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Zhao H, Sun L, Xiao L, Wang L, Hu N, Miao M, Ginat DT, Mallio CA, Lin X. A postmortem high-resolution MRI study of the development of cochlear nerve-related structures in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Quant Imaging Med Surg 2024; 14:6325-6336. [PMID: 39281173 PMCID: PMC11400648 DOI: 10.21037/qims-24-626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/18/2024]
Abstract
Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to determine whether cochlear nerve development is normal in infants and adults, but it has not yet been used to evaluate cochlear nerve development or measure cochlear nerve-related structures in the fetus. This study sought to provide imaging data for clinical evaluations concerning cochlear nerve development in the fetus using MRI. Methods Postmortem 3.0-Tesla MRI of inner ear was performed in 51 fetuses with normal temporal bones at 25 to 40 weeks of gestation. The continuous scanning protocol incorporated axial three-dimensional (3D) sampling perfection with application-specific contrasts using different flip angle evolution sequences. The images were evaluated to measure the structures of the cochlear aperture (CA), internal auditory canal (IAC), and vestibulocochlear and facial nerves in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA), which have been reported to be associated with cochlear nerve development. We also calculated the ratio between the diameters of the vestibulocochlear and facial nerves. The measurable parameters were compared between the right and left sides. The threshold for statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results The inner ear anatomy was discernible on MRI in all the fetal specimens, and growth of the CA, IAC, vestibulocochlear nerve, and facial nerve in the CPA was observed as fetal age increased. There was no significant difference in the measurements of these structures between the right and left sides (all P>0.05). Conclusions MRI can be used to help evaluate the anatomy and development of the cochlear nerve in the fetus. These normative measurements could be valuable for clinical evaluations of the cochlear nerve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Lixin Sun
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Lianxiang Xiao
- Department of Radiology, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province, Jinan, China
| | - Linsheng Wang
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Na Hu
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Mingming Miao
- Department of Radiology, The Fifth People's Hospital of Jinan, Jinan, China
| | - Daniel Thomas Ginat
- Department of Radiology, Section of Neuroradiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Carlo A Mallio
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
- Research Unit of Radiology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Xiangtao Lin
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
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2
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Meredith Weiss S, Aydin E, Lloyd-Fox S, Johnson MH. Trajectories of brain and behaviour development in the womb, at birth and through infancy. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:1251-1262. [PMID: 38886534 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01896-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Birth is often seen as the starting point for studying effects of the environment on human development, with much research focused on the capacities of young infants. However, recent imaging advances have revealed that the complex behaviours of the fetus and the uterine environment exert influence. Birth is now viewed as a punctuate event along a developmental pathway of increasing autonomy of the child from their mother. Here we highlight (1) increasing physiological autonomy and perceptual sensitivity in the fetus, (2) physiological and neurochemical processes associated with birth that influence future behaviour, (3) the recalibration of motor and sensory systems in the newborn to adapt to the world outside the womb and (4) the effect of the prenatal environment on later infant behaviours and brain function. Taken together, these lines of evidence move us beyond nature-nurture issues to a developmental human lifespan view beginning within the womb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Staci Meredith Weiss
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK.
- University of Roehampton, School of Psychology, London, UK.
| | - Ezra Aydin
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah Lloyd-Fox
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mark H Johnson
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
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3
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Reid VM. The key to understanding core knowledge resides in the fetus. Behav Brain Sci 2024; 47:e139. [PMID: 38934431 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x23003175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
What Babies Know outlines a compelling case for why infancy research is fundamental for conceptualizing what it is to be human. There is another period in human development that is relatively inaccessible, yet is more important. In order to truly understand the nature of core knowledge, perception, and cognition, we must start not with the infant, but with the fetus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent M Reid
- School of Psychology, The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand https://profiles.waikato.ac.nz/vincent.reid/
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4
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Movalled K, Sani A, Nikniaz L, Ghojazadeh M. The impact of sound stimulations during pregnancy on fetal learning: a systematic review. BMC Pediatr 2023; 23:183. [PMID: 37081418 PMCID: PMC10116668 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-023-03990-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The developing nervous system in utero is exposed to various stimuli with effects that may be carried forward to the neonatal period. This study aims to investigate the effects of sound stimulation (music and speech) on fetal memory and learning, which was assessed later in neonatal period. METHODS The MEDLINE (pubmed), Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched. Two reviewers selected the studies and extracted the data independently. The quality of eligible studies was assessed using The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs). RESULTS Overall 3930 articles were retrieved and eight studies met the inclusion criteria. All of the included studies had good general quality; however, high risk of selection and detection bias was detected in most of them. Fetal learning was examined through neonatal electrocardiography (ECG), electroencephalography (EEG), habituation tests, and behavioral responses. Seven studies showed that the infants had learned the fetal sound stimulus and one study indicated that the prenatally stimulated infants performed significantly better on a neonatal behavior test. There was considerable diversity among studies in terms of sound stimulation type, characteristics (intensity and frequency), and duration, as well as outcome assessment methods. CONCLUSIONS Prenatal sound stimulation including music and speech can form stimulus-specific memory traces during fetal period and effect neonatal neural system. Further studies with precisely designed methodologies that follow safety recommendations, are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anis Sani
- Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Leila Nikniaz
- Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Morteza Ghojazadeh
- Professor of Physiology, Iranian Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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5
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Karthikeyan R, Davies WI, Gunhaga L. Non-image-forming functional roles of OPN3, OPN4 and OPN5 photopigments. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jpap.2023.100177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
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6
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Pivovarnik ES. Development of Sensory Processing in Premature Infants and Implications for Evidence-Based Music Therapy in the NICU. Neonatal Netw 2022; 41:189-199. [PMID: 35840335 DOI: 10.1891/nn-2021-0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the development of sensory processing in premature infants with implications for music therapists providing evidence-based care in a NICU. An overview of sensory processing and sensory processing disorders in premature infants is included, with specific emphasis on development of sensory systems of premature infants. Implications for developmentally appropriate music as therapy for premature infants are identified. Evidence-based NICU-MT can be combined with nursing care to reduce the risks of sensory processing disorder for the developing premature infant.
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7
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Pollatou A, Filippi CA, Aydin E, Vaughn K, Thompson D, Korom M, Dufford AJ, Howell B, Zöllei L, Martino AD, Graham A, Scheinost D, Spann MN. An ode to fetal, infant, and toddler neuroimaging: Chronicling early clinical to research applications with MRI, and an introduction to an academic society connecting the field. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101083. [PMID: 35184026 PMCID: PMC8861425 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal, infant, and toddler neuroimaging is commonly thought of as a development of modern times (last two decades). Yet, this field mobilized shortly after the discovery and implementation of MRI technology. Here, we provide a review of the parallel advancements in the fields of fetal, infant, and toddler neuroimaging, noting the shifts from clinical to research use, and the ongoing challenges in this fast-growing field. We chronicle the pioneering science of fetal, infant, and toddler neuroimaging, highlighting the early studies that set the stage for modern advances in imaging during this developmental period, and the large-scale multi-site efforts which ultimately led to the explosion of interest in the field today. Lastly, we consider the growing pains of the community and the need for an academic society that bridges expertise in developmental neuroscience, clinical science, as well as computational and biomedical engineering, to ensure special consideration of the vulnerable mother-offspring dyad (especially during pregnancy), data quality, and image processing tools that are created, rather than adapted, for the young brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angeliki Pollatou
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Courtney A Filippi
- Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Ezra Aydin
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kelly Vaughn
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Deanne Thompson
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Marta Korom
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Alexander J Dufford
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Brittany Howell
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA; Department of Human Development and Family Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Lilla Zöllei
- Laboratory for Computational Neuroimaging, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | | | - Alice Graham
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Dustin Scheinost
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Marisa N Spann
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
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8
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Key AP. Searching for a "Brain Signature" of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Event-Related Potentials and the Quest for Biomarkers of Cognition. J Clin Neurophysiol 2022; 39:113-120. [PMID: 34366396 DOI: 10.1097/wnp.0000000000000727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY This review summarizes main applications of event-related potentials (ERPs) to the study of cognitive processes in persons with neurodevelopmental disorders, for whom traditional behavioral assessments may not be suitable. A brief introduction to the ERPs is followed by a review of empirical studies using passive ERP paradigms to address three main questions: characterizing individual differences, predicting risk for poor developmental outcomes, and documenting treatment effects in persons with neurodevelopmental disorders. Evidence across studies reveals feasibility of ERP methodology in a wide range of clinical populations and notes consistently stronger brain-behavior associations involving ERP measures of higher-order cognition compared with sensory-perceptual processes. The final section describes the current limitations of ERP methodology that need to be addressed before it could be used as a clinical tool and highlights the needed steps toward translating ERPs from group-level research applications to individually interpretable clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra P Key
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A
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9
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Distinct Opsin 3 ( Opn3) Expression in the Developing Nervous System during Mammalian Embryogenesis. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0141-21.2021. [PMID: 34417283 PMCID: PMC8445036 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0141-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Opsin 3 (Opn3) is highly expressed in the adult brain, however, information for spatial and temporal expression patterns during embryogenesis is significantly lacking. Here, an Opn3-eGFP reporter mouse line was used to monitor cell body expression and axonal projections during embryonic and early postnatal to adult stages. By applying 2D and 3D fluorescence imaging techniques, we have identified the onset of Opn3 expression, which predominantly occurred during embryonic stages, in various structures during brain/head development. In addition, this study defines over twenty Opn3-eGFP-positive neural structures never reported before. Opn3-eGFP was first observed at E9.5 in neural regions, including the ganglia that will ultimately form the trigeminal, facial and vestibulocochlear cranial nerves (CNs). As development proceeds, expanded Opn3-eGFP expression coincided with the formation and maturation of critical components of the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS, PNS), including various motor-sensory tracts, such as the dorsal column-medial lemniscus (DCML) sensory tract, and olfactory, acoustic, and optic tracts. The widespread, yet distinct, detection of Opn3-eGFP already at early embryonic stages suggests that Opn3 might play important functional roles in the developing brain and spinal cord to regulate multiple motor and sensory circuitry systems, including proprioception, nociception, ocular movement, and olfaction, as well as memory, mood, and emotion. This study presents a crucial blueprint from which to investigate autonomic and cognitive opsin-dependent neural development and resultant behaviors under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
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10
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Reid VM, Dunn K. The Fetal Origins of Human Psychological Development. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/0963721420984419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The human fetus holds the key to unlocking the initial origins and predispositions of all aspects of human psychological development. Despite this, difficulties related to experimentally manipulating the behavior of the fetus to assess capacities have sidelined the fetus within the developmental sciences. Instead, the focus has been on the human infant. With new developments in the fields of obstetrics, medical physics, and psychology, the methodological constraints surrounding research on the human fetus are now reduced. We highlight new approaches and indicate possible new directions in the understanding of the cognitive and perceptual capacities of the human fetus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent M. Reid
- School of Psychology, University of Waikato
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University
| | - Kirsty Dunn
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University
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11
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Donovan T, Dunn K, Penman A, Young RJ, Reid VM. Fetal eye movements in response to a visual stimulus. Brain Behav 2020; 10:e01676. [PMID: 32609418 PMCID: PMC7428469 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In 2D ultrasound, the lens of the fetal eye can be distinguished as white circles within the hypoechoic eyeball, and eye movements can be visualized from about 15 weeks' gestation. It has been shown that from 31 weeks gestational age the fetal sensory system is capable of directed vision if enough light is available. METHODS We have developed a light source for delivering visual stimuli to be seen by the fetal eye, using laser dot diodes emitting at 650 nm. The 2D component of 94 fetal ultrasound scans (mean gestational age 240 days), where the light stimulus was presented, was coded to determine whether the eyes moved in response to the stimuli independent of any head movement. RESULTS The light stimulus significantly provoked head and eye movements, but after the light was withdrawn the head stopped moving, yet the eyes continued to move. CONCLUSION This provides evidence for visual attention mechanisms that can be controlled through eye movements that are independent of head movements prior to birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Donovan
- Medical Sciences, University of Cumbria, Lancaster, UK
| | - Kirsty Dunn
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Amy Penman
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Robert J Young
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Vincent M Reid
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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12
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Eswaran H, Lau C, Murphy P, Siegel ER, Preissl H, Lowery C. Tracking evoked responses to auditory and visual stimuli in fetuses exposed to maternal high-risk conditions. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:5-15. [PMID: 32654120 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) has been successfully applied to record fetal auditory (auditory evoked response [AER]) and visual evoked responses (VER). In this study, we report the AER and VER development trajectory by tracking the evoked response detectability and latency from recordings starting at 27 weeks of gestation in pregnancies classified as high risk. Fetal MEG and ultrasound recordings were performed on 158 pregnant women, and the total number of fetal auditory and visual tests conducted was 321 and 237, respectively. The overall evoked response analysis showed 237 AER (73.8%) and 164 VER detections (69.2%). The mean AER latency was 290.7 (SD 125.5) ms and the mean VER latency was 293.7 (SD 114.5) ms. The rate of decrease (95% confidence limits) in average AER and VER first-peak latency between 100-350 ms was 1.97 (-1.86, +5.81) ms/week and 1.35 (-3.83, +6.53) ms/week, respectively. This trend in high-risk fetuses conforms to the general trajectory of decrease in latency with gestational age progression, even though this decrease was non-significant, as reported in the case of normal growing fetuses. Although there was a significant difference in detection rates between male and female fetuses, this was not reflected in either latency values or the sensory modality applied. Furthermore, the main factors that had the most significant effect on response detectability included the presence of intervening layers of adipose tissue between the fetal head and stimulus source and an increase in the maternal body mass index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hari Eswaran
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, SARA Fetal MEG Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Chrystal Lau
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, SARA Fetal MEG Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Pam Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, SARA Fetal MEG Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Eric R Siegel
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Hubert Preissl
- Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Curtis Lowery
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, SARA Fetal MEG Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
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Abstract
Scheel et al.[1] highlight three types of methodological concern with the work reported in our recent paper [2], related to analytical decisions, fetal behavior, and how light interfaces with maternal tissue. Here we outline why the issues raised do not detract from our originally reported conclusions. In our view, the procedural and analytical decisions that we made in our study [2] were the most appropriate given the uncharted territory that we explored. The best test of methodological robustness of our approach would be replication by another laboratory.
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14
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Scheel AM, Ritchie SJ, Brown NJL, Jacques SL. Methodological problems in a study of fetal visual perception. Curr Biol 2019; 28:R594-R596. [PMID: 29787718 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Reid et al.[1] analysed data from 39 third-trimester fetuses, concluding that they showed a preferential head-orienting reaction towards lights projected through the uterine wall in a face-like arrangement, as opposed to an inverted triangle of dots. These results imply not only that assessment of visual-perceptive responses is possible in prenatal subjects, but also that a measurable preference for faces exists before birth. However, we have identified three substantial problems with Reid et al.'s [1] method and analyses, which we outline here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M Scheel
- Human-Technology Interaction Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Stuart J Ritchie
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Nicholas J L Brown
- University Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Steven L Jacques
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Department of Dermatology, Oregon Health Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
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15
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Liu J, Tsang T, Jackson L, Ponting C, Jeste SS, Bookheimer SY, Dapretto M. Altered lateralization of dorsal language tracts in 6-week-old infants at risk for autism. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12768. [PMID: 30372577 PMCID: PMC6470045 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Altered structural connectivity has been identified as a possible biomarker of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in the developing brain. Core features of ASD include impaired social communication and early language delay. Thus, examining white matter tracts associated with language may lend further insight into early signs of ASD risk and the mechanisms that underlie language impairments associated with the disorder. Evidence of altered structural connectivity has previously been detected in 6-month-old infants at high familial risk for developing ASD. However, as language processing begins in utero, differences in structural connectivity between language regions may be present in the early infant brain shortly after birth. Here we investigated key white matter pathways of the dorsal language network in 6-week-old infants at high (HR) and low (LR) risk for ASD to identify atypicalities in structural connectivity that may predict altered developmental trajectories prior to overt language delays and the onset of ASD symptomatology. Compared to HR infants, LR infants showed higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF); in contrast, in the right SLF, HR infants showed higher FA than LR infants. Additionally, HR infants showed more rightward lateralization of the SLF. Across both groups, measures of FA and lateralization of these pathways at 6 weeks of age were related to later language development at 18 months of age as well as ASD symptomatology at 36 months of age. These findings indicate that early differences in the structure of language pathways may provide an early predictor of future language development and ASD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle Liu
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tawny Tsang
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lisa Jackson
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn Ponting
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shafali S. Jeste
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Susan Y. Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neurosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mirella Dapretto
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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16
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Borsani E, Della Vedova AM, Rezzani R, Rodella LF, Cristini C. Correlation between human nervous system development and acquisition of fetal skills: An overview. Brain Dev 2019; 41:225-233. [PMID: 30389271 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2018.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the association between fetal nervous system structure and functioning should be an important goal in neurodevelopmental sciences, especially when considering the emerging knowledge regarding the importance of prenatal onset. Intrauterine development of the human central nervous system consists of specific processes: neurogenesis, neuronal migration, synaptogenesis, and myelination. However, as extensively shown by the neurobehavioral studies in the last century, the development of the central nervous system involves both structure and functioning. It is now recognised that the developing motor and sensory systems are able to function long before they have completed their neural maturation and that the intrauterine experience contributes to neurobehavioral development. This review analyzes the recent literature, looking at the association between the human nervous system maturation and fetal behavior. This article will follow the development and skill acquisition of the anatomical nervous system across the three trimesters of the gestation period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Borsani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Anatomy and Physiopathology, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy; Interdipartimental University Center of Research "Adaption and Regeneration of Tissues and Organs - (ARTO)", University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Anna Maria Della Vedova
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Neurosciences, Unit of General Psychology, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Rita Rezzani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Anatomy and Physiopathology, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy; Interdipartimental University Center of Research "Adaption and Regeneration of Tissues and Organs - (ARTO)", University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Luigi Fabrizio Rodella
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Anatomy and Physiopathology, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy; Interdipartimental University Center of Research "Adaption and Regeneration of Tissues and Organs - (ARTO)", University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Carlo Cristini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Neurosciences, Unit of General Psychology, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy; Interdipartimental University Center of Research "Adaption and Regeneration of Tissues and Organs - (ARTO)", University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy
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Vasung L, Abaci Turk E, Ferradal SL, Sutin J, Stout JN, Ahtam B, Lin PY, Grant PE. Exploring early human brain development with structural and physiological neuroimaging. Neuroimage 2019; 187:226-254. [PMID: 30041061 PMCID: PMC6537870 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.07.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Early brain development, from the embryonic period to infancy, is characterized by rapid structural and functional changes. These changes can be studied using structural and physiological neuroimaging methods. In order to optimally acquire and accurately interpret this data, concepts from adult neuroimaging cannot be directly transferred. Instead, one must have a basic understanding of fetal and neonatal structural and physiological brain development, and the important modulators of this process. Here, we first review the major developmental milestones of transient cerebral structures and structural connectivity (axonal connectivity) followed by a summary of the contributions from ex vivo and in vivo MRI. Next, we discuss the basic biology of neuronal circuitry development (synaptic connectivity, i.e. ensemble of direct chemical and electrical connections between neurons), physiology of neurovascular coupling, baseline metabolic needs of the fetus and the infant, and functional connectivity (defined as statistical dependence of low-frequency spontaneous fluctuations seen with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)). The complementary roles of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are discussed. We include a section on modulators of brain development where we focus on the placenta and emerging placental MRI approaches. In each section we discuss key technical limitations of the imaging modalities and some of the limitations arising due to the biology of the system. Although neuroimaging approaches have contributed significantly to our understanding of early brain development, there is much yet to be done and a dire need for technical innovations and scientific discoveries to realize the future potential of early fetal and infant interventions to avert long term disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lana Vasung
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Esra Abaci Turk
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Silvina L Ferradal
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Jason Sutin
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Jeffrey N Stout
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Banu Ahtam
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Pei-Yi Lin
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - P Ellen Grant
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Hong CCH, Fallon JH, Friston KJ, Harris JC. Rapid Eye Movements in Sleep Furnish a Unique Probe Into Consciousness. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2087. [PMID: 30429814 PMCID: PMC6220670 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The neural correlates of rapid eye movements (REMs) in sleep are extraordinarily robust; including REM-locked multisensory-motor integration and accompanying activation in the retrosplenial cortex, the supplementary eye field and areas encompassing cholinergic basal nucleus (Hong et al., 2009). The phenomenology of REMs speaks to the notion that perceptual experience in both sleep and wakefulness is a constructive process - in which we generate predictions of sensory inputs and then test those predictions through actively sampling the sensorium with eye movements. On this view, REMs during sleep may index an internalized active sampling or 'scanning' of self-generated visual constructs that are released from the constraints of visual input. If this view is correct, it renders REMs an ideal probe to study consciousness as "an exclusively internal affair" (Metzinger, 2009). In other words, REMs offer a probe of active inference - in the sense of predictive coding - when the brain is isolated from the sensorium in virtue of the natural blockade of sensory afferents during REM sleep. Crucially, REMs are temporally precise events that enable powerful inferences based on time series analyses. As a natural, task-free probe, (REMs) could be used in non-compliant subjects, including infants and animals. In short, REMs constitute a promising probe to study the ontogenetic and phylogenetic development of consciousness and perhaps the psychopathology of schizophrenia and autism, which have been considered in terms of aberrant predictive coding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles C.-H. Hong
- Patuxent Institution, Correctional Mental Health Center — Jessup, Jessup, MD, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - James H. Fallon
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Karl J. Friston
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - James C. Harris
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Popescu EA, Gustafson KM. Prospective advances in fetal biomagnetometry - Challenges remain. Clin Neurophysiol 2018; 129:503-504. [PMID: 29325857 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2017.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E A Popescu
- Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - K M Gustafson
- Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
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Matsuoka R, Lee S, Sato M, Hibiya R, Shimanuki Y, Kasai M, Kamiya K, Itakura A, Koike T, Ikeda K. Piezoelectric vibrator-stimulated potential and heart rate accelerations detected from the fetus. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2017; 101:204-210. [PMID: 28964296 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2017.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The fetus is well known to have a substantial capacity for sound recognition in the uterine environment. The aim of this study was to develop a sound stimulus system equipped with a piezoelectric vibrator (PV), record the PV-stimulated potential (PVSP) of the fetus and monitor changes of the fetal heart rate (FHR) under PV stimulation. METHODS The relationship between the input voltage applied to a piezoelectric vibrator and the sound pressure generated in the uterus was calibrated based on a model of the maternal abdomen. Fourteen fetuses for the measurement of the PVSP and 22 fetuses for the measurement of the heart rate changes from low-risk pregnant women were recruited. RESULTS The PVSP responses were obtained in 9 out of 14 fetuses. All the tested fetuses accelerated the FHR after the 2 kHz tone stimulation at 70 dB intensity generated by PV from 32 to 37 weeks gestational age. CONCLUSIONS Using a newly developed sound stimulus system equipped with PV, the electric responses of a fetus recorded from electrodes placed on the mother's abdomen may be closely related to the auditory evoked response. Significant accelerations of FHR were objectively, accurately and readily obtained after the sound stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rina Matsuoka
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sinyoung Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miho Sato
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Remi Hibiya
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yota Shimanuki
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Misato Kasai
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazusaku Kamiya
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsuo Itakura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuji Koike
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Katsuhisa Ikeda
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
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22
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The Human Fetus Preferentially Engages with Face-like Visual Stimuli. Curr Biol 2017; 27:1825-1828.e3. [PMID: 28602654 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In the third trimester of pregnancy, the human fetus has the capacity to process perceptual information [1-3]. With advances in 4D ultrasound technology, detailed assessment of fetal behavior [4] is now possible. Furthermore, modeling of intrauterine conditions has indicated a substantially greater luminance within the uterus than previously thought [5]. Consequently, light conveying perceptual content could be projected through the uterine wall and perceived by the fetus, dependent on how light interfaces with maternal tissue. We do know that human infants at birth show a preference to engage with a top-heavy, face-like stimulus when contrasted with all other forms of stimuli [6, 7]. However, the viability of performing such an experiment based on visual stimuli projected through the uterine wall with fetal participants is not currently known. We examined fetal head turns to visually presented upright and inverted face-like stimuli. Here we show that the fetus in the third trimester of pregnancy is more likely to engage with upright configural stimuli when contrasted to inverted visual stimuli, in a manner similar to results with newborn participants. The current study suggests that postnatal experience is not required for this preference. In addition, we describe a new method whereby it is possible to deliver specific visual stimuli to the fetus. This new technique provides an important new pathway for the assessment of prenatal visual perceptual capacities.
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