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Abstract #2028

Mapping Primary Gyrogenesis. In-Utero, High-Resolution Structural MRI Study of Brain Development in Fetal Baboons

Peter Kochunov1, Carlos Castro2, David Purdy3, Yi Zhang1, Duff Davis1

1Reseach Imaging Institute, UTHSCSA, san antonio, TX, United States; 2Ob / Gyn and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; 3Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, PA , United States


Primary gyrogenesis is a poorly-understood developmental process that transforms the lissencephalic cortex of a maturing mammalian brain toward its mature, gyrencephalic state by sculpting an intricate pattern of folds (gyri) and burrows (sulci). A novel in utero MRI protocol developed specifically for high-resolution imaging of fetal brain was used for precise tracking of global and regional gyrification in fetuses of baboons, information that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. These studies revealed a disparity in the growth rates of revealed a disparity of the growth rates in sulcal length and depth.