Abstract #1690

Microstructural characterization of auditory pathway developmental trajectory from infancy through adolescence

Kirsten Mary Lynch¹, Ryan P Cabeen¹, Stefanie C Bodison^2,3, Arthur W Toga¹, and Courtney C.J. Voelker⁴

¹USC Mark and Mary Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ²Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ³Division of Pediatrics, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ⁴USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Auditory perception is established through experience-dependent stimuli during sensitive developmental periods; however, little is known regarding the structural development of the central auditory pathway. The present study quantified the magnitude and timing of regional microstructural development of the auditory pathway from the brainstem to the auditory cortex from infancy through adolescence using DTI and NODDI metrics. We found spatially varying white matter maturation along the length of the tract, with inferior brainstem regions developing earliest. These results help to characterize the processes that give rise to functional auditory processing and may provide a baseline for detecting abnormal development.

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