Editorial: Bridging the gap before and after birth: methods and technologies to explore the functional neural development in humans

Editorial: Bridging the gap before and after birth: methods and technologies to explore the functional neural development in humans. Early human development from late gestation to the neonatal period is a critical time in the individual's life span. Preterm birth or medical issues affecting the brain function during late gestation or the first months of life may lead to an avalanche of neurodevelopmental problems, including cognitive deficits and motor disability, with lifelong consequences for the individuals, their families, the health care system and the society (de Kieviet et al., 2012; March of Dimes, PMNCH, Save the Children, WHO, 2012). Despite the need for the alleviation of perinatal adversities, effective monitoring methods and clinical diagnostic procedures able to reduce fetal impairment and advance neonatal and infant healthcare are still missing. The focus of this E-Book is on the most recent developments and findings in the field of non-invasive monitoring of the central and autonomous nervous systems in fetuses and infants. The contributed opinion, review and original research articles included in this E-Book cover different methodological, clinical, functional, and structural topics, with the purpose to disseminate the knowledge on novel perinatal diagnostic tools and procedures, and to share the findings of high quality functional assessment of the developing human brain, and of clinical studies on pathological neurodevelopment. The fundamental requirement for a healthy functional development of the brain is the maintenance of an adequate blood flow and oxygenation. Inadequate brain perfusion is the main cause of preterm brain damage, which can be diagnosed by high-frequency ultrasound. Camfferman et al. (2015) performed an in vitro experiment using a microvessel flow phantom designed to mimic preterm cerebral perfusion and assess blood flow velocity. Their flow phantom allowed the visualization of the vessels, but flow velocity and vessel diameter were overestimated. Therefore, the authors solicited the development of a sonographic tool for clinical practice to study regional perfusion in preterm babies. Conversely, fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) is a well-established diagnostic tool for fetal surveillance. Two original research papers describe the findings of studies performed with fMCG to estimate the development of the autonomic nervous system. It is known that, around 32 weeks of gestation, four fetal behavioral states (quiet and active sleep and awakeness) can be identified by combining fetal heart rate variability (fHRV) and fetal movements. Brändle et al. (2015) confirmed these results in 55 fetuses and also showed that only quiescence and active awakeness …