Innovations in neonatal and infant neuroimaging: multi-modal approaches, and developmental insights

Infancy is a critical time of rapid brain development forming the neural and physiological frameworks that contribute significantly to health trajectories. To capture these windows of neurodevelopment, neonatal and infant neuroimaging represents an evolving field that aims to better understand the developing brain's structure, physiology, and function. Traditional imaging methods, while informative, have limitations in capturing the complex, interrelated, and dynamic nature of the developing brain. Recent advances in processing pipelines, multi-modal imaging (e.g., MRI, EEG, NIRS), analytic strategies (e.g., interactions between functional (resting-state) and structural connectivity (diffusion-weighted imaging)), awake infant imaging, the availability of large open source and/or longitudinal datasets, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to revolutionize the field by providing deeper insights into the unique aspects of brain maturation and developmental anomalies. Such advances in neonatal and infant neuroimaging have the potential to elucidate infant brain-behavior relationships with later emotional, cognitive, and health outcomes, offering unprecedented opportunities to predict risk for future psychopathology and to examine developmental trajectories across the lifespan. Despite significant strides, there is still a need for enhanced investigation leveraging one or more of these methods, analytic approaches, or datasets to detect risk, improve diagnostics, and guide interventions.

By focusing on individual or combined approaches — whether they involve advanced processing techniques, integrated multimodal and hybrid imaging approaches, or large-scale data-driven methodologies — this Research Topic aims to highlight innovations in neonatal and infant neuroimaging and address critical questions about their application to understanding normal and atypical brain development. It seeks to explore the potential efficacy of these advanced methodologies in improving risk identification, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes. The collection does not require each submission to combine all methodologies but encourages diverse insights into the contribution of one or several of them to the field.

To gather further insights in this expanding area, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Multi-modal imaging techniques and their role in neonatal and infant diagnostics

• Advances in awake infant neuroimaging and insights into neural processes
• The impact and challenges of AI-driven technology on current neonatal and infant neuroimaging practices

• Linking infant brain imaging with behavioral outcomes to predict future psychopathology and health trajectories

We invite submissions of original research, review articles, and technical advancements that contribute to this dynamic field.