Neuroimaging advances in macaque brain development: A neuroscientific model

Elucidating the dynamic patterns of brain growth and development remains a central challenge in neuroscience. Non-human primates (NHPs), due to their close phylogenetic relationship to humans, have become an indispensable model system in translational medical research. Combining non-invasive neuroimaging techniques with NHP models has emerged as a crucial paradigm for advancing our understanding of the mechanisms underlying human brain development. Systematically understanding and appropriately applying these models are fundamental to progress in neuroscience research. This review summarizes published neuroimaging studies on brain development in macaques, systematically reviewing developmental changes in brain structure and glucose metabolic function, including sexual dimorphism, hemispheric asymmetry, and brain-body growth associations, thereby providing an important reference for understanding human brain development.