Fetal, Infant, Toddler Neuroimaging Group (FIT'NG): Uniting Clinical, Computational, Engineering, and Neuroscience to advance discoveries for the young child.

神经发育障碍，包括精神症状和学习障碍，以及药物使用， 仍然是公共卫生问题，因为它们可能导致教育和职业结果欠佳， 青春期和成年期。人类大脑的发育是一个复杂的过程， 在出生后的头两年里，胚胎发育迅速。推进 了解早期神经发育过程，以及促进健康与 适应不良的发展是应对这些挑战的关键手段。快速增长的领域 胎儿，婴儿和幼儿的神经影像学表现出潜力，有助于这一领域，增加从 在1990年代至2021年期间，每年出版160至530种出版物。然而，各种挑战阻碍了 包括与数据获取和处理有关的方法问题;现有数据的迅速变化 用于向用户传播的资源有限的技术和工具; 研究参与者和研究人员中的个人。我们考虑了社区成长的烦恼 并回应了建立一个桥梁组织的需要，该组织将那些在发展方面具有专门知识的人聚集在一起， 神经科学，临床科学，计算和生物医学工程，以促进数据的进步 质量和图像处理工具的年轻大脑。胎儿、婴儿和幼儿神经成像组 (FIT'NG），成立于2018年的非营利性学术团体，旨在汇集跨学科的研究人员 重点关注生命最初几年的神经发育。一场专门关注这一领域的年会， 必须跟上技术进步，建立和分享最佳做法， 挑战，并在各个层面增加多样性。我们提出了一个多年会议应用程序，以支持 以下具体目标：（1）促进FIT'NG科学家之间的新研究和合作， （2）增加来自不同种族、民族和社会经济背景的科学家的机会 背景，特别关注代表性不足的少数民族科学家，突出他们的工作，并参与 有效地在这一领域的研究;（3）促进和支持下一代FIT'NG的发展 研究人员通过为年轻的研究人员参加会议提供财政和职业支持。定时 这些会议与八个NIH研究所的健康大脑和儿童发展（HBCD）倡议一致， 这项开创性的研究涉及美国数千名新生儿的神经成像， 从出生到童年的前瞻性跟踪。FIT'NG会议将为美国提供一个论坛。 六溴环十二烷网络内外的调查人员交流信息，开展合作， 与国际科学家共同进行胎儿、婴儿和幼儿神经成像研究。

Neurodevelopmental disorders, including psychiatric symptoms and learning disabilities, and substance use, remain public health concerns as they can lead to suboptimal educational and occupational outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Human brain development is a complex process that begins in the weeks following conception and undergoes rapid development through the first two years of postnatal life. Advancing understanding of early neurodevelopmental processes, and the conditions which foster healthy versus maladaptive development, represents a critical means of addressing these challenges. The rapidly growing field of fetal, infant, and toddler neuroimaging demonstrates potential to contribute to this area, with an increase from 160 to 530 publications per year during the 1990's to 2021. Yet, a myriad of challenges hinder progress of the field including methodological issues related to data acquisition and processing; rapid changes in available technology and tools with limited resources for dissemination to users; and underrepresentation of minoritized individuals among research participants and researchers. We considered the growing pains of the community and responded to the need for a bridge organization that brings together those with expertise in developmental neuroscience, clinical-science, and computational and biomedical engineering to facilitate advances in data quality and image processing tools for the young brain. The Fetal, Infant, and Toddler Neuroimaging Group (FIT'NG), non-profit academic society established in 2018, aims to bring together interdisciplinary researchers with a focus on neurodevelopment during the first years of life. An annual meeting focused solely on this field is essential to keep up with technological advances, establish and share best practices to address methodological challenges, and increase diversity at every level. We propose a multi-year conference application to support the following specific aims: to (1) stimulate new research and collaboration between FIT'NG scientists across disciplines; (2) increase the opportunity for scientists from racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds, with particular attention to underrepresented minority scientists, to highlight their work, and engage effectively in this field of research; and (3) promote and support the development of the next generation of FIT'NG researchers by providing financial and career support for young investigators to attend the meeting. The timing of the meetings aligns with the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) initiative of eight NIH institutes, a groundbreaking study involving neuroimaging with thousands of newborns across the United States that will be prospectively followed from birth through childhood. The FIT'NG meeting will provide a forum for U.S. investigators both within and outside of the HBCD network to exchange information and collaborate, and engage with the international community of scientists conducting fetal, infant and toddler neuroimaging research.