Review
Neurosciences
Arthur H. Dewolf, Francesca Sylos Labini, Yury Ivanenko, Francesco Lacquaniti
Summary: This mini-review discusses the emergence of locomotor-related movements in early infancy, emphasizing the importance of considering the interaction between neural output and the physical dynamics of the mechanical system in exploring pattern generation complexity and flexibility in human and animal neonates.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Tanya Poppe, Jucha Willers Moore, Tomoki Arichi
Summary: During the perinatal period, the human brain undergoes rapid and highly programmed maturation, where neural activity plays a crucial role. Functional MRI studies have great potential in understanding developmental changes in brain activity. The brain's activity evolves rapidly across the perinatal period, with high variability in functional activity attributed to neurovascular coupling sensitivity to developing cellular structure and connectivity.
CURRENT OPINION IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Carolina B. D'Andrea, Scott Marek, Andrew N. Van, Ryland L. Miller, Eric A. Earl, Stephanie B. Stewart, Nico U. F. Dosenbach, Bradley L. Schlaggar, Timothy O. Laumann, Damien A. Fair, Evan M. Gordon, Deanna J. Greene
Summary: This study used functional connectivity MRI to investigate the development of visual pathways in children and adults. The results showed that children have stronger functional connectivity between the brainstem motor area and the facial somatosensory cortical network compared to adults. Additionally, children's thalamus showed more integration with multiple networks, while there were no developmental differences in cerebellar connectivity.
Article
Neurosciences
Guoyuan Yang, Jelena Bozek, Stephanie Noble, Meizhen Han, Xinyu Wu, Mufan Xue, Jujiao Kang, Tianye Jia, Jilian Fu, Jianqiao Ge, Zaixu Cui, Xuesong Li, Jianfeng Feng, Jia-Hong Gao
Summary: Individualized cortical network topography (ICNT) varies between people, but most findings are based on Western populations. This study investigates ICNT differences between White American and Han Chinese populations and demonstrates that ICNT diversity can accurately classify an individual's ethnicity, with heteromodal networks playing a major role. The study also reveals correlations between spatial heterogeneity in ICNT diversity and fundamental cortical organization properties. This case study emphasizes the need for globally diverse and publicly available neuroimaging datasets.
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Aleksandra A. W. Dopierala, David Lopez Perez, Evelyne Mercure, Agnieszka Pluta, Anna Malinowska-Korczak, Samuel Evans, Tomasz Wolak, Przemyslaw Tomalski
Summary: From birth, we learn speech by both hearing and seeing people talk. The cortical representations of visual speech in adults are processed in the temporal visual speech area (TVSA), but how these representations develop is unknown. In this study, we used functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to measure infants' cortical responses to silent visual syllables and mouth movements. Our results suggest that cortical specialization for visual speech may begin to emerge during infancy. The TVSA showed activity to both visual syllables and mouth movements at around 5 months of age, but exhibited more activity for mouth movements than visual syllables at around 10 months of age. Multivariate pattern analysis successfully classified distinct cortical responses to visual speech and mouth movements at 10 months, but not at 5 months. These findings indicate that cortical representations of visual speech change between 5 and 10 months of age, with the TVSA initially being broadly tuned and becoming more selective with age.
BRAIN AND LANGUAGE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rodrigo Suarez, Tobias Bluett, Michael H. McCullough, Lilach Avitan, Dylan A. Black, Annalisa Paolino, Laura R. Fenlon, Geoffrey J. Goodhill, Linda J. Richards
Summary: The development of precise neural circuits in the brain requires spontaneous patterns of neural activity prior to functional maturation. In rodents, patchwork and wave patterns of activity develop in somatosensory and visual regions, respectively, and are present at birth. This study investigates whether such activity patterns occur in noneutherian mammals and explores when and how they arise during development.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Educational
Diana S. Y. Tham, Alison Rees, J. Gavin Bremner, Alan Slater, Scott P. Johnson
Summary: The study demonstrated that 4-month-old infants show poorer performance in tracking oblique trajectories, while 6-month-old infants track more accurately in this aspect. Infants at 6 months of age can track oblique trajectories as accurately as 4-month-olds track horizontal and vertical trajectories.
Article
Allergy
Michael R. Perkin, Kirsty Logan, Tom Marrs, Suzana Radulovic, Joanna Craven, Robert J. Boyle, Joanne R. Chalmers, Hywel C. Williams, Serge A. Versteeg, Ronald van Ree, Gideon Lack, Carsten Flohr
Summary: Regular moisturization of infant skin may promote the development of food allergy through transcutaneous sensitization, especially in the presence of eczema. This study found a dose-response relationship between moisturizer frequency and the subsequent development of food allergy, supporting the notion that moisturizer application may impact allergic outcomes.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yusuke Nakashima, So Kanazawa, Masami K. Yamaguchi
Summary: According to the study, infants under 7 months of age are immune to visual backward masking and have immature recurrent processing. Therefore, they are able to perceive objects even without recurrent processing.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Ann Mary Alex, Tom Ruvio, Kai Xia, Shaili C. Jha, Jessica B. Girault, Li Wang, Gang Li, Dinggang Shen, Emil Cornea, Martin A. Styner, John H. Gilmore, Rebecca C. Knickmeyer
Summary: Sex differences in the human brain, influenced by sex hormones such as testosterone, emerge as early as mid-gestation. This study found that markers of early testosterone exposure and digit ratio were significantly associated with cortical surface area, but only in females. The findings suggest that variation in testosterone levels during prenatal and postnatal periods may contribute to cortical surface area development in female infants.
Article
Neurosciences
Mackenzie Woodburn, Cheyenne L. Bricken, Zhengwang Wu, Gang Li, Li Wang, Weili Lin, Margaret A. Sheridan, Jessica R. Cohen
Summary: The study observed increasing modularity and decreasing global efficiency in brain networks from early infancy to six years old. Furthermore, lower global efficiency during early development was found to be associated with greater motor learning at 8-10 years old, suggesting specific trajectories of brain network maturation contribute to later cognitive outcomes.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Costanza Gianni, Gabriele Pasqua, Gina Ferrazzano, Silvia Tommasin, Maria Ilenia De Bartolo, Nikolaos Petsas, Daniele Belvisi, Antonella Conte, Alfredo Berardelli, Patrizia Pantano
Summary: This study aimed to investigate structural damage and resting-state functional alterations in patients with cervical dystonia (CD) and blepharospasm (BSP) by examining whole-brain and seed-based approaches. The results showed that both CD and BSP patients exhibited altered connectivity in specific circuits, such as the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and cerebral cortex, suggesting that focal dystonia involves specific network abnormalities rather than just basal ganglia alterations.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
W. Luo, A. D. Howard, R. A. Craddock, E. A. Oliveira, R. S. Pires
Summary: Widespread valley networks and other evidence suggest an early warm and wet climate on Mars. However, the formation processes and associated climatic conditions of these valley networks are still debated. This study used a parameter-free method to delineate watersheds globally on Mars based on mapped valley networks and analyzed their Hack's Law exponent. The majority of Hack's Law exponents on Mars are similar to those in arid areas on Earth, indicating similar runoff processes and arid conditions for valley network formation on early Mars. Statistical analyses show a non-random spatial distribution of Hack's Law exponent on Mars, with clustered high and low values likely controlled by local conditions such as regional topographic slope.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Torsten John, Kyle E. E. Cordova, Christopher T. T. Jackson, Alma C. C. Hernandez-Mondragon, Bianca L. L. Davids, Lovish Raheja, Jovana V. V. Milic, Joao Borges
Summary: Pressing global challenges require evidence-informed decisions and the engagement of scientists in policy-making is crucial. However, the mechanisms and barriers for scientists to engage in policy-making vary internationally, posing significant challenges. This article addresses the mechanisms and barriers and emphasizes the importance of scientific academies, societies, universities, and early-career networks in shaping global policies.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Aleksandra A. W. Dopierala, David Lopez Perez, Evelyne Mercure, Agnieszka Pluta, Anna Malinowska-Korczak, Samuel Evans, Tomasz Wolak, Przemyslaw Tomalski
Summary: The study investigates the development of cortical responses to the integration of audiovisual speech in infants. It finds that both 5-month-olds and 10-month-olds show cortical responses consistent with both super- and sub-additive responses in the fronto-temporal cortex during integration. Additionally, it suggests a potential cortical re-organization of audiovisual speech perception at 10 months.