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Abstract #0092

Defining the Structural Basis of the Radial Coherence of Diffusion Tractography in the Human Fetal Telencephalon: Insights from Neuroanatomic Correlations

Emi Takahashi1, 2, Gang Xu3, Rebecca D. Folkerth4, Robin L. Haynes3, Joseph J. Volpe5, Hannah C. Kinney3, Patricia Ellen Grant1, 2

1Newborn Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; 2Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, United States; 3Pathology, Childrens Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School; 4Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School; 5Neurology, Childrens Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School


We aimed to define through a correlative HARDI- and immunohistochemical analyses the neuroanatomic basis of transient radial coherence of the telencephalic wall that extends from the lateral ventricle to the pial surface. Our data suggest that HARDI-determined radial coherence in the fetal white matter from approximately 20 to 30 weeks reflects radial glial fibers, radially oriented chains of migrating neuroblasts, and a subset of radially oriented, immature axons in combination. This study provides important baseline for the interpretation of radial coherence in the clinical assessment of preterm infants at risk for encephalopathy of prematurity and radial glial fiber injury.