Understanding Vulnerability and Adaptation in Early Brain Development using Network Neuroscience

Alice M Graham; Mollie Marr; Claudia Buss; Elinor L Sullivan; Damien A Fair

doi:10.1016/j.tins.2021.01.008

Understanding Vulnerability and Adaptation in Early Brain Development using Network Neuroscience

Trends Neurosci. 2021 Apr;44(4):276-288. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.01.008. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Authors

Alice M Graham¹, Mollie Marr², Claudia Buss³, Elinor L Sullivan⁴, Damien A Fair⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
² Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
³ Department of Medical Psychology, Charité University of Medicine Berlin, Luisenstrasse 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Development, Health, and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, 837 Health Sciences Drive, Irvine, California, 92697, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA; Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA; Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, 505 NW 185th Ave., Beaverton, OR, 97006, USA.
⁵ The Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain, The University of Minnesota, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address: faird@umn.edu.

Abstract

Early adversity influences brain development and emerging behavioral phenotypes relevant for psychiatric disorders. Understanding the effects of adversity before and after conception on brain development has implications for contextualizing current public health crises and pervasive health inequities. The use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the brain at rest has shifted understanding of brain functioning and organization in the earliest periods of life. Here we review applications of this technique to examine effects of early life stress (ELS) on neurodevelopment in infancy, and highlight targets for future research. Building on the foundation of existing work in this area will require tackling significant challenges, including greater inclusion of often marginalized segments of society, and conducting larger, properly powered studies.

Keywords: brain development; early life stress; functional brain networks; prenatal stress; resting state functional connectivity MRI.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Review

MeSH terms

Brain
Brain Mapping
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Neural Pathways
Neurosciences*
Stress, Psychological*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding