1 research outputs found
Born too early and too small: higher order cognitive function and brain at risk at ages 8–16
Prematurity presents a risk for higher order cognitive functions. Some of these deficits
manifest later in development, when these functions are expected to mature. However,
the causes and consequences of prematurity are still unclear. We conducted a
longitudinal study to first identify clinical predictors of ultrasound brain abnormalities in
196 children born very preterm (VP; gestational age 32 weeks) and with very low birth
weight (VLBW; birth weight 1500 g). At ages 8–16, the subset of VP-VLBW children
without neurological findings (124) were invited for a neuropsychological assessment
and an MRI scan (41 accepted). Of these, 29 met a rigorous criterion for MRI quality
and an age, and gender-matched control group (n = 14) was included in this study.
The key findings in the VP-VLBW neonates were: (a) 37% of the VP-VLBW neonates
had ultrasound brain abnormalities; (b) gestational age and birth weight collectively with
hospital course (i.e., days in hospital, neonatal intensive care, mechanical ventilation and
with oxygen therapy, surgeries, and retinopathy of prematurity) predicted ultrasound
brain abnormalities. At ages 8–16, VP-VLBW children showed: a) lower intelligent
quotient (IQ) and executive function; b) decreased gray and white matter (WM) integrity;
(c) IQ correlated negatively with cortical thickness in higher order processing cortical
areas. In conclusion, our data indicate that facets of executive function and IQ are the
most affected in VP-VLBW children likely due to altered higher order cortical areas and
underlying WMThis study was supported by the Spanish Government Institute Carlos III (FIS Pl11/02860), Spanish Ministry of Health to MM-L, and the University of Castilla-La Mancha mobility Grant VA1381500149