The development of human brain axonal pathways is a complex process where transitional fetal zones and white matter segments play an important role due to the various spatio-temporal frames of intense growth and the consequent specific sensitivity to the harmful factors during development. The aim of this thesis was to define the microstructural changes of the white matter segments, for the purpose of better correlation of MRI with clinical parameters in neurodevelopmental disorders. This study included postmortem brains (fetal/early postnatal period) treated with histological, immunohistochemical and MRI in vitro methods (40 samples in total). In vivo MR images were used in qualitative (12 fetuses in utero, 49 premature infants) and FA-ADC analysis at the (corrected) term-age (7 newborns, 52 premature infants) and at the second year of life (31 subjects). The histological/MRI analysis of the prenatal/perinatal development of the white matter segments reveals maturational specificity of the second white matter segment, especially the differences between premature and full term infants. The FA and ADC values follow the histological development of the segments, pointing to their differentiation in radial direction, from cerebral ventricles to pial surface, distinguishing groups of neonates between themselves and in comparison with the control group at the corrected term-age, with the tendency of reducing the differences towards the second year of life. Groups with and without perinatal lesions visible on structural MRI differ in the ADC values in the second year of life The most complex system of commissural, projection and associative fibers is present in the sagittal strata, characterized by particular MR signal intensity changes, which makes it the potential biomarker of perinatal neurorisk. Knowledge of histological/MRI development of the white matter segments has potential for application during routine brain imaging analysis.