Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are important consequences of adverse perinatal conditions such as fetal hypoxia and maternal malnutrition. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can produce a wealth of physiological information related to the development of the heart. This review outlines the current state of CMR technologies and describes the physiological biomarkers that can be measured. These phenotypes include impaired ventricular and atrial function, maladaptive ventricular remodeling, and the proliferation of myocardial steatosis and fibrosis. The discussion outlines the applications of CMR to understanding the developmental pathways leading to impaired cardiac function. The use of CMR, both in animal models of developmental programming and in human studies, is described. Specific examples are given in a baboon model of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). CMR offers great potential as a tool for understanding the sequence of dysfunctional adaptations of developmental origin that can affect the human cardiovascular system.

Structures that were engaged only during fasting were (Table 1): Inferior frontal gyrus (BA 47) has been linked to the modulation of hunger. The output from the orbitofrontal cortex to both striatum (lentiform nucleus) and lateral hypothalamus has been reported. The structures that were engaged only during satiated state were: Superior temporal gyrus has been implicated in food inhibition and mid temporal gyrus has been reported to be engaged in satiation. Cerebellum is activated when the brain is monitoring its sensory systems.