Biology subjects

Huppi, P. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Huppi, P. S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Regional BOLD variability reflects microstructural maturation and neuronal ensheathment in the preterm infant cortex

BOLD variability reflects meaningful brain activity, yet its structural and biological correlates during early development remain unknown. We aimed to investigate how BOLD variability evolves in very preterm (VPT) infants, its relationship with cortical microstructure and gene expression, and how it differs from full-term (FT) newborns at term-equivalent age (TEA). Using resting-state fMRI and multi-shell diffusion imaging, acquired in 54 VPT (longitudinally at 33-weeks GA and at TEA) and 24 FT newborns, we evaluated regional differences in cortical BOLD variability and microstructural maturation, and compared to patterns of gene expression in the fetal cortex, using the BrainSpan dataset. BOLD variability increased in primary sensory-sensorimotor and proto-DMN regions, accompanied by decreased cortical diffusivity. Gene expression analysis revealed concurrent upregulation of genes mediating gliogenesis and neuronal ensheathment. Compared to FT newborns, VPT at TEA showed decreased BOLD variability and increased cortical diffusivity. BOLD variability reflects cortical microstructure, mediated by upregulation of gliogenesis and neuronal ensheathment. Interruption of these processes by preterm birth identifies putative mechanisms of preterm brain injury.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Maternal singing synchronizes the preterm infants' brain

Singing to infants is a universal human practice that has beneficial effects on infants cognitive and affective development. Children born preterm have impaired brain development, and their perception of maternal speech is known to be affected by the atypical hospital auditory environment. Understanding how preterm infants perceive maternal singing is of critical importance, yet it remains largely unexplored. Using high-density EEG, we examined neural responses to the same melody presented through maternal singing, stranger singing, and instrument, and compared the responses in 12 preterm infants. Moreover, to examine their processing of spatialisation, auditory stimuli were presented under monaural and binaural conditions. Preterm newborns are able to discriminate the same melody when sung by their mother, a stranger, or played by an instrument. When presented monaurally, the mothers singing voice enhances widespread brain synchrony across the entire scalp. In contrast, this synchrony diminishes with binaural spatialization. These findings suggest that maternal singing constitutes a highly salient auditory stimulus for preterm newborns, eliciting a distinct neural signature. Given that brain synchrony is a critical component of healthy brain function and development, harnessing maternal singing may offer a promising, natural intervention to support neurodevelopment--particularly in vulnerable populations such as preterm infants.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Preterm infants voice processing is mediated by voice familiarity

To understand the consequences of prematurity on language perception it is fundamental to determine how atypical early sensory experience affects brain development. To date the neural oscillatory correlates in the time-frequency domain of voice processing as a function of atypical early sensory experience, as after premature birth, remain elusive. At term equivalent age, ten preterm and ten full-term newborns underwent high-density EEG recordings during mother or stranger speech presentation, presented in the forward (naturalistic) or backward order. A general group effect terms > preterms for the naturalistic mothers voice is evident in the theta frequency band in the left temporal area, where only full-term newborns showed an increased activity for the mothers voice, whereas preterm infants showed significant activation for stranger naturalistic speech. Similarly, a significant group contrast in the low and high theta in the right temporal regions indicates higher activations for the strangers speech in preterms. Finally, only full-term newborns presented a late gamma band increase for the maternal naturalistic speech, indicating a more mature brain response. The current study based on neural time-frequency patterns, demonstrates that preterm infants lack selective brain responses to mothers naturalistic voice typical for full-term newborns, whereas preterms are selectively responsive to stranger voices in both temporal hemispheres.

neuroscience↗