Functional connectome harmonics capture early brain organization and maturity in neonates

Rosberg, A.; Mariani Wigley, I.; Barron, A.; Suuronen, I.; Merisaari, H.; Pulli, E. P.; Luotonen, S.; Li, R.; Bano, W.; Jolly, A.; Audah, H. K.; Hashempour, N.; Vartiainen, E.; Karlsson, H.; Karlsson, L.; Bethlehem, R. A. I.; Seidlitz, J.; Vohryzek, J.; Cabral, J.; Batalle, D.; Kringelbach, M. L.; Atasoy, S.; Tuulari, J. J.

doi:10.64898/2026.03.25.714150

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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.03.25.714150

Functional connectome harmonics capture early brain organization and maturity in neonates

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Abstract

The functional organization of the human brain is established early, yet the ontogeny of its large-scale functional gradients remains unclear. Using resting-state fMRI data from 714 neonates in the Developing Human Connectome Project, we mapped neonatal brain gradients via functional connectome harmonics (FCH). We identified adult-like sensory-to-multimodal and cognitive gradient patterns present at birth. Applying three FCH-derived metrics--entropy, power, and energy--we found that power and energy were higher in term-born compared to preterm neonates, while entropy was elevated in preterms. These metrics predicted up to ~30% of postmenstrual age, indicating their biological relevance. Our findings reveal that the neonatal brain possesses a robust gradient architecture underpinning early functional organization, offering novel biomarkers for assessing brain maturity and the impact of prematurity on neurodevelopment.

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Rosberg, A., Mariani Wigley, I., Barron, A., Suuronen, I., Merisaari, H., Pulli, E. P., Luotonen, S., Li, R., Bano, W., Jolly, A., Audah, H. K., Hashempour, N., Vartiainen, E., Karlsson, H., Karlsson, L., Bethlehem, R. A. I., Seidlitz, J., Vohryzek, J., Cabral, J., Batalle, D., Kringelbach, M. L., Atasoy, S., Tuulari, J. J.. 2026-03-25. Functional connectome harmonics capture early brain organization and maturity in neonates. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.25.714150

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