Baby brain: tiny ones wire short distances first

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MunichWhat is going on in the head of the unborn? That's what researchers at Wayne State University School of Medicine wanted to know. A look into the baby's brain showed how the nerve network develops in the womb. The short distances come first, then the long distances of the nerve connections follow, according to a result of the study.

Insightful brain scans

The researchers around Dr. Moriah Thomason observed how the baby brain developed at different ages. The test subjects were 25 pregnant women who were in the 24th to 38th week of pregnancy. The images were created using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This technology can map the nerve signals in different brain regions in real time. In total, the researchers took pictures of more than 40 areas of the brain.

Brain center developed first

They found that the connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain strengthened as the fetuses got older. Areas that were in the same place but on different sides of the brain had a stronger connection with each other when the distance between them was small. Areas of the brain that were further out had weaker connections. "The results show that the short-distance connections are created first for fetuses, and the longer distances are wired later," say the authors. “These findings match what we know about brain development in children.” As they get older, the connections bridge longer distances.

Discovering nerve disorders

Many brain disorders such as ADHD, autism or reading difficulties (dyslexia) are associated with interrupted communication in the brain networks. If you better understand how nerve cells network in the brain and which factors influence the connection, you could discover such disorders earlier and develop targeted therapies.

Source: Thomason, M. et.al .: “Cross-Hemispheric Functional Connectivity in the Human Fetal Brain, Science Translational Medicine, February 20, 2013;

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