Quantitative in vivo MRI measurement of cortical development in the fetus

Abstract

Normal brain development is associated with expansion and folding of the cerebral cortex following a highly orchestrated sequence of gyral-sulcal formation. Although several studies have described the evolution of cerebral cortical development ex vivo or ex utero, to date, very few studies have characterized and quantified the gyrification process for the in vivo fetal brain. Recent advances in fetal magnetic resonance imaging and post-processing computational methods are providing new insights into fetal brain maturation in vivo. In this study, we investigate the in vivo fetal cortical folding pattern in healthy fetuses between 25 and 35 weeks gestational age using 3-D reconstructed fetal cortical surfaces. We describe the in vivo fetal gyrification process using a robust feature extraction algorithm applied directly on the cortical surface, providing an explicit delineation of the sulcal pattern during fetal brain development. We also delineate cortical surface measures, including surface area and gyrification index. Our data support an exuberant third trimester gyrification process and suggest a non-linear evolution of sulcal development. The availability of normative indices of cerebral cortical developing in the living fetus may provide critical insights on the timing and progression of impaired cerebral development in the high-risk fetus.

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes After Cardiac Surgery in Infancy

“…Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in CHD fetuses show smaller total brain volumes (adjusted for gestational age and weight) and abnormal brain metabolism, as well as delayed cortical development and folding. [27][28][29][30][31] At birth, brain maturation in neonates with HLHS or TGA is delayed by ∼1 month compared with a normative sample. 29 Postnatal MRI studies have shown All characteristics from Table 1 except preoperative mechanical ventilation were considered for inclusion in the models.…”

Third Trimester Brain Growth in Preterm Infants Compared With In Utero Healthy Fetuses

“…Our findings suggest that even in the absence of structural brain injury, the developmental trajectory of the preterm brain is altered over the third trimester. Evidence of clinical 4 .01 * 14.17 ± 1.6 [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] 13.91 ± 2.7 [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] .66…”

Cerebrospinal Fluid and Parenchymal Brain Development and Growth in the Healthy Fetus

“…We prospectively enrolled healthy volunteers with singleton pregnancies and a normal pregnancy history, with normal clinical laboratory and ultrasound studies during the current pregnancy [12,25,[27][28][29] . Exclusion criteria included multiple gestations, known or suspected genetic or chromosomal abnormalities, as well as any maternal contraindication for MRI, including physical (e.g., metal implants) or psychosocial (e.g., claustrophobia) contraindications.…”

“…3D volumetric techniques provide more accurate results compared to the standard 2-dimensional (2D) biometric measures [16,22,23] . Together these techniques provide a multifaceted understanding of the developing brain, its regional and tissue-specific growth, microarchitecture, and evolving connectivity [12,[24][25][26] . These emerging quantitative MRI techniques are allowing us for the first time to identify the onset and evolution of acquired and dysgenetic fetal brain lesions, and allowing for more accurate prognostication of functional outcomes [7,26] .…”