1. Prenatal environment is associated with the pace of network development over the first 3 years

COEX 

Environmental influences on brain structure and function during development have been well-characterized, and the pace of early brain development has been associated with important risk factors and behavioral outcomes (Shaw et al. 2010; Farah 2017). As children mature, intrinsic cortical networks become more segregated, with sets of brain regions displaying more densely interconnected patterns of connectivity and large-scale systems becoming increasingly distinct (Grayson & Fair 2017). Some theoretical models posit that environmental influences on brain development might arise by way of effects on the pace of brain development, such that brain development proceeds faster in neonates and toddlers from lower-SES backgrounds (Tooley et al. 2021).