Cross-hemispheric functional connectivity in the human fetal brain

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Psychiatric and developmental disorders are linked to disruptions in brain functional connectivity (FC).
• Fetal development is implicated in the origin of these disorders, but the timeline of neural FC emergence is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the developmental timetable for neural functional connectivity (FC) during human fetal life.
• To characterize the emergence and patterns of brain FC in fetuses during the second and third trimesters.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was utilized.
• Data were collected from 25 healthy human fetuses between 24 and 38 weeks of gestation.

Main Results:

• Bilateral fetal brain FC was present, with significant connectivity found in half of the 42 tested areas.
• FC strength between homologous cortical regions increased with gestational age.
• Medial to lateral gradients in fetal functional brain connectivity were observed.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first description of the developmental timeline for neural FC in the human fetus.
• Findings enhance understanding of fetal central nervous system development and offer a basis for studying fetal insults in relation to later neural FC disorders.