About this Research Topic

Background

The fetal brain can be disrupted by several placental, maternal, and fetal morbidities. Infections, genetic abnormalities, substance abuse, drugs, monochorionic pregnancy complications, and chronic hypoxia may be responsible of macroscopic and microscopic central nervous system (CNS) anomalies that can lead to post-natal disabilities through different pathways. An early interference in the fetal CNS formation can evolve into brain malformations. Pregnancies in which the fetus is at risk of developing neurodevelopmental disabilities are increasingly recognized owing to significant advances in fetal medicine, neurosonography and fetal MRI.

The goal of this Research Topic is to increase awareness about the need for prolonged, homogenous, and structured follow-up of children born after a high-risk pregnancy and/or with a congenital CNS abnormality recognized in uterus. Rare or uncertain conditions are difficult to prognosticate in fetal life and only long-term follow-up studies may guide the specialists involved in prenatal counselling.

This Research Topic will welcome submissions of original research, reviews, meta-analysis pertaining, but not limited to the following themes:
_Advances in neurosonography
_Advances in fetal-MRI
_Neurodevelopmental outcomes of monochorionic twins
_Neurodevelopmental outcomes of children born with a congenital infection
_Neurodevelopmental outcomes of fetuses born with CNS abnormalities

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: fetal neurology, neurosonography, fetal MRI, monochorionic twins, congenital infections, CNS malformations, neurodevelopmental outcome

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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