Abstract
While the visuomotor system is known to develop rapidly after birth, studies have observed spontaneous activity in vertebrates in visually excitable cortical areas already before extrinsic stimuli are present. Resting state networks and fetal eye movements were observed independently in utero, but no functional brain activity coupled with visual stimuli could be detected using fetal fMRI. This study closes this gap and links in utero eye movement with corresponding functional networks. BOLD resting-state fMRI data were acquired from seven singleton fetuses between gestational weeks 30–36 with normal brain development. During the scan time, fetal eye movements were detected and tracked in the functional MRI data. We show that already in utero spontaneous fetal eye movements are linked to simultaneous networks in visual- and frontal cerebral areas. In our small but in terms of gestational age homogenous sample, evidence across the population suggests that the preparation of the human visuomotor system links visual and motor areas already prior to birth.
Highlights
Postnatal sensory development is critical (Lewis and Maurer, 2005), as external stimuli shape the cortical architecture and its initial genetic roadmap (Bengoetxea et al, 2012)
In utero resting state networks (Schöpf et al, 2012; Thomason et al, 2013), and fetal eye movements (Birnholz, 1981; Woitek et al, 2013) were observed independently, but no visual stimulus response could be located in fetal functional magnetic resonance imaging
The present results indicate a relationship between fetal eye movements and activation in visual brain areas, motor areas, and orbitofrontal areas in utero
Summary
Postnatal sensory development is critical (Lewis and Maurer, 2005), as external stimuli shape the cortical architecture and its initial genetic roadmap (Bengoetxea et al, 2012). The nervous structures responsible for initial stimulus processing and evidence from animal studies suggest that already before the onset of vision, genetic factors, and spontaneous activity form the basis for subsequent topographic refinement of functional networks driven by experience. In utero resting state networks (Schöpf et al, 2012; Thomason et al, 2013), and fetal eye movements (Birnholz, 1981; Woitek et al, 2013) were observed independently, but no visual stimulus response could be located in fetal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; Fulford et al, 2003). The emergence of the visuomotor system is informative regarding the precursory period of post-natal vision It involves the relationship of intrinsic and extrinsic components suspected to shape the subsequent development of perception. In this work we investigated the relationship between eye movements and functional activity in utero, to identify the corresponding functional networks present before birth
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