The Developing Human Connectome Project Neonatal Data Release

Abstract

The Developing Human Connectome Project has created a large open science resource which provides researchers with data for investigating typical and atypical brain development across the perinatal period. It has collected 1228 multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain datasets from 1173 fetal and/or neonatal participants, together with collateral demographic, clinical, family, neurocognitive and genomic data from 1173 participants, together with collateral demographic, clinical, family, neurocognitive and genomic data. All subjects were studied in utero and/or soon after birth on a single MRI scanner using specially developed scanning sequences which included novel motion-tolerant imaging methods. Imaging data are complemented by rich demographic, clinical, neurodevelopmental, and genomic information. The project is now releasing a large set of neonatal data; fetal data will be described and released separately. This release includes scans from 783 infants of whom: 583 were healthy infants born at term; as well as preterm infants; and infants at high risk of atypical neurocognitive development. Many infants were imaged more than once to provide longitudinal data, and the total number of datasets being released is 887. We now describe the dHCP image acquisition and processing protocols, summarize the available imaging and collateral data, and provide information on how the data can be accessed.

Structural and functional asymmetry of the neonatal cerebral cortex

“…Bias towards the adult reference was removed by applying the inverse of the average affine transformations on the template and dedrifting the template 131,132 . Data used to generate these templates were neonates included as part of the 3rd dHCP release 133 , which included 887 scan sessions from 783 neonates (578 healthy term-born; 683 singletons; 360 females). Neonates had a median GA at birth of 39.0 weeks (IQR: 34.4 - 40.5; range: 23.0 - 43.6), and median PMA at scan of 40.9 weeks (IQR: 38.6 - 42.3; range: 26.7 - 45.1).…”

Maturational networks of human fetal brain activity reveal emerging connectivity patterns prior to ex-utero exposure

“…In contrast to the standard analytical approach of ICA, which utilises correlational structure to factorise networks, our approach leverages age-related changes in correlations in order to characterise maturational modes of variation in the data. The utility of this approach is demonstrated in in-utero fMRI data acquired as part of the developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) 18,19 , an open science initiative aiming to map brain connectivity across the perinatal period. The data, of unprecedented sample size, quality and length, were reconstructed and preprocessed using cutting-edge methodologies [20][21][22] .…”

Longitudinal neonatal brain development and socio-demographic correlates of infant outcomes following preterm birth

“…In this study, we investigate both the structural and functional neonatal neural correlates of developmental outcomes following preterm birth – taking into account both psychomotor development and behavioural indicators of psychopathology. Using data from the Developing Human Connectome Project (Edwards et al, 2022), we leverage longitudinal imaging in the neonatal period (immediately following preterm birth and at term-equivalent age) in order to test whether the rate of development in brain structure or function is associated with outcome in toddlerhood, while controlling for key environmental socio-demographic factors (socio-economic deprivation and cognitively stimulating parenting). We use voxelwise measures of local volume and whole-brain functional connectivity, allowing us to test for regionally specific developmental effects associated with behaviour.…”