Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
08:19
A Pipeline to Characterize Structural Heart Defects in the Fetal Mouse
Published on: December 16, 2022
Brain maturation is delayed in infants with complex congenital heart defects
Daniel J Licht1, David M Shera, Robert R Clancy
1Divison of Neurology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. licht@email.chop.edu
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
|March 5, 2009
Summary
Congenital heart defects in newborns are linked to delayed brain development, resulting in smaller head circumferences and immature brain structures. This prenatal delay may increase the risk of brain injury in infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Pediatric cardiology
- Developmental neuroscience
Background:
- Infants with severe congenital heart defects (CHDs) often exhibit smaller head circumferences and periventricular leukomalacia.
- CHDs can significantly impact fetal development, including the central nervous system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that CHDs cause delays in fetal brain development.
- To investigate the relationship between specific CHDs and in utero brain maturation.
Main Methods:
- Prospective evaluation of term infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) or transposition of the great arteries (TGA) using preoperative brain MRI.
- Exclusion of infants with confounding factors like shock or intrauterine growth retardation.
- Assessment of head circumference and total maturation score (TMS) on MRI to quantify brain development.
Main Results:
- The study included 29 neonates with HLHS and 13 with TGA.
- Infants with CHDs had head circumferences 1 standard deviation below normal.
- The mean TMS was significantly lower than normative data, indicating a 1-month delay in structural brain development.
Conclusions:
- Term infants with HLHS and TGA demonstrate smaller and structurally less mature brains prior to surgical intervention.
- This prenatal delay in brain development may predispose these infants to periventricular leukomalacia.
- Early identification of developmental delays is crucial for managing infants with CHDs.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Development of the Heart
The development of the human heart, a crucial organ, commences from the mesoderm on the 18th or 19th day after fertilization. This process initiates in the cardiogenic area, a group of mesodermal cells at the embryo's head end, which evolves into elongated strands known as cardiogenic cords. These cords undergo a transformation to form hollow-centered endocardial tubes.
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart tube by...
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart tube by...
01:30Neurulation
Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the anterior...