Vaidehi Natu

Abstract Cortical folding begins in utero as sulci emerge and continues postnatally as sulci deepen. However, the timeline and mechanisms of postnatal sulcal development remain poorly understood. Using structural and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging from 79 infant sessions spanning birth to one year, we longitudinally examined macroanatomical parameters and microstructural tissue density (longitudinal relaxation rate, [R1]) across sulci that emerge in utero between 16-31 gestational weeks.

Abstract Category-selective regions in ventral temporal cortex (VTC) have a consistent anatomical organization, which is hypothesized to be scaffolded by white matter connections. However, it is unknown how white matter connections are organized from birth. Here we scanned newborn to 6-month-old infants and adults to determine the organization of the white matter connections of VTC. We find that white matter connections are organized by cytoarchitecture, eccentricity and category from birth.

Abstract Regions in ventral temporal cortex that are involved in visual recognition of categories like words and faces undergo differential development during childhood. However, categories are also represented in distributed responses across high-level visual cortex. How distributed category representations develop and if this development relates to behavioral changes in recognition remains largely unknown.