Vidya Rajagopalan, PhD

Dr. Rajagopalan’s lab focuses on developing imaging and computational methods to understand placental, fetal and infant development and how it is influenced by birth anomalies or environmental factors.

Publications

Baron Nelson MC, O'Neil SH, Tanedo J, Dhanani S, Malvar J, Nuñez C, Nelson MD Jr, Tamrazi B, Finlay JL, Rajagopalan V, Lepore N. Brain biomarkers and neuropsychological outcomes of pediatric posterior fossa brain tumor survivors treated with surgical resection with or without adjuvant chemotherapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 Feb;68(2):e28817. doi: 10.1002/pbc.28817. Epub 2020 Nov 29. PubMed PMID: 33251768; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7755691.

Rajagopalan V, Ashouri K, Llanes A, Vanderbilt DL, Lepore N, Bluml S, Lai HA, Wisnowski J, Chon AH, Chmait RH. Fetal neurodevelopmental recovery in donors after laser surgery for twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Prenat Diagn. 2021 Jan;41(2):190-199. doi: 10.1002/pd.5866. Epub 2020 Nov 26. PubMed PMID: 33191511; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8101071.

Gajawelli N, Deoni S, Shi J, Linguraru MG, Porras AR, Nelson MD, Tamrazi B, Rajagopalan V, Wang Y, Lepore N. Neurocranium thickness mapping in early childhood. Sci Rep. 2020 Oct 6;10(1):16651. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-73589-w. PubMed PMID: 33024168; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7538561.

Hayek C, Rajagopalan V, Meouchy J, Votava-Smith J, Miller D, Del Castillo S, Panigrahy A, Paquette L. Ventricular and total brain volumes in infants with congenital heart disease: a longitudinal study. J Perinatol. 2020 Sep;40(9):1383-1388. doi: 10.1038/s41372-020-0711-4. Epub 2020 Jun 16. PubMed PMID: 32546829; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8186433.

Rajagopalan V, Votava-Smith JK, Zhuang X, Brian J, Marshall L, Panigrahy A, Paquette L. Fetuses with single ventricle congenital heart disease manifest impairment of regional brain growth. Prenat Diagn. 2018 Dec;38(13):1042-1048. doi: 10.1002/pd.5374. Epub 2018 Nov 6. PubMed PMID: 30328635.

PubMed Link

Research

Research Topics

Placental Imaging
Fetal Neurodevelopment
Early life brain imaging
Impact of maternal health on fetal development
Congenital heart disease

Research Overview

Dr. Rajagopalan’s research focus is to advance non-invasive imaging and computational methods to study placental and fetal development in utero. The overall goal of her research is to better understand neurocognitive outcomes associated with various congenital, environmental and mental health risks. In particular, her work focuses on congenital heart disease. Changes in fetal hemodynamics can impact the structure, connectivity and function of the brain, setting off a “perfect storm” of adverse life outcomes. Non-invasive imaging and computational methods could provide a unique window of opportunity to lay the groundwork for early neuroprotection aimed at improving long-term outcomes and quality of life for high-risk children and their families.

View Rajagopalan Laboratory page