Connectivity precedes function in the development of the visual word form area

What determines the cortical location at which a given functionally specific region will arise in development? We tested the hypothesis that functionally specific regions develop in their characteristic locations because of pre-existing differences in the extrinsic connectivity of that region to the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Osher, David E (Author), Norton, Elizabeth S (Author), Youssoufian, Deanna A (Author), Feather, Jenelle (Author), Gaab, Nadine (Author), Saygin, Zeynep M. (Contributor), Beach, Sara Dawley (Contributor), Gabrieli, John D. E. (Contributor), Kanwisher, Nancy (Contributor)
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Contributor), McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT (Contributor)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group, 2017-11-09T19:13:08Z.
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Summary:What determines the cortical location at which a given functionally specific region will arise in development? We tested the hypothesis that functionally specific regions develop in their characteristic locations because of pre-existing differences in the extrinsic connectivity of that region to the rest of the brain. We exploited the visual word form area (VWFA) as a test case, scanning children with diffusion and functional imaging at age 5, before they learned to read, and at age 8, after they learned to read. We found the VWFA developed functionally in this interval and that its location in a particular child at age 8 could be predicted from that child's connectivity fingerprints (but not functional responses) at age 5. These results suggest that early connectivity instructs the functional development of the VWFA, possibly reflecting a general mechanism of cortical development.
National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant F32HD079169)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U.S.) (Grant F32HD079169)
National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01HD067312)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U.S.) (Grant R01HD067312)