Adré J. du Plessis, M.B.Ch.B.
Division Chief, Prenatal and Transitional Pediatrics
Adré J. du Plessis, M.B.Ch.B., is a full-time attending in prenatal neurology, as well as the director of the Zickler Family Prenatal Pediatrics Institute (PPI), division chief of Prenatal and Transitional Pediatrics and director of the Prenatal-Neonatal Neuroscience Program at Children's National Hospital. Dr. du Plessis is a leading international expert in the normal and abnormal development of the brain, as well as the mechanisms of injury to the immature brain. Under his leadership, PPI is pioneering a continuum of care for children, starting in utero and across the transition from prenatal to postnatal life.
Key Studies
| March 2026 | Wu Y, Andescavage N, Weiner SL, Liggett M, Ngwa JS, Kapse A, Kapse K, McDermott CE, Donofrio MT, Wisner KL, Wessel D, du Plessis AJ, Limperopoulos C. Prenatal Maternal Psychological Distress Is Associated With Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Toddlers With Congenital Heart Disease. Pediatric Research. 2026 Mar 3. doi: 10.1038/s41390-026-04859-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41776370 | view |
| November 2025 | Ottolini KM, Basu SK, Ngwa J, Kapse K, Murnick J, Cook KM, Wu Y, Watson TT, du Plessis AJ, Limperopoulos C, Andescavage N. Donor Human Milk and Structural Brain Development in Very Preterm Infants. Pediatric Research. 2025 Nov 1:10.1038/s41390-025-04539-3. doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-04539-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41174153; PMCID: PMC12959636 | view |
Date: April 2022
Seed M, Limperopoulos C. In Utero Brain Growth Matters for Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease. Circulation. 2022 Apr 12;145(15):1120-1122. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.058683. Epub 2022 Apr 11. PMID: 35404677
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35404677
Date: January 2010
Limperopoulos C, Tworetzky W, McElhinney DB, Newburger JW, Brown DW, Robertson RL Jr, Guizard N, McGrath E, Geva J, Annese D, Dunbar-Masterson C, Trainor B, Laussen PC, du Plessis AJ. Brain Volume and Metabolism in Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease: Evaluation With Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy. Circulation. 2010 Jan 5;121(1):26-33. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.865568. Epub 2009 Dec 21. PMID: 20026783; PMCID: PMC2819908
View: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2819908
Date: February 2024
Wu Y, De Asis-Cruz J, Limperopoulos C. Brain Structural and Functional Outcomes in the Offspring of Women Experiencing Psychological Distress During Pregnancy. Molecular Psychiatry. 2024 Jul;29(7):2223-2240. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02449-0. Epub 2024 Feb 28. PMID: 38418579; PMCID: PMC11408260
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38418579
Date: April 2022
Wu Y, Espinosa KM, Barnett SD, Kapse A, Quistorff JL, Lopez C, Andescavage N, Pradhan S, Lu YC, Kapse K, Henderson D, Vezina G, Wessel D, du Plessis AJ, Limperopoulos C. Association of Elevated Maternal Psychological Distress, Altered Fetal Brain, and Offspring Cognitive and Social-Emotional Outcomes at 18 Months. JAMA Network Open. 2022 Apr 1;5(4):e229244. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9244. PMID: 35486403; PMCID: PMC9055453
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35486403