Preterm Modulation of Connectivity by Endogenous Generators: The Theta Temporal Activities in Coalescence with Slow Waves

The neuronal activity of the preterm brain is characterized by various endogenous activities whose roles in neurodevelopmental maturation processes have not been fully elucidated. The preterm EEG is characterized by discontinuities composed of short bursts of activity with dominant low frequencies. One of the earliest endogenous activities is the theta temporal activity in coalescence with slow waves (TTA-SW), which appears at 24 to 32 weeks of gestational age (wGA). The present study investigated the influence of TTA-SW on the spatial organization of the early preterm brain network. To achieve this objective, High-Density EEG data were recorded from preterm infants (29-32 wGA) and functional connectivity (FC) was estimated from the scalp EEG. TTA-SW, particularly in the theta band, induced increased FC between left temporal and left frontal areas and between left temporal and parietal areas with TTA-SW at the left temporal region, while FC was limited to the right temporal regions in the case of TTA-SW at the right temporal region. Regardless of the lateralization of TTA-SW, long-range FCs were observed between left frontal to left parietal areas, suggesting that these regions, together with the temporal region, provide a basis for coherent neuronal activation across distal cortical regions. TTA-SW dynamic features showed that brief phases of TTA-SW had an impact on both local and whole brain network organization, supporting the importance of TTA-SW as a biomarker of brain development.