Exploring the fetal functional connectome.

The human connectome is a dynamic outcome of an elaborated developmental trajectory of network formation which starts in utero, with important macroscale neurodevelopmental changes occurring during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Recent progresses of intrauterine fMRI processing create the unique possibility to acquire information on emerging functional dynamics of the fetal brain. In this talk, we will discuss the state of the art of fetal connectomics in the second and third trimester of pregnancy, focusing on studies that examine resting-state network attributes at the beginning of human life. We will present resting-state networks properties and functional topological organization of the developmental connectome based on one of the largest fMRI datasets of fetuses with an age between 20 and 40 weeks of gestation, revealing that immature adult-like resting-state networks of the brain are already present in utero. Emerging evidence of preterm and fetal MRI studies suggest that during this period the connectome is in a particularly vulnerable state, undergoing large scale network reconfiguration. We will overview findings from the field and talk about how fetal MRI results can be used to improve clinical intervention and advance knowledge of normal human neurodevelopment. By associating fetal functional connectivity measures with behavioral outcomes after birth, the potential of fetal connectome research is early prediction, and therewith to open new opportunities to prevent child psychopathology already in utero.