Default mode network functional connectivity strength in utero and the association with fetal subcortical development
Cerebral Cortex July 15, 2023 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad190 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Pregnant women with singleton pregnancies |
| Duration | 1 or 2 MR imaging sessions, on average 3 weeks apart, between 28 and 39 weeks postconceptional age |
| Measures | resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, anatomical images, subcortical volumes |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Increased functional connectivity between the default mode network and medial temporal lobe network was associated with smaller right hippocampal, left thalamic, and right caudate nucleus volumes, but larger left caudate volumes. Increased default mode network–thalamocortical connectivity was associated with smaller left thalamic volumes, suggesting emergence of short-range connectivity in the third trimester. |
Abstract
Abstract The default mode network is essential for higher-order cognitive processes and is composed of an extensive network of functional and structural connections. Early in fetal life, the default mode network shows strong connectivity with other functional networks; however, the association with structural development is not well understood. In this study, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and anatomical images were acquired in 30 pregnant women with singleton pregnancies. Participants completed 1 or 2 MR imaging sessions, on average 3 weeks apart (43 data sets), between 28- and 39-weeks postconceptional ages. Subcortical volumes were automatically segmented. Activation time courses from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were extracted from the default mode network, medial temporal lobe network, and thalamocortical network. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the association between functional connectivity strength between default mode network–medial temporal lobe, default mode network–thalamocortical network, and subcortical volumes, respectively. Increased functional connectivity strength in the default mode network–medial temporal lobe network was associated with smaller right hippocampal, left thalamic, and right caudate nucleus volumes, but larger volumes of the left caudate. Increased functional connectivity strength in the default mode network–thalamocortical network was associated with smaller left thalamic volumes. The strong associations seen among the default mode network functional connectivity networks and regionally specific subcortical volume development indicate the emergence of short-range connectivity in the third trimester.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |