title: Spectral power differences in the brain activity of growth-restricted and normal fetuses.
abstract: Using non-invasive fetal magnetoencephalography (fMEG), we investigated spontaneous brain activity in 28 fetuses diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and compared the results to 47 normal-growth fetuses. The fetal gestational age ranged from 28 to 39 weeks with post-natal recordings obtained on 17 of the IUGR fetuses. Power spectrum was computed and was divided into four frequency bands. A significant difference in the relative spectral power in delta, theta and beta bands (P<0.01) was observed only in the 28-32 week gestation age group with alpha band showing a similar trend (P=0.054). This observation suggests that growth restriction may have a more pronounced effect on the fetal brain in early gestation. Larger population studies could reveal the potential value of fMEG as an additional surveillance tool for growth-restricted fetuses.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States. eswaranhari@uams.edu
authors: Hari
authors: H
authors: Eswaran
authors: Rathinaswamy B
authors: RB
authors: Govindan
authors: Naim I
authors: NI
authors: Haddad
authors: Eric R
authors: ER
authors: Siegel
authors: Hubert T
authors: HT
authors: Preissl
authors: Pamela
authors: P
authors: Murphy
authors: Curtis L
authors: CL
authors: Lowery
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D047109:Fetal Development; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D005333:Fetus / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005865:Gestational Age; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods*