# Mapping the Infant Brain Developmental Connectome: Temporally Precise Growth Trajectories of Changing Infant Brain Topology

> **NIH NIH R01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $274,280

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 The overarching goal of this proposal is to advance our knowledge of early brain development by mapping
temporally precise developmental trajectories of brain network topology and dynamics during the first 6 months
of life, a period of unparalleled postnatal growth and change. Describing the developmental trajectory of brain
systems during this formative period has the potential to provide groundbreaking insights into major areas of
scientific inquiry, including the identification of brain systems that underlie the development of cognitive
functions, the discovery of how structural and functional network specializations arise, and the identification of
brain networks that contribute to neurodevelopmental disability. Using a novel non-uniform longitudinal
sampling design and advanced non-parametric curve fitting techniques, the proposed project will map four-
dimensional, temporally accurate developmental trajectories of brain structural and functional networks in
typically developing infants between birth and the 6th month of life (Aim 1). These connectomes will be made
publicly available to the research community. In Aim 2, the latest advances in dynamic network science will be
applied to identify community structure (i.e., modules of densely inter-connected brain regions) in time-varying
infant brain networks. Finally, fine scale changes in the community dynamics of infant brain networks will be
characterized to understand how modules and their interactions change over developmental time (Aim 3).
Analyses will be conducted on anatomical, diffusion, and resting-state functional MRI data collected from
infants at non-uniform, densely sampled time points between birth and 6 months. The success of the project
will significantly advance our understanding of the dynamic processes of brain network development in early
infancy, a pivotal, and yet relatively uncharted, period of development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9973737
- **Project number:** 1R01MH119251-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Longchuan Li
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $274,280
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-07 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9973737

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9973737, Mapping the Infant Brain Developmental Connectome: Temporally Precise Growth Trajectories of Changing Infant Brain Topology (1R01MH119251-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9973737. Licensed CC0.

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