Abstract
Fetuses show various facial expressions, such as blinking, yawning, sucking, mouthing, tongue expulsion, scowling, and smiling, assessed by four-dimensional ultrasound from the early second trimester of pregnancy. Moreover, some fetuses demonstrate emotion-like behaviors as noted in infants, children, and adults. Selective fetal responses to stimuli indicate a high degree of brain development, which is reflected in the facial reactions. The fetal face with its movements and expressions can mirror the fetal brain function and development during different stages of the fetus in utero. The fetal face might represent the key to opening the box containing the secrets of fetal brain function and development. Four-dimensional ultrasound may be an important modality in current and future research on fetal facial expressions and assist in the evaluation of the fetal brain function.
Acknowledgment
The work reported in this paper was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for scientific Research on Innovative Areas “Constructive Developmental Science” (No.24119004) from The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.
Author’s statement
Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Materials and methods: Informed consent: Informed consent has been obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: The research related to human subject use has complied with all the relevant national regulations, and institutional policies, and is in accordance with the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration, and has been approved by the authors’ institutional review board or equivalent committee.
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©2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- 3D/4D Sonography
- Advantages of 3D ultrasound in the assessment of fetal abnormalities
- Diagnosis of fetal syndromes by three- and four-dimensional ultrasound: is there any improvement?
- Three-dimensional ultrasound for prenatal assessment of conjoined twins: additional advantages?
- Three dimensional power Doppler of the placenta and its clinical applications
- 3D power Doppler in the evaluation of abnormally invasive placenta
- 4D assessment of fetal brain function in diabetic patients
- Multicentric studies of the fetal neurobehavior by KANET test
- Fetal face as important indicator of fetal brain function
- 4D ultrasound study of fetal movement early in the second trimester of pregnancy
- Preimplantation 3D ultrasound: current uses and challenges
- 3D and 4D studies from human reproduction to perinatal medicine
- Congress Calendar
- Congress Calendar
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- 3D/4D Sonography
- Advantages of 3D ultrasound in the assessment of fetal abnormalities
- Diagnosis of fetal syndromes by three- and four-dimensional ultrasound: is there any improvement?
- Three-dimensional ultrasound for prenatal assessment of conjoined twins: additional advantages?
- Three dimensional power Doppler of the placenta and its clinical applications
- 3D power Doppler in the evaluation of abnormally invasive placenta
- 4D assessment of fetal brain function in diabetic patients
- Multicentric studies of the fetal neurobehavior by KANET test
- Fetal face as important indicator of fetal brain function
- 4D ultrasound study of fetal movement early in the second trimester of pregnancy
- Preimplantation 3D ultrasound: current uses and challenges
- 3D and 4D studies from human reproduction to perinatal medicine
- Congress Calendar
- Congress Calendar