Department of Neonatology, Division Woman and Baby, University Medical Center Utrecht, Lundlaan 6, P.O. box 85090, 3508 AB Utrecht, Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Mlagnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, Netherlands.
Centre for the Developing Brain, Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, St Thomas Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom.
Neuroimage. 2017 Oct 15;160:2-14. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.01.047. Epub 2017 Jan 20.
Early human brain development constitutes a sequence of intricate processes resulting in the ontogeny of functionally operative neural circuits. Developmental trajectories of early brain network formation are genetically programmed and can be modified by epigenetic and environmental influences. Such alterations may exert profound effects on neurodevelopment, potentially persisting throughout the lifespan. This review focuses on the critical period of fetal and early postnatal brain development. Here we collate findings from neuroimaging studies, with a particular focus on functional MRI research that interrogated early brain network development in both health and high-risk or disease states. First, we will provide an overview of the developmental processes that take place from the embryonic period through early infancy in order to contextualize brain network formation. Second, functional brain network development in the typically developing brain will be discussed. Third, we will touch on prenatal and perinatal risk factors that may interfere with the trajectories of functional brain wiring, including prenatal substance exposure, maternal mental illness and preterm birth. Collectively, studies have revealed the blueprint of adult human brain organization to be present in the neonatal brain. Distinct attributes of human brain architecture have even been detected in the developing fetal brain from as early as 24 postconceptional weeks. During postnatal brain development, the brain's wiring pattern is further sculpted and modulated to become the full facsimile of the adult human brain, with functional brain network refinement being more rigorous than structural brain network maturation. Advances in neuroimaging techniques have paved the way towards a comprehensive understanding of the maturational pathways of brain network development and of how early developmental adversity may affect these trajectories. Such insights are fundamental for our understanding of human brain functioning, for early identification of infants at risk, as well as for future neuroprotective strategies.
早期人类大脑发育是一系列复杂过程的结果，这些过程导致了功能上可行的神经回路的个体发生。早期大脑网络形成的发展轨迹是由遗传编程的，可以通过表观遗传和环境影响进行修改。这些变化可能对神经发育产生深远影响，甚至可能持续一生。本综述重点关注胎儿和早期产后大脑发育的关键期。在这里，我们汇集了神经影像学研究的发现，特别关注功能磁共振成像研究，这些研究调查了健康和高风险或疾病状态下早期大脑网络的发育。首先，我们将概述从胚胎期到婴儿早期发生的发育过程，以便对大脑网络形成进行背景介绍。其次，将讨论正常发育大脑的功能性大脑网络发育。第三，我们将探讨可能干扰功能性大脑连接轨迹的产前和围产期风险因素，包括产前物质暴露、产妇精神疾病和早产。总的来说，研究揭示了成人大脑组织结构的蓝图存在于新生儿大脑中。甚至在妊娠 24 周后，发育中的胎儿大脑中就已经检测到了人类大脑结构的独特属性。在产后大脑发育过程中，大脑的布线模式进一步被塑造和调节，成为成人大脑的完整复制品，功能性大脑网络的细化比结构大脑网络的成熟更为严格。神经影像学技术的进步为全面了解大脑网络发育的成熟途径以及早期发育逆境如何影响这些轨迹铺平了道路。这些见解对于我们理解人类大脑功能、早期识别有风险的婴儿以及未来的神经保护策略至关重要。
