title: Development of rostral inferior parietal lobule area functional connectivity from late childhood to early adulthood.
abstract: Although the mirror neuron system (MNS) has been extensively studied in monkeys and adult humans, very little is known about its development. Previous studies suggest that the MNS is present by infancy and that the brain and MNS-related cognitive abilities (such as language, empathy, and imitation learning) continue to develop after childhood. In humans, the PFt area of the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) seems to particularly correlate with the functional properties of the PF area in primates, which contains mirror neurons. However, little is known about the functional connectivity (FC) of the PFt area with other brain areas and whether these networks change over time. Here, we investigated the FC development of the PFt area-based network in 59 healthy subjects aged 7-26 years at resting-state to study brain development from late childhood through adolescence to early adulthood. The bilateral PFt showed similar core FC networks, which included the frontal lobe, the cingulate gyri, the insula, the somatosensory cortex, the precuneus, the superior and inferior parietal lobules, the temporal lobe, and the cerebellum posterior lobes. Furthermore, the FC between the left PFt and the left IPL exhibited a significantly positive correlation with age, and the FC between the left PFt and the right postcentral gyrus exhibited a significantly negative correlation with age. In addition, the FC between the right PFt and the right putamen exhibited a significantly negative correlation with age. Our findings suggest that the PFt area-based network develops and is reorganized with age.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Materials Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
authors.forename: Mengxing
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Materials Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
authors.forename: Jilei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province 321004, China.
authors.forename: Guangheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Materials Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Materials Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
authors.forename: Haifeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Materials Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China. Electronic address: xxdu@phy.ecnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaoxia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Development; Functional connectivity; Inferior parietal lobule; Mirror neurons system; fMRI