Fetal cerebral lobes development between 20 and 28 weeks gestational age: a postmortem MR study.
To investigate the fetal cerebral lobes development between 20 and 28 weeks gestational age, 36 fetus specimen without CNS abnormality, with 4 fetuses in each gestation week, were scanned with 3.0T MR. Lobular parameters were measured, including the parenchyma thickness of the frontoparietal and the temporal lobes, the margin length of frontoparietal, the insula and the temporal lobes, the Sylvian fissure and the perimeter of hippocampus, on the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of hippocampus body across the base of cerebral peduncle. The relative value of parenchyma thickness and the lobes' length ratios to the same side hemisphere were calculated and their correlation with gestational weeks was analyzed. All measured parameters were positively correlated with gestational age. No significant tendency was found for relative value of the parenchyma thickness (P>0.05). The temporal lobe length ratio increased while the frontoparietal ratio decreased before 24 weeks GA and then the two reversed. The Sylvian fissure length ratio increased (P<0.001) and the hippocampus decreased (P<0.001) throughout this period. In conclusion, the early fetal cerebrum lobes developed asynchronously during this period, the 24 weeks GA could be a turning point for cerebrum development pattern changing from primitive to mature.
Department of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, No. 247 Beiyuan Road, 250033 Jinan, Shandong, PR China.
Linlin
L
Yang
Department of MR, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, No. 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, Shandong, PR China.
Liguang
L
Chen
Department of MR, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, No. 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, Shandong, PR China.
Xiuling
X
Qiu
Shandong Provincial Hospital, No. 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, Shandong, PR China.
Zhonghe
Z
Zhang
Research Center for Sectional and Imaging Anatomy, Shandong University School of Medicine, No. 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan 250012, Shandong, PR China.
Shuwei
S
Liu
Department of MR, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, No. 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, Shandong, PR China.
Guangbin
G
Wang
Department of MR, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, No. 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, Shandong, PR China.
Lianxiang
L
Xiao
Shandong University School of Medicine, No. 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan 250012, Shandong, PR China; Department of MR, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, No. 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: xiangtaolin2012@163.com.
Xiangtao
X
Lin
D000367:Age Factors; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D047109:Fetal Development; D005333:Fetus; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011180:Postmortem Changes
Asynchrony; Cerebrum lobes; Development; MRI; Midtrimester