A new technique opens the doors for us to know a little more in depth what happens in the fetal brain. Detroit researchers have gotten identify for the first time the baby's brain connections inside the mother's womb.
To achieve this they used a technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a kind of scanner that allows visualizing in real time the signs of communication between different parts of the brain of the fetus.
The study involved 110 pregnant women who were between weeks 24 and 38 of gestation and followed up after birth to relate their development to what they observed in the womb.
It is a pioneering technique that undoubtedly opens the way to the investigation of the functioning of the baby's brain since the first neuronal connections are established.
Scientists have made a map of neuronal connection in which they observed that areas of the brain that are in the same area but on opposite sides had stronger connections when the distance between them was smaller.
As children grow older, brain connections travel longer distances. The findings show that brain connections in fetuses cover shorter distances before longer and more distant brain connections can be programmed.
What is intended in the future is use it to detect neurological disorders, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia, believed to arise from a disruption in the communication of the brain system.
Thus, with early detection, it could help identify an earlier abnormal brain development and develop specific treatments.
