# Enhanced Imaging of the Fetal Brain Microstructure

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2022 · $537,951

## Abstract

Enhanced Imaging of the Fetal Brain Microstructure
The fetal period of brain development is critical as it involves complex processes of cell proliferation,
neuronal migration, and myelination that are particularly vulnerable to disturbances from adverse events
in utero and conditions that develop during gestation. Specifically, hypoxia caused by abnormal circulation,
is hypothesized to disrupt neuronal migration thereby causing altered brain connectivity and adverse
neurological outcomes. Abnormal brain connectivity has been depicted in newborns and adolescents with
critical congenital heart disease (CHD) using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Gross brain abnormalities
have also been identified and quantified prenatally in CHD using in utero T2-weighted magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), but the precise location and timing of disrupted neuronal migration that leads to these
abnormalities, has remained unclear due to technological limitations of in utero DWI. In this project we aim
at developing new DWI technologies that remove these barriers to improve our understanding of the
maturation of fetal brain microstructure as well as the origins and patterns of its alterations in utero. In
particular, we aim to develop new techniques to address the limitations of current fetal DWI technology by
effectively mitigating and compensating for motion and geometric distortion artifacts during acquisitions.
This project therefore seeks to create a paradigm shift in the way fetal DWI is acquired and analyzed. The
three specific aims of the project are to 1) create a prospectively motion-corrected slice navigation system
for fetal brain DWI, 2) enhance fetal DWI acquisitions with artifact reduction and compensation by
developing new imaging and image reconstruction techniques for dynamic field mapping, and 3) evaluate
fetal brain maturation in congenital heart disease. We will assess the utility and impact of the technologies
developed in this project by analyzing and comparing a large pre-existing cohort of fetal DWI scans with
the scans prospectively acquired from both typically-developing (TD) and CHD fetuses with these new
techniques. Moreover, we expect to gain important knowledge about early disruptions to neuronal
migration pathways and formation of brain connections due to compromised circulation and hypoxia in
fetuses with CHD. By making fetal DWI more reliable and robust, this study will mitigate a critical barrier to
making progress in the fields of developmental neurology and neuroscience. Improved understanding of
the impact of adverse events in utero on fetal brain growth and the trajectories of altered brain development
can help guide neuroprotective and therapeutic interventions, and enable early, more effective treatments
for neurological diseases and mental disorders. Fetal DWI plays a crucial role in establishing such an
understanding as it is uniquely able to depict the microstructure of the fetal brain in utero.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10345136
- **Project number:** 1R01EB032366-01
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** ALI GHOLIPOUR-BABOLI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $537,951
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-03-01 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10345136

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10345136, Enhanced Imaging of the Fetal Brain Microstructure (1R01EB032366-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10345136. Licensed CC0.

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