Decreased centrality of subcortical regions during the transition to adolescence: A functional connectivity study

作者：Sato Joao Ricardo^*; Salum Giovanni Abrahao; Gadelha Ary; Vieira Gilson; Zugman Andre; Picon Felipe Almeida; Pan Pedro Mario; Hoexter Marcelo Queiroz; Anes Mauricio; Moura Luciana Monteiro; Gomes Del'Aquilla Marco Antonio; Crossley Nicolas; Amaro Junior Edson; Mcguire Philip; Lacerda Acioly L T; Rohde Luis Augusto; Miguel Euripedes Constantino; Jackowski Andrea Parolin; Bressan Rodrigo Affonseca

来源：NeuroImage, 2015, 104: 44-51.

DOI：10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.09.063

• Neurodevelopment
• Neuroimaging
• Networks
• Children
• Graph

Investigations of brain maturation processes are a key step to understand the cognitive and emotional changes of adolescence. Although structural imaging findings have delineated clear brain developmental trajectories for typically developing individuals, less is known about the functional changes of this sensitive development period. Developmental changes, such as abstract thought, complex reasoning, and emotional and inhibitory control, have been associated with more prominent cortical control. The aim of this study is to assess brain networks connectivity changes in a large sample of 7- to 15-year-old subjects, testing the hypothesis that cortical regions will present an increasing relevance in commanding the global network. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected in a sample of 447 typically developing children from a Brazilian community sample who were submitted to a resting state acquisition protocol. The fMRI data were used to build a functional weighted graph from which eigenvector centrality (EVC) was extracted. For each brain region (a node of the graph), the age-dependent effect on EVC was statistically tested and the developmental trajectories were estimated using polynomial functions.
Our findings show that angular gyrus become more central during this maturation period, while the caudate; cerebellar tonsils, pyramis, thalamus; fusiform, parahippocampal and inferior semilunar lobe become less central. In conclusion, we report a novel finding of an increasing centrality of the angular gyrus during the transition to adolescence, with a decreasing centrality of many subcortical and cerebellar regions.

• 出版日期2015-1-1