New technology to map the brains of babies – euronews

Researchers at Kings College in London, designed a magnetic resonance imaging technology to scan the brains of babies.

In traditional tests, the machine takes a series of pictures that are then reconstructed in three dimensions.

The patient is required to remain still for the test to be of good quality. In the case of a baby, it is necessary to take into account the natural and continuous movement of the fetus.

The technology developed by Kings College allows precisely the exam of a moving body. It becomes possible to observe the nerve connections in the brain of a baby.

The British researchers want to use the information gathered to draw a map of the brain of the fetus. The project is called connectome.

“The connectome will provide us a map so we can understand what happens in the brain and provide a context for all the information we have. We now know a lot about how the brain works, on the molecules of the brain, on how messages are sent from one nerve fiber to another, but it is very difficult to put things in context, because we have a map that allows us to contextualize information. In addition, we have a map that you can change up over time. We want to have a map in four dimensions, three spatial dimensions and the dimension of time where we will post new information or old information on the brain to understand how things work in a real context, “explained the doctor and professor of pediatrics David Edwards.