Linking Myelination with Behavioural Development in Healthy Infants

Sean C. Deoni¹, Douglas Dean¹, Cara Quigley¹, Frances Liu¹, Beth a Jerskey²

Development of myelinated white matter is essential for normative brain function, facilitating the rapid and efficient transfer of information through the complex neural systems. While histological studies have revealed a pattern of myelination in human infancy, spreading from deep to superficial brain regions, such studies cannot investigate the underlying relationships between myelination and the development of behaviour, cognition and other functions. In this work, we combined rapid myelin water fraction imaging with assessments of primary behaviour domains in healthy human infants 4 through 24 months of age. Results reveal, for the first time, development of regions sub-serving each domain.