Anatomical characterization of human fetal brain development with diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging
Open accessAbstract
The human brain is extraordinarily complex, and yet its origin is a simple tubular structure. Characterizing its anatomy at different stages of human fetal brain development not only aids in understanding this highly ordered process but also provides clues to detecting abnormalities caused by genetic or environmental factors. During the second trimester of human fetal development, neural structures in the brain undergo significant morphological changes. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a novel method of magnetic resonance imaging, is capable of delineating anatomical components with high contrast and revealing structures at the microscopic level. In this study, high-resolution and high-signal-to-noise-ratio DTI data of fixed tissues of second-trimester human fetal brains were acquired and analyzed. DTI color maps and tractography revealed that important white matter tracts, such as the corpus callosum and uncinate and inferior longitudinal fasciculi, become apparent during this period. Three-dimensional reconstruction shows that major brain fissures appear while most of the cerebral surface remains smooth until the end of the second trimester. A dominant radial organization was identified at 15 gestational weeks, followed by both laminar and radial architectures in the cerebral wall throughout the remainder of the second trimester. Volumetric measurements of different structures indicate that the volumes of basal ganglia and ganglionic eminence increase along with that of the whole brain, while the ventricle size decreases in the later second trimester. The developing fetal brain DTI database presented can be used for education, as an anatomical research reference, and for data registration.
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Using ex vivo dMRI on fetal brain samples, major tract parts of the fornix and cingulum bundles are identifiable at 13 weeks, and a part of the corpus callosum at 15 weeks.
“For instance, using ex vivo dMRI scans on fetal brain samples, researchers are able to identify the major tract parts of the fornix and cingulum bundles at 13 weeks, but a part of the corpus callosum at 15 weeks (Huang et al., 2009).”
From Quantitative mapping of the brain’s structural connectivity using diffusion MRI tractography: A review (2022) · cites this paper as Huang et al., 2009
The Results (White matter tracts) say the fornix is appreciable as a major tract at 13 weeks and the corpus callosum appears at 15 weeks. But they say the cingulum bundle can be traced only after 17 weeks, not at 13 weeks. The supplied passages do not give page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.93)
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- Authors
- Huang, H., Xue, R., Zhang, J., Ren, T., Richards, L. J., Yarowsky, P., Miller, M. I., & Mori, S.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US)
- Kennedy Krieger Institute (US)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience
- Published
- 2009-04-01
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 4263-4273
- ISSN
- 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
- 1529-2401
- PMC
- PMC2721010
- OpenAlex
- W2095064889
- Cited by
- 364
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 13.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Medical Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG020012, AG 20012)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R21NS045841, NS45841)
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (R01EB003543, EB 003543)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Fetal and Pediatric Neurological Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- fetal brain development, second trimester, white matter tracts, corpus callosum, uncinate fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, basal ganglia, ganglionic eminence, ventricular size, diffusion tensor imaging, tractography
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Brain Mapping, Fetus, Gestational Age, Humans, Postmortem Changes, Imaging, Three-Dimensional, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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