The purpose of this presentation is to illustrate that the high-amplitude reflecting structures in the fetal and neonatal brain can be explained by the echogenicity of their leptomeningeal coverings or leptomeningeal origins. The leptomeninges, especially the pia mater, constitute the "grand unifying theory of bright reflectors" in the fetal and neonatal brain. Images from fetal and neonatal so...

BACKGROUND In the immature developing fetal brain, amino acids (such as gamma-aminobutyric acid, and taurine) and monoamines (serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine) act as developmental signals or regulators. In subjects with Down syndrome, dysfunctional brain development is evident from birth as reduction in brain weight, as well as volume reductions in specific brain regions, and an altered ...

D uring healthy pregnancy, appropriate levels of fetal nutrition and oxygenation are indispensable for the optimal growth and development of the fetal organs. In pregnancy complicated by decreased nutrient and oxygen delivery to the fetus, current dogma is that the growth and development of key organs, such as the brain, are “spared” at the expense of nonessential organs served by peripheral va...

BACKGROUND Exposure of the fetal or neonatal non-human primate (NHP) brain to isoflurane or ketamine for 5 h causes widespread apoptotic degeneration of neurones, and exposure to isoflurane also causes apoptotic degeneration of oligodendrocytes (OLs). The present study explored the apoptogenic potential of propofol in the fetal and neonatal NHP brain. METHOD Fetal rhesus macaques at gestation...

Fetal Electrocardiogram Extraction (FECG) identifies the congenital heart problems at the earlier stage. The major problem in the non invasive procedure is the extraction of FECG from Maternal ECG (MECG) and many interferences. The proposed methods (i) Combination of Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference (ANFIS) and Fractional spline wavelet (ii) Combination of Fractional spline wavelet and ANFIS (iii...

An electrocardiogram (ECG) signal contains the electrical activity generated by the contraction of heart muscles. An ECG signal can provide a lot of information about an individual's heart condition and health. That being said, principles of ECG analysis can also be applied to the electrocardiogram of a fetus (FECG) in order to accurately monitor heart development and health during the differen...

Mutations of the monocarboxylate transporter 8 gene (MCT8, SLC16A2) cause the Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome, an X-linked syndrome of severe intellectual deficit and neurological impairment. Mct8 transports thyroid hormones (T4 and T3), and the Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome is likely caused by lack of T3 transport to neurons during critical periods of fetal brain development. To evaluate the rol...

A frequent cause of fetal acidemia, which sometimes results in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, is umbilical cord compression associated with uterine contraction. Using a sheep model of fetal acidemia, we examined the changes in electrocorticogram (ECoG), carotid artery blood flow, arterial blood pressure and fetal heart rate during cord compression. A characteristic burst of ECoG spikes emerge...