Early and late development of hub connectivity in the human brain

Stuart Oldham; Gareth Ball; Alex Fornito

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.10.010

Early and late development of hub connectivity in the human brain

Curr Opin Psychol. 2022 Apr:44:321-329. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.10.010. Epub 2021 Nov 13.

Authors

Stuart Oldham¹, Gareth Ball², Alex Fornito³

Affiliations

¹ The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, and Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, and Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.

PMID: 34896927
DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.10.010

Abstract

Human brain networks undergo pronounced changes during development. The emergence of highly connected hub regions that can support integrated brain function is central to this maturational process, with these areas undergoing a particularly protracted period of development that extends into adulthood. The location of cortical network hubs emerges early but connections to and from hubs continue to strengthen throughout childhood and adolescence. Patterns of functional coupling in cortical association hubs are immature and incomplete at birth, but gradually strengthen during development. Early establishment of hub connectivity may provide a stable substrate that is refined by changes in tissue organization and microstructure, resulting in the emergence of complex functional dynamics by adulthood.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Brain Mapping*
Brain*
Child
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Neural Pathways
Social Networking