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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
general
Normative spatiotemporal fetal brain maturation with satisfactory development at 2 years
Nature, Volume 623, No. 7985, Year 2023
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Description
Maturation of the human fetal brain should follow precisely scheduled structural growth and folding of the cerebral cortex for optimal postnatal function1. We present a normative digital atlas of fetal brain maturation based on a prospective international cohort of healthy pregnant women2, selected using World Health Organization recommendations for growth standards3. Their fetuses were accurately dated in the first trimester, with satisfactory growth and neurodevelopment from early pregnancy to 2 years of age4,5. The atlas was produced using 1,059 optimal quality, three-dimensional ultrasound brain volumes from 899 of the fetuses and an automated analysis pipeline6–8. The atlas corresponds structurally to published magnetic resonance images9, but with finer anatomical details in deep grey matter. The between-study site variability represented less than 8.0% of the total variance of all brain measures, supporting pooling data from the eight study sites to produce patterns of normative maturation. We have thereby generated an average representation of each cerebral hemisphere between 14 and 31 weeks’ gestation with quantification of intracranial volume variability and growth patterns. Emergent asymmetries were detectable from as early as 14 weeks, with peak asymmetries in regions associated with language development and functional lateralization between 20 and 26 weeks’ gestation. These patterns were validated in 1,487 three-dimensional brain volumes from 1,295 different fetuses in the same cohort. We provide a unique spatiotemporal benchmark of fetal brain maturation from a large cohort with normative postnatal growth and neurodevelopment. © 2023, The Author(s).
Authors & Co-Authors
Fernandes, Michelle Caroline
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
United Kingdom, Southampton
University of Southampton
Cheikh Ismail, Leila El
United Arab Emirates, Sharjah
University of Sharjah
Gunier, Robert B.
United States, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
Squier, Waney M.V.
United Kingdom, Oxford
John Radcliffe Hospital
Ohuma, Eric O.
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
United Kingdom, London
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Carvalho, Maria J.
Kenya, Nairobi
Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi
Jaffer, Yasmin A.
Oman, Muscat
Ministry of Health Oman
Gravett, Michael G.
United States, Seattle
University of Washington
Wu, Qingqing
China, Beijing
Peking University
Lambert, Ann
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Winsey, Adele
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Restrepo-Méndez, María Clara
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Bertino, Enrico
Italy, Turin
Università Degli Studi Di Torino
Purwar, Manorama B.
India, Nagpur
Ketkar Hospital
Barros, Fernando C.
Brazil, Pelotas
Universidade Catolica de Pelotas
Stein, Alan L.
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
South Africa, Kwazulu-natal
African Health Research Institute
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand Faculty of Health Sciences
Molnár, Zoltán
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Bhutta, Zulfiqar A.
Canada, Toronto
Hospital for Sick Children University of Toronto
Papageorghiou, Aris T.
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Villar, Josè
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Kennedy, Stephen H.
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Statistics
Authors: 21
Affiliations: 18
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1038/s41586-023-06630-3
ISSN:
00280836
Research Areas
Maternal And Child Health
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Study Design
Cohort Study