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. 2010 Oct 19;107(42):18191-6.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1003109107. Epub 2010 Oct 4.

Network-level structural covariance in the developing brain

Brandon A Zielinski  1 , Efstathios D Gennatas, Juan Zhou, William W Seeley
Affiliations

Network-level structural covariance in the developing brain

Brandon A Zielinski et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Intrinsic or resting state functional connectivity MRI and structural covariance MRI have begun to reveal the adult human brain's multiple network architectures. How and when these networks emerge during development remains unclear, but understanding ontogeny could shed light on network function and dysfunction. In this study, we applied structural covariance MRI techniques to 300 children in four age categories (early childhood, 5-8 y; late childhood, 8.5-11 y; early adolescence, 12-14 y; late adolescence, 16-18 y) to characterize gray matter structural relationships between cortical nodes that make up large-scale functional networks. Network nodes identified from eight widely replicated functional intrinsic connectivity networks served as seed regions to map whole-brain structural covariance patterns in each age group. In general, structural covariance in the youngest age group was limited to seed and contralateral homologous regions. Networks derived using primary sensory and motor cortex seeds were already well-developed in early childhood but expanded in early adolescence before pruning to a more restricted topology resembling adult intrinsic connectivity network patterns. In contrast, language, social-emotional, and other cognitive networks were relatively undeveloped in younger age groups and showed increasingly distributed topology in older children. The so-called default-mode network provided a notable exception, following a developmental trajectory more similar to the primary sensorimotor systems. Relationships between functional maturation and structural covariance networks topology warrant future exploration.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Age-related differences in primary sensory and motor networks. (A) Statistical maps depict brain regions in which gray matter intensity covaried with that of the seed region of interest (ROI; listed at left) in each group. Structural covariance networks seem spatially well-developed from early ages, with relative persistence in topology across all time points except for a notable expansion in spatial distribution in group 3. Structural covariance MRI (scMRI) data are z-statistic maps (P < 0.001, FWE-corrected) displayed on the custom average T1 template of all subjects. The left side of the image corresponds to the right side of the brain. (B) Plots of voxel counts by group indicate a covariance burst in group 3 before restriction in group 4. The y-axis scale is voxel number (x × 104) from associated statistical maps. CalcS, calcarine sulcus; HG, Heschl's gyrus; PreCG, precentral gyrus; R, right.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Age-related differences in language-related speech and semantic networks. (A) Statistical maps depict brain regions in which gray matter intensity covaried with that of the seed ROI in each group. Structural covariance networks seem less well-developed at early ages, with subsequent persistent expansion throughout childhood to a peak level of large-scale distribution in group 4. scMRI data are z-statistic maps (P < 0.001, FWE-corrected) displayed on the custom average T1 template of all subjects. The left side of the image corresponds to the right side of the brain. (B) Plots of voxel counts by group indicate covariance expansion throughout childhood. The y-axis scale is voxel number (x × 104) from associated statistical maps. IFGo, inferior frontal gyrus, pars opercularis; L, left; TPole, temporal pole.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Age-related differences in salience, executive control, and default-mode networks. (A) Statistical maps depict brain regions in which gray matter intensity covaried with that of the seed ROI in each group. Structural covariance networks seem poorly developed at early ages, with early covariance largely restricted to autocorrelation and contralateral homotopic regions. Subsequent persistent expansion continued throughout childhood, with expansion in adolescence within salience and executive control networks. The default-mode network (DMN) shows significant expansion in group 3 before restriction in group 4, similar to the pattern seen in primary sensory and motor networks. scMRI data are z-statistic maps (P < 0.001, FWE) displayed on the custom average T1 template of all subjects. The left side of the image corresponds to the right side of the brain. (B) Plots of voxel counts by group indicate volume expansion throughout childhood, with noted late contraction within the DMN. The y-axis scale is voxel number (x × 104) from associated statistical maps. ANG, angular gyrus; DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; FI, frontoinsula; R, right.
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