Cited by 19Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesAdvanced Neuroimaging Techniques and ApplicationsAdvanced MRI Techniques and Applications

Gestational age-related changes in the fetal functional connectome: in utero evidence for the global signal

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Kim, Jung-Hoon, De Asis-Cruz, Josepheen, Cook, Kevin M, Limperopoulos, Catherine·2023·Cerebral Cortex

Abstract

The human brain begins to develop in the third gestational week and rapidly grows and matures over the course of pregnancy. Compared to fetal structural neurodevelopment, less is known about emerging functional connectivity in utero. Here, we investigated gestational age (GA)-associated in vivo changes in functional brain connectivity during the second and third trimesters in a large dataset of 110 resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans from a cohort of 95 healthy fetuses. Using representational similarity analysis, a multivariate analytical technique that reveals pair-wise similarity in high-order space, we showed that intersubject similarity of fetal functional connectome patterns was strongly related to between-subject GA differences (r = 0.28, P < 0.01) and that GA sensitivity of functional connectome was lateralized, especially at the frontal area. Our analysis also revealed a subnetwork of connections that were critical for predicting age (mean absolute error = 2.72 weeks); functional connectome patterns of individual fetuses reliably predicted their GA (r = 0.51, P < 0.001). Lastly, we identified the primary principal brain network that tracked fetal brain maturity. The main network showed a global synchronization pattern resembling global signal in the adult brain.

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Authors
Kim, J.-H., De Asis-Cruz, J., Cook, K. M., & Limperopoulos, C.
Affiliations
  • Children's National (US)
  • Developing Brain Institue , Children’s National Hospital, 111 Michigan Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC, 20010 , USA
Corresponding author
Limperopoulos, Catherine
Venue
Cerebral Cortex
Published
2022-05-31
Volume
33
Issue
5
Pages
2302-2314
ISSN
  • 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2199
OpenAlex
W4282925453
Cited by
19
References
80
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2
FWCI
2.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum
  • National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
Keywords
gestational age, fetal brain development, global signal, representational similarity analysis, hemispheric lateralization, frontal cortex, global synchronization
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Female, Fetus, Gestational Age, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Trimester, Third, Connectome

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