Magnetoencephalographic recordings of visual evoked brain activity in the human fetus

We investigated the feasibility of recording visual evoked brain activity in the human fetus by use of non-invasive magnetoencephalography (MEG). Each recording lasted 6 min and consisted of a sequence of 180 flashes with 33 ms duration delivered 2 s apart over the maternal abdomen. Four of ten fetuses included showed a response; the ranges of amplitude and latency of peak response were 15-30x10(-15) Tesla and 180-390 ms, respectively. Six fetuses showed no discernible response. With improvement, this method could aid in the testing of fetal neurological status throughout pregnancy.