Characterizing the Impact of Antenatal Maternal Anaemia on the Child Brain using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Two South African Birth Cohorts

Despite the recognition of anaemia as a global health priority of particular relevance to low- and middle-income countries, little is known about its impact on the developing brain.

The aim of this neuroimaging research is to investigate the impact of antenatal maternal anaemia on brain structure and neurodevelopment in children from two high-risk South African birth cohorts.

Both a traditional, high-field MRI and the newly introduced Hyperfine low-field MRI will be used to answer this research question, and to explore whether the findings can be replicated across systems.

The high-field MRI will be used to determine whether the association between antenatal maternal anaemia and lower corpus callosum and basal ganglia volumes in 2-3-year-olds from a preliminary birth cohort study persists in the same children at age 6.

This relationship will also be investigated in 2-3-year-old children from a second birth cohort to confirm whether findings can be replicated, and to assess the role of iron-deficiency.

The low-field MRI system’s ability to detect brain alterations associated with antenatal maternal anaemia will be assessed by comparing replicated neuroimaging finds across MRI systems in the second birth cohort. Structural brain changes will be correlated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in both birth cohorts.