RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Functional Connectome of the Fetal Brain
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 9716
OP 9724
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2891-18.2019
VO 39
IS 49
A1 Elise Turk
A1 Marion I. van den Heuvel
A1 Manon J. Benders
A1 Roel de Heus
A1 Arie Franx
A1 Janessa H. Manning
A1 Jasmine L. Hect
A1 Edgar Hernandez-Andrade
A1 Sonia S. Hassan
A1 Roberto Romero
A1 René S. Kahn
A1 Moriah E. Thomason
A1 Martijn P. van den Heuvel
YR 2019
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/39/49/9716.abstract
AB Large-scale functional connectome formation and reorganization is apparent in the second trimester of pregnancy, making it a crucial and vulnerable time window in connectome development. Here we identified which architectural principles of functional connectome organization are initiated before birth, and contrast those with topological characteristics observed in the mature adult brain. A sample of 105 pregnant women participated in human fetal resting-state fMRI studies (fetal gestational age between 20 and 40 weeks). Connectome analysis was used to analyze weighted network characteristics of fetal macroscale brain wiring. We identified efficient network attributes, common functional modules, and high overlap between the fetal and adult brain network. Our results indicate that key features of the functional connectome are present in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Understanding the organizational principles of fetal connectome organization may bring opportunities to develop markers for early detection of alterations of brain function.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The fetal to neonatal period is well known as a critical stage in brain development. Rapid neurodevelopmental processes establish key functional neural circuits of the human brain. Prenatal risk factors may interfere with early trajectories of connectome formation and thereby shape future health outcomes. Recent advances in MRI have made it possible to examine fetal brain functional connectivity. In this study, we evaluate the network topography of normative functional network development during connectome genesis in utero. Understanding the developmental trajectory of brain connectivity provides a basis for understanding how the prenatal period shapes future brain function and disease dysfunction.