Thomason, M. E. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Full-Term and Preterm Differences in Human Brain Functional Connectivity Development Across Birth

We possess a limited understanding of how preterm and full-term brains develop during the earliest stages of life, from the fetal to neonatal period, and how they respond to the birth transition. Here, we characterize brain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) using over 1000 longitudinal fetal and infant functional MRI scans from 21 to 52 post-conception weeks across birth. By mapping the developmental trajectory of RSFC across this window, we unveil marked divergences in developmental patterns between preterm- and term-born brains at both the global and network levels. When aligned by birth, the full-term group exhibit generally higher RSFC than the preterm group. For selected between-network connections with a significant prematurity effect, full-term cases demonstrate an overall increase in RSFC across age, whereas preterm cases show minimal change or even a decrease in connectivity of these systems. In contrast, when aligned by postconceptional age, the preterm group shows an accelerated increase in RSFC between 30 and 40 weeks. Across comparisons, mode of delivery and sex showed minimal influence on these trajectories. These findings offer novel insight into how prematurity and early exposure to the extrauterine environment alter the developmental trajectories of large-scale neural networks, advancing our understanding of both typical and preterm brain development.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2017

Mindfulness and dynamic functional neural connectivity in children and adolescents

BackgroundMindfulness is a non-judgmental, present-centered awareness and acceptance of ones thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Interventions that promote mindfulness consistently show salutatory effects on cognition and psychological wellbeing in adults, and more recently, in children. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying mindfulness in children may allow for more judicious application of these techniques in clinical and educational settings.\n\nMethodsUsing multi-echo/multi-band fMRI, we measured resting-state connectivity and tested the hypothesis that the association between mindfulness and anxiety in children (N=42) will relate to static and dynamic interactions between large-scale neural networks considered central to neurocognitive functioning and implicated in mindfulness in adults (default mode [DMN], salience and emotion [SEN], and central executive networks [CEN]).\n\nResultsMindfulness was related to dynamic but not static connectivity in children. Specifically, more mindful children transitioned more between brain states over the course of the scan, spent overall less time in a certain connectivity state (state 2), and showed a state-specific reduction in SEN-right CEN connectivity (state 4). Results of a separate measure of present-focused thought during the resting-state were consistent with these results, suggesting state-trait convergence. Finally, the number of state transitions mediated the link between higher mindfulness and lower anxiety, suggesting that flexibility in transitioning between neural states may bridge the well-established link between mindfulness and anxiety in children.\n\nConclusionsResults provide new insights into neural mechanisms underlying benefits of mindfulness on psychological health in children, and suggest that mindfulness relates to functional neural dynamics and interactions between neurocognitive networks, over time.

neuroscience↗