Age-related increases in long-range connectivity in fetal functional neural connectivity networks in utero

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Susan Berman¹  Athina Pappas²  Yongquan Ye³  Moriah E. Thomason⁴  Lauren E. Grove⁴  Janessa H. Manning⁴  Angela M. Vila⁴  Tim A. Lozon Jr.⁵  Swati Mody⁵  Roberto Romero⁶  Edgar Hernandez-Andrade⁷  Sonia S. Hassan⁷  Lami Yeo⁷  Matthew J. Nye⁸ 

[1] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48202, USA;Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48202, USA;Department of Radiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48202, USA;Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA;Michigan State University School of Medicine, East Lansing, MI, 48824 USA;Perinatology Research Branch, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, USA;Perinatology Research Branch, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Detroit, MI 48202, USA;University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;

关键词: Fetus;    fMRI;    Human;    Prenatal;    Resting-state;    Connectome;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.dcn.2014.09.001

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Formation of operational neural networks is one of the most significant accomplishments of human fetal brain growth. Recent advances in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have made it possible to obtain information about brain function during fetal development. Specifically, resting-state fMRI and novel signal covariation approaches have opened up a new avenue for non-invasive assessment of neural functional connectivity (FC) before birth. Early studies in this area have unearthed new insights about principles of prenatal brain function. However, very little is known about the emergence and maturation of neural networks during fetal life. Here, we obtained cross-sectional rs-fMRI data from 39 fetuses between 24 and 38 weeks postconceptual age to examine patterns of connectivity across ten neural FC networks. We identified primitive forms of motor, visual, default mode, thalamic, and temporal networks in the human fetal brain. We discovered the first evidence of increased long-range, cerebral-cerebellar, cortical-subcortical, and intra-hemispheric FC with advancing fetal age. Continued aggregation of data about fundamental neural connectivity systems in utero is essential to establishing principles of connectomics at the beginning of human life. Normative data provides a vital context against which to compare instances of abnormal neurobiological development.

【 授权许可】

Unknown