Spatial and spectral trajectories in typical neurodevelopment from childhood to middle age

Abstract

Detailed characterization of typical human neurodevelopment is key if we are to understand the nature of mental and neurological pathology. While research on the cellular processes of neurodevelopment has made great advances, in vivo human imaging is crucial to understand our uniquely human capabilities, as well as the pathologies that affect them. Using magnetoencephalography data in the largest normative sample currently available (324 participants aged 6–45 years), we assess the developmental trajectory of resting-state oscillatory power and functional connectivity from childhood to middle age. The maturational course of power, indicative of local processing, was found to both increase and decrease in a spectrally dependent fashion. Using the strength of phase-synchrony between parcellated regions, we found significant linear and nonlinear (quadratic and logarithmic) trajectories to be characterized in a spatially heterogeneous frequency-specific manner, such as a superior frontal region with linear and nonlinear trajectories in theta and gamma band respectively. Assessment of global efficiency revealed similar significant nonlinear trajectories across all frequency bands. Our results link with the development of human cognitive abilities; they also highlight the complexity of neurodevelopment and provide quantitative parameters for replication and a robust footing from which clinical research may map pathological deviations from these typical trajectories.

The developing relations between networks of cortical myelin and neurophysiological connectivity

“…Although individual connections were found to change significantly with age in the theta frequency band, the changes exhibited no clear pattern or network organization, aligning with previous findings (29,31).…”

“…Consistent with previous studies examining typical development from childhood to young adulthood, the age-related changes of both structural covariance (24)(25)(26)(27) and MEG functional connectivity (28)(29)(30) follow predominantly nonlinear, quadratic trajectories. The differences in functional connectivity with age was marked by increases in functional connectivity with age in the alpha and beta bands and decreases in the gamma bands, consistent with developmental changes reported in both phase-based (31) and amplitude (30, 32) connectivity measures.…”

“…Note that these trials are arbitrary divisions of a continuous resting-state recording and are epoched for computational reasons. Participants with greater than five trials remaining following this procedure were taken forward for primary analyses (31).…”

Frontoparietal Network Connectivity During an N-Back Task in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…As both theta and alpha bands have been associated with STM and WM functions ( 77 , 82 – 85 , 95 , 196 , 203 – 205 ), it may be that connectivity related to recognition strengthens in the alpha band but weakens in the theta band over development in ASD. Whilst global network efficiency in the theta and alpha bands increases with age ( 206 ), these longitudinal changes in frequency-specific, long-range neural connectivity have not been characterised in ASD, neither has the frontoparietal network or any other networks related to STM or WM explicitly. Future work into the developmental trajectory of the spectral component of the frontoparietal network and its relation to STM and WM in ASD will be necessary to clarify these distinct findings in children and adults with ASD.…”

Electroencephalographic Monitoring of the Brain Functional Condition in Modern Ukranian Schoolchildren

“…Today, most of the researches is devoted to study of neurophysiological characteristics of schoolchildren with various pathologies [9][10][11][12], while the dynamics of the functional state of the schoolchildren's brain assigned to the group of practically healthy ones [13][14][15][16] remains on the sidelines .…”