Developments in diffusion MRI and tractography to study language network alterations following very preterm birth

Abstract

Language is key for human interactions and relies on a well-known set of brain cortical areas linked by large-scale white-matter fasciculi. However, very little is known about the ontogeny of the language network, how it is affected by very preterm birth, or how structural connectivity profiles observable before language acquisition may predispose distinct computational mechanisms associated with later language processing. Recent advances in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and tractography are allowing researchers to provide novel, insightful understanding of the human language brain network through in vivo non-invasive investigations across the whole lifespan. Here, we propose a commentary on a series of papers which aimed to summarise the latest technological advances in neuroimaging research in order to provide future directions to study language development following very preterm birth.