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Connecting inside out: Development of the social brain in infants and toddlers with a focus on myelination as a marker of brain maturation |
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| Authors: | Nora Schneider Elizabeth Greenstreet Sean C L Deoni |
| Institution: | 1. Brain Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Science, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Switzerland;2. Nestlé Enterprises SA, Switzerland;3. Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA Department of Radiology, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA |
| Abstract: | Early childhood is a sensitive period for learning and social skill development. The maturation of cerebral regions underlying social processing lays the foundation for later social-emotional competence. This study explored myelin changes in social brain regions and their association with changes in parent-rated social-emotional development in a cohort of 129 children (64 females, 0–36 months, 77 White). Results reveal a steep increase in myelination throughout the social brain in the first 3 years of life that is significantly associated with social-emotional development scores. These findings add knowledge to the emerging picture of social brain development by describing neural underpinnings of human social behavior. They can contribute to identifying age-/stage-appropriate early life factors in this developmental domain. |
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