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Cortical multisensory connectivity is present near birth in humans

Brain Imaging and Behavior volume 11, pages 1207–1213 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

How the newborn brain adapts to its new multisensory environment has been a subject of debate. Although an early theory proposed that the brain acquires multisensory features as a result of postnatal experience, recent studies have demonstrated that the neonatal brain is already capable of processing multisensory information. For multisensory processing to be functional, it is a prerequisite that multisensory convergence among neural connections occur. However, multisensory connectivity has not been examined in human neonates nor are its location(s) or afferent sources understood. We used resting state functional MRI (fMRI) in two independent cohorts of infants to examine the functional connectivity of two cortical areas known to be multisensory in adults: the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and the superior temporal sulcus (STS). In the neonate, the IPS was found to demonstrate significant functional connectivity with visual association and somatosensory association areas, while the STS showed significant functional connectivity with the visual association areas, primary auditory cortex, and somatosensory association areas. Our findings establish that each of these areas displays functional communication with cortical regions representing various sensory modalities. This demonstrates the presence of cortical areas with converging sensory inputs, representing that the functional architecture needed for multisensory processing is already present within the first weeks of life.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Grant R01-MH064065 & R01-HD053000 to JHG; Grant R01AA013023 & R01AA022455 to AEM).

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Affiliations

  1. Magnetic Resonance Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Chandler Sours, Jiachen Zhuo & Rao P. Gullapalli

  2. Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Chandler Sours, Prashant Raghavan, Jiachen Zhuo & Rao P. Gullapalli

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    W. Alex Foxworthy, Dina El Metwally & Alexandre E. Medina

  4. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA

    M. Alex Meredith

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA

    John H. Gilmore

Authors
  1. Chandler Sours
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  2. Prashant Raghavan
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  3. W. Alex Foxworthy
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  4. M. Alex Meredith
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  5. Dina El Metwally
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  6. Jiachen Zhuo
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  7. John H. Gilmore
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  8. Alexandre E. Medina
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  9. Rao P. Gullapalli
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Alexandre E. Medina or Rao P. Gullapalli.

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There is no conflict of interest for any of the authors of this study.

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All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, and the applicable revisions at the time of the investigation. Informed consent was obtained from guardians of all patients for being included in the study.

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Sours, C., Raghavan, P., Foxworthy, W.A. et al. Cortical multisensory connectivity is present near birth in humans. Brain Imaging and Behavior 11, 1207–1213 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-016-9586-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-016-9586-6

Keywords

  • Neonates
  • Resting state functional MRI
  • Multi-sensory connectivity
  • Intraparietal sulcus
  • Superior temporal sulcus