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Scanning Dos and Don'ts: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Children Aged 3 to 5 Years to Assess Brain Structure and Function
Published on: March 10, 2026
Basic principles and concepts underlying recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging of the developing brain
Ashok Panigrahy1, Matthew Borzage, Stefan Blüml
1Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Institute for Maternal Fetal Health, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA. apanigrahy@chla.usc.edu
Abstract:
Over the last decade, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has become an essential tool in the evaluation of both in vivo human brain development and perinatal brain injury. Recent technology including MR-compatible neonatal incubators, neonatal head coils, advanced MR pulse sequences, and 3-T field strength magnets allow high-quality MR imaging studies to be performed on sick neonates. This article will review basic principles and concepts underlying recent advances in MR spectroscopy, diffusion, perfusion, and volumetric MR imaging. These techniques provide quantitative assessment and novel insight of both brain development and brain injury in the immature brain. Knowledge of normal developmental changes in quantitative MR values is also essential to interpret pathologic cases.
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