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White matter myelination during early infancy is linked to spatial gradients and myelin content at birth

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  • Mareike Grotheer

    (Philipps-Universität Marburg
    Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen)

  • Mona Rosenke

    (Stanford University)

  • Hua Wu

    (Stanford University)

  • Holly Kular

    (Stanford University)

  • Francesca R. Querdasi

    (Stanford University)

  • Vaidehi S. Natu

    (Stanford University)

  • Jason D. Yeatman

    (Stanford University
    Stanford University
    Stanford University
    Stanford University School of Medicine)

  • Kalanit Grill-Spector

    (Stanford University
    Stanford University)

Abstract

Development of myelin, a fatty sheath that insulates nerve fibers, is critical for brain function. Myelination during infancy has been studied with histology, but postmortem data cannot evaluate the longitudinal trajectory of white matter development. Here, we obtained longitudinal diffusion MRI and quantitative MRI measures of longitudinal relaxation rate (R1) of white matter in 0, 3 and 6 months-old human infants, and developed an automated method to identify white matter bundles and quantify their properties in each infant’s brain. We find that R1 increases from newborns to 6-months-olds in all bundles. R1 development is nonuniform: there is faster development in white matter that is less mature in newborns, and development rate increases along inferior-to-superior as well as anterior-to-posterior spatial gradients. As R1 is linearly related to myelin fraction in white matter bundles, these findings open new avenues to elucidate typical and atypical white matter myelination in early infancy.

Suggested Citation

  • Mareike Grotheer & Mona Rosenke & Hua Wu & Holly Kular & Francesca R. Querdasi & Vaidehi S. Natu & Jason D. Yeatman & Kalanit Grill-Spector, 2022. "White matter myelination during early infancy is linked to spatial gradients and myelin content at birth," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-28326-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28326-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mareike Grotheer & Zonglei Zhen & Garikoitz Lerma-Usabiaga & Kalanit Grill-Spector, 2019. "Separate lanes for adding and reading in the white matter highways of the human brain," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Jason D. Yeatman & Brian A. Wandell & Aviv A. Mezer, 2014. "Lifespan maturation and degeneration of human brain white matter," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-12, December.
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