Feasibility of Ultra- Low-Field MRI for Measurement of Regional Infant Brain Volumes in Structures Associated with Anaemia

Motivation: The extent to which ultra- low-field MRI can detect the impact of antenatal maternal anaemia on child brain structure is unknown, particularly in infants. Goal(s): To assess the comparability of ultra-low (64mT) and high-field (3T) volumes in infants from the Khula South Africa birth cohort for brain regions associated with maternal anaemia. Approach: Correlations and concordance coefficients were used to investigate associations between ultra-low and high-field infant brain volumes for the corpus callosum, caudate, and putamen. Results: Findings demonstrated a strong linear association and a high degree of concordance between ultra-low and high-field regional brain volumes in infants between 3-24 months of age. Impact: This study demonstrates high comparability between ultra- low-field (64mT) and high-field (3T) volumes for brain regions implicated in antenatal maternal anaemia. Findings validate the use of the Hyperfine scanner for paediatric neuroimaging work on anaemia across low- and middle-income countries.