Functional Connectivity-Derived Optimal Gestational-Age Cut Points for Fetal Brain Network Maturity

The architecture of the human connectome changes with brain maturation. Pivotal to understanding these changes is defining developmental periods when transitions in network topology occur. Here, using 110 resting-state functional connectivity data sets from healthy fetuses between 19 and 40 gestatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain sciences 2021-07, Vol.11 (7), p.921
Main Authors: De Asis-Cruz, Josepheen, Barnett, Scott Douglas, Kim, Jung-Hoon, Limperopoulos, Catherine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Brain
Brain architecture
Efficiency
fetal connectome
Fetuses
functional connectivity
functional MRI
Gestational age
graph theory
Neural networks
neurodevelopment
Pregnancy
resting-state
Time series
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Summary:The architecture of the human connectome changes with brain maturation. Pivotal to understanding these changes is defining developmental periods when transitions in network topology occur. Here, using 110 resting-state functional connectivity data sets from healthy fetuses between 19 and 40 gestational weeks, we estimated optimal gestational-age (GA) cut points for dichotomizing fetuses into ‘young’ and ‘old’ groups based on global network features. We computed the small-world index, normalized clustering and path length, global and local efficiency, and modularity from connectivity matrices comprised 200 regions and their corresponding pairwise connectivity. We modeled the effect of GA at scan on each metric using separate repeated-measures generalized estimating equations. Our modeling strategy involved stratifying fetuses into ‘young’ and ‘old’ based on the scan occurring before or after a selected GA (i.e., 28 to 33). We then used the quasi-likelihood independence criterion statistic to compare model fit between ‘old’ and ‘young’ cohorts and determine optimal cut points for each graph metric. Trends for all metrics, except for global efficiency, decreased with increasing gestational age. Optimal cut points fell within 30–31 weeks for all metrics coinciding with developmental events that include a shift from endogenous neuronal activity to sensory-driven cortical patterns.
ISSN:2076-3425
2076-3425
DOI:10.3390/brainsci11070921