Abstract #3440
Minimum Spanning Trees reveal the development of functional connectivity in the preterm brain
Gareth Ball 1 , Ricardo P Monti 2,3 , Paul Aljabar 1 , Nora Tusor 1 , Nazakat Merchant 1 , Tomoki Arichi 1 , Giovanni Montana 2,3 , Serena J Counsell 1 , and A David Edwards 1
1
Centre for the Developing Brain, Division of
Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's
College London, London, London, United Kingdom,
2
Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Division of Imaging Sciences
& Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London,
London, United Kingdom,
3
Department of
Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, United
Kingdom
We acquired resting state fMRI in 122 preterm infants
scanned between 30 and 48 weeks gestation. Using minimum
spanning trees (MSTs) as a density-independent method
for network comparison, we explored the development of
functional connectivity in the period leading up to the
time of normal birth. We found that functional
connectivity increased significantly with age and was
characterised by locally dominant, and strong
interhemispheric, connections from an early age. We
conclude that a functional core is present in the
preterm brain from mid-gestation that facilitates
efficient information transfer across the cerebral
network.
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