Changes in fMRI and Neurocognitive Function in Women With Pre-eclampsia

Inclusion Criteria:Severe Pre-Eclampsia defined by

• Symptoms of central nervous system dysfunction (New onset cerebral or visual disturbance, such as: Photopsia, scotomata, cortical blindness, retinal vasospasm)
• Severe headache (ie, incapacitating, "the worst headache I've ever had") or headache that persists and progresses despite analgesic therapy
• Altered mental status
• Hepatic abnormality (Severe persistent right upper quadrant or epigastric pain unresponsive to medication and not accounted for by an alternative diagnosis or serum transaminase concentration ≥ twice normal, or both)
• Severe blood pressure elevation (Systolic blood pressure ≥160 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥110 mmHg on two occasions at least four hours apart while the patient is on bedrest (unless the patient is on antihypertensive therapy))
• Thrombocytopenia (<100,000 platelets/microL)
• Renal abnormality (Progressive renal insufficiency (serum creatinine >1.1 mg/dL or doubling of serum creatinine concentration in the absence of other renal disease))

• Pulmonary edema

  15 English-speaking pregnant controls with uncomplicated pregnancy matched by age and gestational age will be enrolled from the antenatal clinic or the labor ward.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of symptomatic cerebrovascular disease with substantial residual deficit
• History of alcoholism
• History of psychiatric illness
• History of claustrophobia
• Renal failure (creatinine > 2.0 mg/dl)
• Patients with less than a 7th grade education or unable to read and thus unable complete the neuropsychological testing
• Patients with bodily implants unsafe for MRI use