The human brain is susceptible to a wide variety of insults. The permanent residua of these abnormalities are represented in dysfunction of one or more areas of neurodevelopment. A full understanding of normal brain development, mechanisms of brain injury, and consequences for subsequent brain development is required to determine which infants are at risk for neurodevelopmental handicap, and to monitor the effects of new treatments and management regimens designed to prevent these disabilities. Advanced magnetic resonance techniques, such as quantitative morphometric magnetic resonance techniques, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance techniques, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy applied to the study of early human brain development have given us a better understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of brain injury and its effects on subsequent brain development. Magnetic resonance imaging has provided an invaluable tool for the study of the fetal and newborn brain in vivo.