The Developing Brain

The second half of pregnancy is a time of exuberant brain growth. We are exploring how brain structure develops and how its functional capabilities mature. We seek to study both normal and abnormal brain development by directly observing the fetus in the womb using advanced imaging techniques. Our studies straddle the birth process, enabling us to explore effects of premature birth and of brain damage caused by shortage of oxygen during birth at the right age. Our research aims to create novel imaging techniques and analysis methods to study the developing brain; to learn about both normal and abnormal brain development; and to develop and test novel cerebral rescue treatments for neonates that suffer brain damage from lack of oxygen or premature birth.
By combining imaging with genetic analysis and clinical follow-up we seek to learn about the brain and how it develops in this critical early period of life. The outcomes of our research include new imaging and analysis methods that we apply to study the developing brain but may prove useful in other applications as well, basic insights concerning brain development, clinical tools for characterizing and managing brain problems, and novel therapies for improving outcome.

Our research programme uses a multi-disciplinary approach to study the developing brain, the damage it may suffer as a result of prematurity or birth trauma and to develop methods to improve the outcome of vulnerable infants by providing capabilities for more accurate and early diagnosis, and developing and testing novel therapies. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a core technology and we have pioneered its use both for studying the brain in utero and during the neonatal period. This has led to effective biomarkers of brain damage that have been used to test novel cerebral rescue therapies.
During the next 4 years we will aim to substantially further develop MR technology including motion tolerant functional imaging methods and patient specific multi-transmit RF techniques that will have wide application in perinatal research and clinical care as well as for use in high field imaging generally. These will be combined with novel analysis techniques to provide a detailed exploration of brain development in utero in both normal and compromised pregnancies and to link in utero findings to post natal studies to further explore effects of prematurity and support development of more effective neural rescue therapies. Key targets will be to characterize developing connectivity and brain function, to link imaging findings to underlying microstructural damage through study of tissue samples and post mortem imaging, and to integrate imaging and genetic methods to explore key childhood syndromes such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

please see QQR Documentation (Jo Jenkinson)