Thanks to state-of-the-art technology, doctors at King’s College London are mapping the brains of babies while they are still in the womb.
Traditional MRI scanners work by taking a series of cross-sectional images that are then are reconstructed into 3D images. Conventionally, subjects entering an MRI scanner must remain as still as possible and are often held in place to make sure the scans are clear.
This is obviously impossible with foetuses, which float in the womb and are therefore in continual movement. Until recently, the only way to scan a foetus was to use single shot techniques to “freeze” motion.
But this breakthrough software enables doctors to take scans during movement, making it possible, for the first time, to see individual nerve connections forming in the baby’s brain and draw up a map, which scientists are calling the Connectome.
The research is being led by Professor David Edwards, consultant neonatologist and professor of Paediatrics at King’s College Lon
