TESTING THE FETAL BRAIN  [ back to What's New ]
In Sept. 2002 Dr. Curtis Lowery of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced that he was able to test the responsiveness of the brain of live fetuses in utero by shining a light into the womb and measuring their brain activation with MEG (magneto-encephalography), a harmless scanning device that picks up the tiny magnetic fields given off by working brain cells. This is hoped to be the neurologic equivalent of the fetal heart monitor, but instead of detecting a fetus at risk due to abnormal heart rate or rhythm, this technique would detect a fetus at risk due to emerging or actual brain damage.