Unveiling differential maturation of infant visual and auditory cortex through multimodal MRI and MEG
Ruolin Li, Tianjia Zhu, Ziqin Zhang, Kay Sindabizera, Yuhan Chen, James Christopher Edgar, Minhui Ouyang, Hao Huang · Proceedings on CD-ROM - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Scientific Meeting and Exhibition/Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Scientific Meeting and Exhibition · 2025
Motivation: During human infancy, the brain undergoes rapid auditory and visual system development. However, the differential maturations of these systems remain largely unexplored. Goal(s): This study aims to reveal the differential structural and functional developmental trajectories of auditory and visual systems during infancy. Approach: We utilized multimodal structural and diffusion MRI, alongside auditory and visual task-based MEG, in a large infant cohort to assess the maturation and its structural-functional coupling. Results: The MEG-based latency maturational trajectories suggest that visual system maturation may precede auditory system maturation. Additionally, cortical cytoarchitecture and auditory/visual development unfold differently, and structural maturation support the auditory and visual systems development. Impact: Revealing the differential structural and functional maturation trajectories of the auditory and visual systems using multimodal MRI and task-based MEG in a large infant cohort may provide insights into both typical brain development and brain disorders.