A lateral-to-mesial organization of human ventral visual cortex at birth.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational resting-state fMRI study in human newborns without controls or longitudinal follow-up.
PubMed 29752588 · doi:10.1007/s00429-018-1676-3
What was done
The authors evaluated resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) data in full-term human newborns to assess functional connectivity in the ventral visual cortex at birth. Specifically, they analyzed functional correlations between ventral visual areas, contralateral homologous regions, and anterior associative cortical networks.
What was found
No numerical values, test statistics, or sample sizes were reported in the abstract. Qualitatively, ventral visual areas demonstrated functional correlation with contralateral homologous regions and distinct long-distance connectivity to anterior associative regions. A mesial-to-lateral connectivity gradient was present: lateral ventral visual regions exhibited higher functional correlation with prefrontal, inferior parietal, and temporal cortices, including language networks. In addition, hemispheric asymmetries were observed in key areas of the language network.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence that long-distance functional connectivity circuits are already established at birth, suggesting that pre-existing anatomical and functional connectivity scaffolds guide subsequent category-selective cortical differentiation prior to visual experience.
Limits
The abstract omits sample size, participant demographics, statistical parameters, and numerical effect sizes. As a cross-sectional resting-state observational imaging study at birth, it does not provide longitudinal verification linking neonatal connectivity directly to subsequent individualized task-based functional differentiation.