Tomoki Arichi1, Gianlorenzo Fagiolo2,
Alejandro Melendez3, Nazakat Merchant1, Nora Tusor1,
Serena J. Counsell1, Etienne Burdet3, Christian F.
Beckmann4, A. David Edwards1
1Neonatal Medicine Group,
MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London,
London, United Kingdom; 2Imaging Physics Group, MRC Clinical
Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London; 3Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London; 4Mathematical Imaging
Neuroscience, Donders Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Using a simple somatosensory stimulus and a short-stimulus event related experimental design, we aimed to characterise the morphology of the Haemodynamic Response Function (HRF) in the newborn brain. In comparison to the canonical adult waveform, it was identified that the HRF in newborn infants has a smaller positive peak amplitude with a longer lag time to the peak, and a proportionality deeper negative undershoot period. These results are likely due to differences in neurovascular coupling and may explain the previous inconsistencies utilising the technique in the newborn population.