A RAPID BRAIN METABOLIC CHANGE IN INFANTS DETECTED BY FMRI

To determine developmental changes of activity-related metabolism in h uman visual cortex, we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) from the neonatal period. A rapid metabolic changing pattern a ccompanying normal human brain maturation was revealed by fMRI with ph otic stimulation. Infants older than 8 weeks of age showed a stimulus- related signal decrease in the visual cortex, whereas younger neonates showed a signal increase. This inversion of response in infants sugge sts a change in oxygen consumption during neuronal activation, which i s related to rapid synapse formation and accompanying increased metabo lism. fMRI can detect dynamic metabolic changes during the brain matur ation, and provides a new clue in the detection of abnormal brain deve lopment or CNS plasticity.