Early human development of the cerebellar connectome
Poster No:
1027
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Nina Treder1, Sunniva Fenn-Moltu1, Grainne McAlonan1, Dafnis Batalle2
Institutions:
1King's College London, London, London, 2Early Life Imaging Research Department, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, London
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Dafnis Batalle
Early Life Imaging Research Department, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences
King's College London, London, London
Early Life Imaging Research Department, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences
King's College London, London, London
Introduction:
The cerebellum, traditionally associated with sensorimotor functions, is increasingly recognised for its involvement in various cognitive functions and complex behaviours 1. It is highly interconnected with widespread cerebral regions and is therefore an integral part of neuronal communication2. Differences in cerebellar network strength and connectivity may be associated with neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and ADHD3,4. Investigating the cerebellum's early functional organisation will enable us to better understand developmental trajectories that might be predictive of these conditions. Here we aimed to delineate resting-state networks (RSNs) within the developing cerebellum and explore their connectivity with cerebral RSNs in neonates.
Methods:
Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data from the developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP)5 were analysed: 72 term-born healthy neonates (42 males, 30 females), gestational age 37.5-42 weeks, were scanned at postmenstrual age (PMA) 38.5-44.5 weeks. To obtain cerebellar RSNs, the dHCP atlas was used to mask the cerebellum and group-level independent component analysis (ICA) was performed using FSL's MELODIC6,7. This yielded 14 distinct intra-cerebellar functional clusters, after discarding noise components. To derive subject-specific time courses and spatial maps of each independent component, dual regression was conducted. Cerebral networks were obtained using the same tools (Fenn-Moltu et al., in preparation). Core network strength was calculated as mean β-parameter value in each subject-specific RSN spatial map masked by the corresponding group-level ICA network thresholded at Z > 38. Partial correlations between core network strength and PMA at scan, postnatal weeks, and sex were calculated controlling for number of motion outliers. Correlations between cerebral and cerebellar network timeseries was calculated as the mean Pearson's correlation across all subjects and partial correlations between subject-specific timeseries correlations and PMA at scan, postnatal weeks, and sex were performed.
Results:
We identified uni- and bilateral cerebellar networks in the anterior lobe, vermis, medial and lateral Crus I and II, and the dentate nucleus (Figure 1). Core network strength of the 'Vermis' was significantly different between males and females (r = -0.25, p = 0.023)(Figure 2A). Specifically, core network strength was lower in females than males. Core network strength of the 'Left Crus I (2)' network was negatively correlated with postnatal weeks when controlling for PMA at scan, sex and motion (r = -0.25, p = 0.23)(Figure 2B). Examining cerebellar-cerebral connectivity (Figure 2C), the 'Vermis' network was correlated with most cerebral networks, but strongest with 'Medial Motor' (r = 0.330), 'Lateral Motor' (r = 0.232), 'Auditory' (r = 0.214), 'Motor Association' (r = 0.243) and 'Prefrontal' (r = 0.181) networks. Timeseries of the 'Lateral Anterior Lobe' and cerebral 'Visual' network are positively correlated (r = 0.304). The 'Anterior Lobe', a region often associated with sensorimotor function, is most strongly correlated with cerebral 'Medial Motor' (r = 0.245) and 'Lateral Motor' (r = 0.191) networks. Cerebellar-cerebral connectivity did not change with PMA at scan, postnatal weeks or sex.
Conclusions:
This study provides an initial characterization of the cerebellar connectome in neonates, revealing distinct RSNs and their connectivity with cerebral networks. Significant sex differences were observed in 'Vermis' network strength, while postnatal age was associated with lower strength in the 'Left Crus I (2)' network. The cerebellum's connectivity with motor, auditory, and prefrontal regions highlights its early role in supporting both sensorimotor and cognitive processes. These findings establish a foundation for future studies investigating the developing cerebellum and its relevance to neurodevelopmental conditions.
Lifespan Development:
Normal Brain Development: Fetus to Adolescence 1
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
fMRI Connectivity and Network Modeling 2
Task-Independent and Resting-State Analysis
Neuroanatomy, Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:
Subcortical Structures
Keywords:
Cerebellum
Computational Neuroscience
Development
FUNCTIONAL MRI
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Abstract Information
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