Connectivity in Preemies

Thalamic (relay) connections to heteromodal (integrative) cortex limited by premature birth, predisposing infants to executive deficits.

Toulmin, H., Beckmann, C.F., O’Muircheartaigh, J., Ball, G., Nongena, P., Makropoulos, A., Ederies, A., Counsell, S.J., Kennea, N., Arichi, T., Tusor, N., Rutherford, M.A., Azzopardi, D., Gonzalez-Cinca, N., Hajnal, J.V. & Edwards, A.D. (2015). Specialization and integration of functional thalamocortical connectivity in the human infant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1422638112
 

Connectivity in Autism

Neuroimaging findings indicate that sensorimotor regions of the brain become overconnected in autism at the expense of later-developing higher-order functions.

Amanda, J.K., Nair, A., Keown, C.L., Datko, M.C., Lincoln, A.J. & Müller, R.A. (2015). Cerebro-cerebellar resting state functional connectivity in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Biological Psychiatry. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.024