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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Neurology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1362409

Structural development and brain asymmetry in the fronto-limbic regions in preschool-aged children

Provisionally accepted
Gang Yi Lee Gang Yi Lee 1,2Yong Hun Jang Yong Hun Jang 2Hyuna Kim Hyuna Kim 2Joo Young Lee Joo Young Lee 3MinYoung Jung MinYoung Jung 4*Hyun Ju Lee Hyun Ju Lee 5,6*
  • 1 Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Department of Translational Medicine, Hanyang University Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 3 Department of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 4 Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, North Gyeongsang, Republic of Korea
  • 5 Division of Neonatology and Development Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 6 Department of Pediatrics, Hanyang University Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Daegu, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Early-life experiences play a crucial role in the development of the fronto-limbic regions, influencing both macro-and microstructural changes in the brain. These alterations profoundly impact cognitive, social-emotional functions. Recently, early limbic structural alterations have been associated with numerous neurological and psychiatric morbidities. Although identifying normative developmental trajectories is essential for determining brain alterations, only a few studies have focused on examining the normative trajectories in the fronto-limbic regions during preschool-aged children. The aim of this study was to investigate the structural-developmental trajectory of the frontolimbic regions using the cortical thickness, volume, and subcortical volume in 57 healthy and typical preschool-aged children between 1 and 5 years and examined the early lateralization patterns during the development of the fronto-limbic regions. Regarding brain lateralization, remarkable asymmetry was detected in the volume of thalamus and the cortical regions excluding the lateral orbitofrontal cortex in the fronto-limbic regions. This study of preschool-aged children may fill the knowledge gaps regarding the developmental patterns and hemispheric asymmetries of the fronto-limbic regions between newborns and adolescents.

    Keywords: Brain Development, Fronto-limbic, preschool-aged children, volume, thickness, asymmetry, structural MRI

    Received: 05 Jan 2024; Accepted: 04 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lee, Jang, Kim, Lee, Jung and Lee. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    MinYoung Jung, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, North Gyeongsang, Republic of Korea
    Hyun Ju Lee, Division of Neonatology and Development Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, seoul, Republic of Korea

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