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Structure-function relationships in human brain development

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dc.contributor John D. E. Gabrieli.
dc.contributor Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
dc.contributor Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
dc.creator Saygin, Zeynep Mevhibe
dc.date 2013-03-13T15:55:15Z
dc.date 2013-03-13T15:55:15Z
dc.date 2012
dc.date 2012
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77843
dc.identifier 827831507
dc.description Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 2012.
dc.description This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
dc.description Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. Page 125 blank.
dc.description Includes bibliographical references.
dc.description The integration of anatomical, functional, and developmental approaches in cognitive neuroscience is essential for generating mechanistic explanations of brain function. In this thesis, I first establish a proof-of-principle that neuroanatomical connectivity, as measured with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), can be used to calculate connectional fingerprints that are sufficient to delineate fine anatomical distinctions in the human brain (Chapter 2). Next, I describe the maturation of structural connectivity patterns by applying these connectional fingerprints to over a hundred participants ranging from five to thirty years of age, and show that these connectional patterns have different developmental trajectories (Chapter 3). I then illustrate how anatomical connections may shape (or in turn be shaped by) function and behavior, within the framework of reading ability and describe how white matter tract integrity may predict future acquisition of reading ability in children (Chapter 4). I conclude by summarizing how these experiments offer testable hypotheses of the maturation of structure and function. Studying the complex interplay between structure, function, and development will get us closer to understanding both the constraints present at birth, and the effect of experience, on the biological mechanisms underlying brain function.
dc.description by Zeynep Mevhibe Saygin.
dc.description Ph.D.
dc.format 125 p.
dc.format application/pdf
dc.language eng
dc.publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology
dc.rights M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
dc.rights http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
dc.subject Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
dc.title Structure-function relationships in human brain development
dc.type Thesis


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