Scientists show for the first time how brain ‘wiring’ develops in babies
Tuesday 11 January 2011
Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have shown, for the first time, how our brain ‘wiring’ develops in the first few months of life. Using a new imaging technique, the scientists monitored the formation of insulating layers around nerve cells, a process called myelination, which is vital for normal brain function. Damage to the myelination process is believed to contribute to a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including autism and intellectual disability.
In very premature babies, myelination can be particularly prone to damage. The researchers hope that their new imaging technique will allow doctors to directly measure whether the treatments given to premature infants encourage normal brain development, while also shedding light on the biological roots of a host of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
The MRC-funded scientists based in the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, scanned 14 healthy babies born at full term. The babies were scanned while asleep using a specially-modified, quiet, baby-friendly MRI scanner. To build up a picture of their myelin development, the researchers scanned the infants monthly between 3 and 11 months. By the age of nine months, myelination was visible in all brain areas and in some regions had developed to a near adult-like level.
Lead author, Dr Sean Deoni, from King’s College London, said:
“We already know that insulating myelin sheaths form the cornerstone of our neurodevelopment. Without them, messages to and from the brain would be in disarray. Our new imaging technique opens up an exciting new avenue to investigate early-stage brain development which could be pivotal in understanding devastating disorders such as autism, intellectual disability and developmental delay. By understanding exactly how myelin develops and when this process breaks down, we hope to be able to tailor treatments for vulnerable patients, such as premature babies, and understand what differentiates those that develop normally from those who have some delay or disability.”
Professor Declan Murphy, from King’s College London, who oversaw the research, said:
“Until now, we’ve not been able to show how myelination develops in babies but this new MRI technique allows us to do just that. We are extremely grateful to the families who volunteered for our study to make this happen. Their contribution has provided the crucial first step towards a model for healthy brain development. We can now use this model to understand how differences in the way our brains ‘connect up’ relates to neurological and intellectual disorders that may not become apparent until later in life. For example a next step is to scan premature babies and see how their myelin development differs from babies born full term; and how connections in the brains of babies who are at greater risk for developing autism differ from others.”
The MRC supports research, such as this study to uncover clues that can predict the onset of mental disorder. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, was funded by the Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. The research was undertaken using the A.I.M.S. Network (Autism Imaging Multicentre Study), which is funded by the MRC.
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For more information or to speak with one of the scientists, please contact the MRC Press Office on 0207 395 2345 or email press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Notes to Editors:
1. Sean Deoni, Declan Murphy et al., Mapping Infant Brain Myelination with Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Journal of Neuroscience.
2. Throughout the MRI scanning session the babies’ heart rate and oxygen levels were continuously monitored. Only infants born full term were recruited for the study.
3. For almost 100 years the Medical Research Council has improved the health of people in the UK and around the world by supporting the highest quality science. The MRC invests in world-class scientists. It has produced 29 Nobel Prize winners and sustains a flourishing environment for internationally recognised research. The MRC focuses on making an impact and provides the financial muscle and scientific expertise behind medical breakthroughs, including one of the first antibiotics penicillin, the structure of DNA and the lethal link between smoking and cancer. Today MRC funded scientists tackle research into the major health challenges of the 21st century www.mrc.ac.uk.
4. King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher Education 2009) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has nearly 23,000 students (of whom more than 8,600 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 5,500 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate. The Institute of Psychiatry is a School of King's College London and one of the world's largest post-graduate centres for research and teaching in psychiatry, psychology, and allied disciplines, including basic and clinical neurosciences. King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts (SLaM) are part of King's Health Partners (KHP). King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org
5. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading-edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk NIHR Biomedical Research Centres translate lab-based discoveries into new cutting edge treatments, technologies, diagnostics and other interventions in clinical settings. There are twelve NIHR BRCs based within our leading NHS and university partnerships.
