Neurodevelopmental patterns of early postnatal white matter maturation represent distinct underlying microstructure and histology

Cerebral white matter undergoes a rapid and complex maturation during the early postnatal period. Prior magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of early postnatal development have often been limited by small sample size, single-modality imaging, and univariate analytics. Here, we applied nonnegative matrix factorization, an unsupervised multivariate pattern analysis technique, to T2w/T1w signal ratio maps from the Developing Human Connectome Project (n = 342 newborns) revealing patterns of coordinated white matter maturation. These patterns showed divergent age-related maturational trajectories, which were replicated in another independent cohort (n = 239). Furthermore, we showed that T2w/T1w signal variations in these maturational patterns are explained by differential contributions of white matter microstructural indices derived from diffusion-weighted MRI. Finally, we demonstrated how white matter maturation patterns relate to distinct histological features by comparing our findings with postmortem late fetal/early postnatal brain tissue staining. Together, these results delineate concise and effective representation of early postnatal white matter reorganization. [Display omitted] •Analysis of postnatal WM T2w/T1w signal reveals coordinated maturational patterns•WM maturational patterns show differential developmental trajectories•These maturational patterns correspond to distinct WM microstructure and histology Using high-resolution T2-/T1-weighted MR images from a large sample, Nazeri et al. identify reproducible patterns of coordinated white matter maturation during the early postnatal period that correspond to distinct developmental trajectories, microstructure, and histology. These results provide important context for understanding the complexities of white matter development in health and disease.