The Developing Human Connectome Project Neonatal Data Release.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• The Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) is an initiative to create a comprehensive open science resource.
• Understanding typical and atypical brain development is crucial for early diagnosis and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To release a substantial dataset of neonatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.
• To provide researchers with multimodal data for investigating perinatal brain development.
• To detail the dHCP image acquisition and processing protocols.

Main Methods:

• Acquisition of 1228 multimodal MRI brain datasets from 1173 fetal and/or neonatal participants.
• Utilized specialized motion-tolerant imaging sequences on a single MRI scanner.
• Collected extensive demographic, clinical, neurocognitive, and genomic data.

Main Results:

• Release of 887 neonatal MRI datasets from 783 infants, including healthy, preterm, and high-risk neonates.
• Data includes longitudinal imaging for some participants.
• Comprehensive imaging and collateral data are now accessible.

Conclusions:

• The dHCP provides a valuable, open-access resource for studying early brain development.
• The released neonatal data facilitates research into neurodevelopmental trajectories.
• Detailed protocols ensure data quality and reproducibility.