Development of Brain Synergistic and Redundant Interactions in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Poster No:
1740
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Weixiong Jiang1,2, Zhuohao Zeng3, Weiyan Yin2, Zhengwang Wu2, Tengfei Li2, Dan Hu2, Gang Li2, Li Wang2, Weili Lin2,4
Institutions:
1Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China, 2Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States , 3Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States , 4Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
First Author:
Weixiong Jiang
Zhejiang Normal University|Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jinhua, Zhejiang, China|Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Zhejiang Normal University|Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jinhua, Zhejiang, China|Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Co-Author(s):
Zhuohao Zeng
Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Weiyan Yin
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Zhengwang Wu
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Tengfei Li
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Dan Hu
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Gang Li
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Li Wang
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Weili Lin
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States |Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, United States |Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Introduction:
This study included 248 pediatric participants with 543 resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) runs from the Baby Connectome Project (BCP; Howell, 2019). Preprocessed fMRI data were parcellated into 232 brain regions (Schaefer, 2018; Tian, 2020). Functional interactions were decomposed into 16 components using integrated information decomposition (Mediano, 2021), focusing on redundant interactions (overlapping information between two regions) and synergistic interactions (information jointly captured by both regions but not individually). Developmental trends were examined across age bins and the regional balance between synergetic and redundant interactions (interaction gradient) was analyzed using Procrustes rotation methods (Xia, 2022). A positive gradient reflects a higher rank for synergetic than redundant interactions and vice versa. To explore functional associations, we conducted a NeuroSynth term-based meta-analysis linking interaction patterns to cognitive functions (Luppi, 2022).
Methods:
This study included 248 pediatric participants with 543 resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) runs from the Baby Connectome Project (BCP; Howell, 2019). Preprocessed fMRI data were parcellated into 232 brain regions (Schaefer, 2018; Tian, 2020). Functional interactions were decomposed into 16 components using integrated information decomposition (Mediano, 2021), focusing on redundant interactions (overlapping information between two regions) and synergistic interactions (information jointly captured by both regions but not individually). Developmental trends were examined across age bins and the regional balance between synergetic and redundant interactions (interaction gradient) was analyzed using Procrustes rotation methods (Xia, 2022). A positive gradient reflects a higher rank for synergetic than redundant interactions and vice versa. To explore functional associations, we conducted a NeuroSynth term-based meta-analysis linking interaction patterns to cognitive functions (Luppi, 2022).
Results:
Both synergistic and redundant interactions exhibited significant changes (Fig.1). Synergistic connections grew rapidly in the first six months, with 612 connections significantly increased (P<0.001), particularly in long-distance connections involving visual and somatomotor regions. This was followed by minimal changes thereafter. Similarly, redundant connections developed rapidly in the first six months, with 248 increased and 73 decreased connections. These changes were predominantly observed in short-distance connections within the same hemisphere or homologous connections across hemispheres. Gradient visualizations (Fig.2) revealed spatiotemporal heterogeneity, indicating region-specific functional roles. Developmental trajectories showed an initially high gradient, a higher rank for synergetic than redundant interactions, at sensory regions (e.g., somatomotor and visual) and transitioned to higher-order cognitive areas, such as the default mode network (DMN) and frontoparietal network (FPN), by 21–27 months. NeuroSynth meta-analysis aligned with these findings: sensory terms such as "visual" and "auditory" were associated with high gradients early in development. Notably, "language" consistently exhibited stronger associations with higher gradients across the first 27 months, emphasizing its developmental importance.
Conclusions:
This study reveals distinct developmental patterns for synergistic and redundant brain interactions during infancy and toddlerhood. The balance of these interactions (gradient) shows a marked transition from sensory dominated regions to higher-order cognitive networks with age, consistent with NeuroSynth meta-analysis findings. These results highlight the increasing complexity of brain functional interactions over time and provide foundational insights into the information-processing mechanisms driving early brain growth.
Lifespan Development:
Early life, Adolescence, Aging 2
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
fMRI Connectivity and Network Modeling
Neuroanatomy, Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:
Normal Development 1
Keywords:
Other - Longitudinal development; infants and toddlers; synergistic interactions; redundant interactions; cognition
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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2. Gilmore, J.H. (2018). Imaging structural and functional brain development in early childhood. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 19(3), 123-137.
3. Howell, B.R. (2019). The UNC/UMN Baby Connectome Project (BCP): An overview of the study design and protocol development. NeuroImage, 185, 891-905.
4. Jiang, W. (2023). Mapping the evolution of regional brain network efficiency and its association with cognitive abilities during the first twenty-eight months of life. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 63, 101284.
5. Luppi, A.I. (2022). A synergistic core for human brain evolution and cognition. Nature neuroscience, 25 (6), 771-782.
6. Mediano, P.A. (2021). Towards an extended taxonomy of information dynamics via Integrated Information Decomposition. arXiv preprint arXiv:2109.13186.
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