Characterization of Non-Human Primate cortical development with prenatal insights.

Abstract Characterizing the complexities of early cortical thickness development has been an ongoing undertaking. Longitudinal studies of Non-Human Primates (NHP) offer unique advantages to identifying cortical growth trajectories. Here, we used latent growth models to characterize the trajectories of typical cortical thickness development in Japanese macaques at each cortical surface vertex (i.e., grayordinate). Cortical thickness from 4-to-36 months showed regional-specific linear and non-linear trajectories and distinct maturation timing across the cortex. We revealed an “accumulation/ablation phenomenon” where the most profound development changes occur in zones surrounding focal points of local maxima in cortical thickness or thinness throughout the brain. We further examined maternal diet and inflammation in the context of typical brain trajectories and known network architecture. A well-controlled NHP model of a maternal “Western-style” diet was used alongside measures of inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 in the mothers during gestation. We observed that accumulation and ablation zones might be most susceptible to environmental effects. The maternal factors, diet, and inflammation during pregnancy were distinctively associated with different aspects of offspring cortical development reflected in regions related to distinctive functional networks. Our findings characterize the intricacies of typical cortical thickness development and highlight how the maternal environment plays a role in cortical development.