1. Associations between Maternal Risk Factors and Intrinsic Placental and Fetal Brain Functional Properties in Congenital Heart Disease
- Author
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Vidya Rajagopalan, Vanessa Schmithorst, Alexander El-Ali, William Reynolds, Vincent Lee, Julia Wallace, Jacqueline Weinberg, Jennifer Johnson, Jodie Votava-Smith, Jennifer Adibi, and Ashok Panigrahy
- Subjects
Heart Defects, Congenital ,Placenta ,Organic Chemistry ,Brain ,General Medicine ,Catalysis ,Computer Science Applications ,Inorganic Chemistry ,maternal hypertension ,maternal diabetes ,placenta ,fetal brain resting BOLD signal ,Pregnancy ,Risk Factors ,Hypertension ,Humans ,Female ,Obesity ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Molecular Biology ,Spectroscopy - Abstract
BackgroundThe relationship between maternal risk factors (MRFs) (particularly pre-gravid obesity, diabetes, and hypertension) and congenital heart disease (CHD) to placental and fetal brain outcomes is poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that MRF and CHD would be associated with reduced intrinsic placental and fetal brain function using a novel non-invasive technique.MethodsPregnant participants with and without MRF and fetal CHD were prospectively recruited and underwent feto-placental MRI. Using intrinsic properties of blood oxygen level dependent imaging (BOLD) we quantified spatiotemporal variance of placenta and fetal brain. MRFs and CHD were correlated with functional characteristics of the placenta and fetal brain.ResultsCo- morbid MRF (hypertension, diabetes, and obesity) reduced spatiotemporal functional variance of placenta and fetal brain (p < 0.05). CHD predicted reduced fetal brain temporal variance compared to controls (pConclusionMRF and CHD reduced functional characteristic of placenta and brain in fetuses. MRF modification and management during pregnancy may have the potential to not only provide additional risk stratification but may also improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Published
- 2022
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