Charting brain functional development from birth to 6 years of age

Weiyan Yin, Tengfei Li, Zhengwang Wu, Sheng-Che Hung, Dan Hu, Yiding Gui, Seoyoon Cho, Yue Sun, Mackenzie Allan Woodburn, Li Wang, Gang Li, Joseph Piven, Jed T. Elison, Changwei W. Wu, Hongtu Zhu, Jessica R. Cohen and Weili Lin ()
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Weiyan Yin: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Tengfei Li: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Zhengwang Wu: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sheng-Che Hung: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Dan Hu: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Yiding Gui: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Seoyoon Cho: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Yue Sun: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Mackenzie Allan Woodburn: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Li Wang: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Gang Li: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Joseph Piven: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jed T. Elison: University of Minnesota
Changwei W. Wu: Taipei Medical University
Hongtu Zhu: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jessica R. Cohen: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Weili Lin: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Nature Human Behaviour, 2025, vol. 9, issue 6, 1246-1259

Abstract: Abstract Early childhood is crucial for brain functional development. Using advanced neuroimaging methods, characterizing functional connectivity has shed light on the developmental process in infants. However, insights into spatiotemporal functional maturation from birth to early childhood are substantially lacking. In this study, we aggregated 1,091 resting-state functional MRI scans of typically developing children from birth to 6 years of age, harmonized the cohort and imaging-state-related bias, and delineated developmental charts of functional connectivity within and between canonical brain networks. These charts revealed potential neurodevelopmental milestones and elucidated the complex development of brain functional integration, competition and transition processes. We further determined that individual deviations from normative growth charts are significantly associated with infant cognitive abilities. Specifically, connections involving the primary, default, control and attention networks were key predictors. Our findings elucidate early neurodevelopment and suggest that functional connectivity-derived brain charts may provide an effective tool to monitor normative functional development.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02160-2

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