title: Developmental synchrony of thalamocortical circuits in the neonatal brain.
abstract: The thalamus is a deep gray matter structure and consists of axonal fibers projecting to the entire cortex, which provide the anatomical support for its sensorimotor and higher-level cognitive functions. There is limited in vivo evidence on the normal thalamocortical development, especially in early life. In this study, we aimed to investigate the developmental patterns of the cerebral cortex, the thalamic substructures, and their connectivity with the cortex in the first few weeks of the postnatal brain. We hypothesized that there is developmental synchrony of the thalamus, its cortical projections, and corresponding target cortical structures. We employed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and divided the thalamus into five substructures respectively connecting to the frontal, precentral, postcentral, temporal, and parietal and occipital cortex. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure cortical thickness. We found age-related increases in cortical thickness of bilateral frontal cortex and left temporal cortex in the early postnatal brain. We also found that the development of the thalamic substructures was synchronized with that of their respective thalamocortical connectivity in the first few weeks of the postnatal life. In particular, the right thalamo-frontal substructure had the fastest growth in the early postnatal brain. Our study suggests that the distinct growth patterns of the thalamic substructures are in synchrony with those of the cortex in early life, which may be critical for the development of the cortical and subcortical functional specialization.
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore.
authors: Joann S
authors: JS
authors: Poh
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors: Yue
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors: Nagulan
authors: N
authors: Ratnarajah
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore.
authors: Marielle V
authors: MV
authors: Fortier
authors: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore.
authors: Yap-Seng
authors: YS
authors: Chong
authors: Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore.
authors: Kenneth
authors: K
authors: Kwek
authors: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
authors: Seang-Mei
authors: SM
authors: Saw
authors: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Peter D
authors: PD
authors: Gluckman
authors: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Canada; Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Canada.
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Meaney
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Clinical Imaging Research Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore. Electronic address: bieqa@nus.edu.sg.
authors: Anqi
authors: A
authors: Qiu
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013788:Thalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Cortical thickness; Diffusion tensor imaging; Neonatal brain; Thalamic nuclei; Thalamocortical connectivity