Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The perinatal period, encompassing both prenatal and early postnatal stages, is a highly dynamic and foundational phase of brain development. Despite its significance, limited work has tracked brain growth continuously across prenatal to postnatal development. In this study, we analysed one of the largest perinatal MRI datasets from the Developing Human Connectome Project (798 scans from 699 unique individuals: 263 prenatal and 535 neonatal; 380 males and 319 females) to model age-related changes and sex differences in brain volumes from 21 to 45 weeks postconceptional age. We found that total brain volume grew at an increasing rate up until the early postnatal period, with white matter dominating mid-gestational growth and gray matter dominating late-gestational and postnatal growth. Subcortical gray matter structures showed distinct trajectories and earlier peak growth rates compared to cortical gray matter structures. Additionally, sex differences in brain growth patterns were observed, with males showing greater volumetric increases with age compared with females. The findings demonstrate the evolving structural dynamics of perinatal brain development as well as the importance of integrating prenatal and postnatal neuroimaging to map continuous early brain growth trajectories.
Source: Scientific Reports
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Funders: Autism Speaks, Simons Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Autistica, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, Cambridge Trust, Innovative Medicines Initiative, Templeton World Charity Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Medical Research Council, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, European Research Council, Horizon 2020, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration East of England
OpenAlex ID: W7124320710