Emergence of long- and short-range functional connectivity parallels the development of neonatal brain gradients
- 1King's College London
Abstract
The emergence of macroscale brain organisation during the perinatal period represents a critical but poorly understood process. Using resting-state fMRI in 325 term-born neonates within the first month of postnatal life, we characterised the early emergence of macroscale brain organisation with functional gradients. Neonatal functional gradients showed a distinct pattern compared with the canonical adult gradients: the principal gradient in neonates, separating the primary sensorimotor and visual networks, broadly corresponded to the secondary gradient in adults (sensorimotor-visual axis), whereas the secondary gradient in neonates, spanning from primary visual to association networks, aligned with the principal gradient in adults (sensorimotor-association axis). We found that the perinatal emergence of distance-dependent functional connectivity paralleled the development of neonatal functional gradients, potentially underlying the protracted development of the sensorimotor-association hierarchy in neonates. Regions with a higher proportion of short-range functional connectivity were more strongly associated with the sensorimotor-visual gradient in neonates, while regions with a greater proportion of middle- to long-range functional connectivity were more strongly associated with the sensorimotor-association hierarchy. Together, these findings highlight the critical role of short- and long-range functional connectivity, which showed a close correspondence with neonatal macroscale functional hierarchy. Disruptions to this process during the perinatal period may alter macroscale brain organisation and contribute to the early origins of neurodevelopmental conditions.
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BibTeX
@misc{chang2026emergence,
title = {{Emergence of long- and short-range functional connectivity parallels the development of neonatal brain gradients}},
author = {Q. Chang and S. Oldham and S. Fenn-Moltu and N. Treder and T. Arichi and G. McAlonan and D. Batalle},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.64898/2026.05.19.726280},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.19.726280v2},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Emergence of long- and short-range functional connectivity parallels the development of neonatal brain gradients
AU - Q. Chang
AU - S. Oldham
AU - S. Fenn-Moltu
AU - N. Treder
AU - T. Arichi
AU - G. McAlonan
AU - D. Batalle
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/19
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.05.19.726280
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.19.726280v2
AB - The emergence of macroscale brain organisation during the perinatal period represents a critical but poorly understood process. Using resting-state fMRI in 325 term-born neonates within the first month of postnatal life, we characterised the early emergence of macroscale brain organisation with functional gradients. Neonatal functional gradients showed a distinct pattern compared with the canonical adult gradients: the principal gradient in neonates, separating the primary sensorimotor and visual networks, broadly corresponded to the secondary gradient in adults (sensorimotor-visual axis), whereas the secondary gradient in neonates, spanning from primary visual to association networks, aligned with the principal gradient in adults (sensorimotor-association axis). We found that the perinatal emergence of distance-dependent functional connectivity paralleled the development of neonatal functional gradients, potentially underlying the protracted development of the sensorimotor-association hierarchy in neonates. Regions with a higher proportion of short-range functional connectivity were more strongly associated with the sensorimotor-visual gradient in neonates, while regions with a greater proportion of middle- to long-range functional connectivity were more strongly associated with the sensorimotor-association hierarchy. Together, these findings highlight the critical role of short- and long-range functional connectivity, which showed a close correspondence with neonatal macroscale functional hierarchy. Disruptions to this process during the perinatal period may alter macroscale brain organisation and contribute to the early origins of neurodevelopmental conditions.
ER -