Eu-Aims Brain Imaging In Babies Study

BIBS is an exciting project using brain imaging to understand the brain development of babies at risk of Autism and /or ADHD.
Contact: bibs@kcl. ac. uk

The EU-AIMS Brain Imaging in Babies Study (BIBS) aims to better understand infant brain development through the use of non-invasive brain imaging (MRI), and neuro-behavioural assessments.

We hope to follow participants from pregnancy up until the child is 3-4 years of age, and study the babies’ brain at three separate time-points: fetal (30-33 weeks of pregnancy), neonatal (in the first 4 weeks of life) and infancy (at 4 months of age). The MRI images generate comprehensive information on brain structure, chemistry, function and connectivity, and by examining these measures alongside infant behaviour and neurodevelopmental outcome, we aim to identify any differences in brain development at this critical time. We also hope to identify biomarkers that may be predictive of Autism and /or ADHD, as well as markers that may be protective in preventing children at risk of such conditions from developing clinically significant traits.

Our aim is to include 2 different groups of people; One group will include people who are pregnant or have recently given birth, and who already have a child with a diagnosis of ASD or ADHD, or they themselves and /or partner have been diagnosed with the conditions. The second group will include people who are pregnant or have recently given birth and have no documented history of Autism or ADHD in their immediate family. This will enable us to identify early diagnostic biomarkers for infants at increased risk of neurodevelopmental conditions (e. g. ADHD).

EU-AIMS is an Innovative Medicines Initiative Project (http://www. imi. europa. eu /). The research leading to these results has received support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement n° 115300, resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 /2007 - 2013) and EFPIA companies' in kind contribution.