Fetal behavior during MRI changes with age and relates to network dynamics.
Lanxin Ji1, Amyn Majbri1, Cassandra L Hendrix1
1Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Human Brain Mapping
|December 24, 2022
Summary
This study links fetal movement patterns to brain activity using fMRI, finding connections between fetal motor behavior and later motor function. These findings enhance understanding of fetal brain development and organization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Fetal motor behavior is a key indicator of healthy development.
- Understanding the link between fetal movement and brain development is limited.
- Objective classification of fetal movement from fMRI data is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an automated method for classifying fetal movement from 4D fMRI data.
- To associate fetal motor behavior with brain activity patterns.
- To explore the relationship between fetal neural activity and postnatal motor function.
Main Methods:
- Acquired 12-minute fMRI scans from 120 fetuses.
- Used a deep learning model to extract fetal brain movement (frame-wise displacement).
- Analyzed coactivation patterns (CAPs) of the supplementary motor area (SMA) in low-motion data.
Main Results:
- Fetal motor activity decreased with advancing gestational age.
- Increased fetal movement correlated with decreased coactivation in the left parietotemporal network.
- SMA to posterior brain region coactivations predicted postnatal motor function at 7 months.
Conclusions:
- This study pioneers the pairing of fetal movement and fMRI data.
- Fetal brain activity patterns are associated with motor behavior and development.
- This approach offers insights into fetal brain organization and development.
