The Developing Human Connectome Project Announces Its First Open Access Data Release | The Developing Human Connectome Project

"Scientists today have published ground-breaking scans of newborn babies’ brains which researchers from all over the world can download and use to study how the human brain develops. The images represent the first public outputs of this project, which will uncover how the brain develops, looking at the wiring and function of the brain during pregnancy and how this changes after birth. The dHCP researchers are sharing their images and methods online so that other scientists from around the world can use the data in their own research.

The dHCP project uses Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and has developed new techniques which allow the brains of fetuses and babies to be acquired. The researchers have overcome problems caused by the babies movement and small size, as well as the difficulties in keeping vulnerable infants safe in the MRI scanner, so that now they can produce highly detailed and rich information on brain development.

The project will help understand how important diseases like autism develop, or how problems in pregnancy affect brain growth"