…”

Genetic influences on neonatal cortical thickness and surface area

“…Dramatic growth of the cortex continues into the first two years with CT and SA reaching 97% and 64% of adult values respectively [Lyall et al, 2015]. In contrast, growth rates of CT and SA are relatively modest during childhood and adolescence [Gilmore et al, 2018; Raznahan et al, 2011]. Specifically, CT decreases linearly after the first two years and SA expands into late childhood but gradually declines thereafter.…”