New research conducted in Detroit indicates that altered brain connectivity is present before birth in prematurely born babies, suggesting that their brains are prewired to develop a range of motor impairments often seen in children born preterm.

The research was presented Oct. 18 in Chicago at Neuroscience 2015 by the study's lead author, Moriah Thomason, a Wayne State University assistant professor who has a joint appointment in the Department of Pediatrics and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child & Family Development. The conference is the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.

The researchers pioneered new technology that allowed them to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of fetuses still inside the womb to gain greater understanding of preterm brain development, prior to the challenges of early delivery.

The study recruited pregnant women through the National Institutes of Health's Perinatology Research Branch at Wayne State University, located in Hutzel Hospital, in collaboration with PRB physicians. Some of the women were at high risk for preterm delivery. All fetuses (and their mothers) were scanned around gestational week 30. Eighteen of the fetuses went on to be born prematurely, while 18 were born after gestational week 37, considered to be full term.

"We observed that activity in the motor system of the brain was more coordinated in fetuses that went on to be born at term, suggesting that this system was already more developed in term-born fetuses," Thomason said. "We also found that differences between the two groups were greatest in connections that were physically far apart. Thus, while local connections appear relatively preserved in preterm fetuses, the preterm brain may have delayed development of distant connections."

That failure to connect far-away brain regions in utero may underlie the motor deficits seen later in babies born prematurely. 
 
"Identifying alterations in neural networks before birth will provide a greater understanding of preterm brain development, leading to new ways to prevent and treat irregular neural connections that, in many infants, accompany prematurity," Thomason said.

The vast majority of the study participants live in Detroit, which has one of the highest rates of prematurity and infant mortality in the country.

"Children born preterm go on to experience higher rates of developmental disability and delay," Thomason said. "Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this relationship is critical to improving the health of underserved populations, such as ours in Detroit."
 
This research was supported by funding from the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development HHSN 275201300006C, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences awards P30 ES020957 and R21 ES026022.