The development of several new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques has facilitated serial observations of the developing human brain in utero. For example, the noninvasive technique of functional MRI, which is used to study brain anatomy, function and metabolism in both humans and animals, has already enhanced our understanding of brain development and behavior relations. Currently, three main kinds of functional MRI techniques are used to study the developing brain: blood oxygenation level-dependent imaging, diffusion tensor imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. When used in developmental research, these techniques can detect variations and injury, which conventional MRI cannot. Thus, they offer far greater opportunities to explore the relationships between structure and function, and to interpret developmental mechanisms, as well as to detect malformations and pathologies at the cognitive, emotional and behavioral level. These methodologies and their application to brain development are reviewed in this paper.
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Yang et al. (2008) studied this question.
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