Maturation of somatosensory cortical processing from birth to adulthood revealed by magnetoencephalography

Objective To evaluate the maturation of tactile processing by recording somatosensory evoked magnetic fields (SEFs) from healthy human subjects. Methods SEFs to tactile stimulation of the left index finger were measured from the contralateral somatosensory cortex with magnetoencephalography (MEG) in five age groups: newborns, 6- and 12–18-month-olds, 1.6–6-year-olds, and adults. The waveforms of the measured signals and equivalent current dipoles (ECDs) were analyzed in awake and sleep states in order to separate the effects of age and vigilance state on SEFs. Results There was an orderly, systematic change in the measured and ECD source waveforms of the initial cortical responses with age. The broad U-shaped response in newborns (M60) shifted to a W-shaped response with emergence of a notch by 6 months of age. The adult-type response with M30 and M50 components was present by 2 years. The ECDs of M60 and M30 were oriented anteriorly and that of M50 posteriorly. These maturational changes were independent of vigilance state. Conclusions The most significant maturation of short latency cortical responses to tactile stimulation takes place during the first 2 years of life. Significance The maturational changes of somatosensory processing can noninvasively be evaluated with MEG already in infancy.