A longitudinal model of executive function development from birth through adolescence in children born very or extremely preterm

Stålnacke, Johanna; Lundequist, Aiko; Böhm, Birgitta; Forssberg, Hans; Smedler, Ann-Charlotte

doi:10.1080/09297049.2018.1477928

Cited by 30 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The mean IQ of our VLBW/ELBW preterm subjects fell in the average range and it was true also for the subscale scores of the WISC-IV (Table 2), similarly to the results published by Grunewaldt et al (2014) and Stålnacke et al (2018). However, the picture is really reassuring only as far as our VLBW subgroup is considered.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…In cognitive flexibility (cognitive set shifting, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) our preterm children performed at the same level as their controls. Our results support the model that differentiates the EF into two separable major components which may follow distinct developmental pathways over time (Stålnacke et al, 2018). In cognitive flexibility even our ELBW preterms seem to have caught up with the nonrisk counterparts by 9-10 years of age that Ritter and colleagues (2013) found only in their 10-13 year-olds.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…It is apparent that the neurodevelopmental consequences of premature birth affect the development of cognitive functions and academic abilities, although the bulk of research evidence is not consistent. The IQs of the VLBW/ELBW preterm children as a group were found to fall into the average (Grunewaldt et al, 2014) or low-average zone (Stålnacke, Lundequist, Böhm, Frossberg, & Smedler, 2018). However, according to a recent meta-analysis reviewing 71 studies comparing the IQs of very preterm children to those of term comparison groups the preterms significantly lagged behind (Twilhaar et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A universally accepted theoretical model of EF is not yet available, but inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility have been generally regarded as its core components (Diamond, 2013). As inhibition failed to explain variance above the common EF factor it was omitted from a revised model which consists of a shifting specific factor (cognitive flexibility) and an updating specific factor (working memory) (Miyake & Friedman, 2012;Stålnacke et al, 2018). The importance of EF is increasingly recognized since EFs have been found to influence school readiness more strongly than IQ (Blair & Razza, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Four year-old preterm children performed more poorly than the term comparison group on direct measures of EF, and their teachers reported that they had more difficulties with inhibition, working memory, planning/organisational skills, and self-control (O'Meagher, Kemp, Norris, Anderson, & Skilbeck, 2017). School-age ELBW/VLBW preterms scored poorer as compared to their non-risk counterparts in tasks requiring inhibition, working memory, and shifting (i.e., cognitive flexibility) (Aarnoudse-Moens, Duivenvoorden, Weisglas- Kuperus, van Goudoever, & Oosterlaan, 2011;Ford et al, 2011;Stålnacke et al, 2018). In the study of Ritter, Nelle, Perrig, Steinlin and Everts (2013) 8-10 year-old VLBW children performed significantly poorer than the controls in inhibition, working memory, and shifting, whereas the 10-13 year old VLBW children reached the same level as the controls in all three EFs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Intelligence and executive functions in 9–10 year-old preterm children born with very low and extremely low birth weight

Nagy

Kalmár

Beke

et al. 2019

Mentálhigiéné És Pszichoszomatika

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Intelligence and executive functions in 9–10 year-old preterm children born with very low and extremely low birth weight

Nagy

Kalmár

Beke

et al. 2019

Mentálhigiéné És Pszichoszomatika

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Association of Brain Microstructure and Functional Connectivity With Cognitive Outcomes and Postnatal Growth Among Early School–Aged Children Born With Extremely Low Birth Weight

Kim

Song

et al. 2023

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportancePostnatal growth may be associated with longitudinal brain development in children born preterm.ObjectiveTo compare brain microstructure and functional connectivity strength with cognitive outcomes in association with postnatal growth among early school–aged children born preterm with extremely low birth weight.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis single-center cohort study prospectively enrolled 38 children 6 to 8 years of age born preterm with extremely low birth weight: 21 with postnatal growth failure (PGF) and 17 without PGF. Children were enrolled, past records were retrospectively reviewed, and imaging data and cognitive assessments occurred from April 29, 2013, through February 14, 2017. Image processing and statistical analyses were conducted through November 2021.ExposurePostnatal growth failure in the early neonatal period.Main Outcomes and MeasuresDiffusion tensor images and resting-state functional magnetic resonance images were analyzed. Cognitive skills were tested using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale; executive function was assessed based on a composite score calculated from the synthetic composite of the Children’s Color Trails Test, STROOP Color and Word Test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; attention function was evaluated using the Advanced Test of Attention (ATA); and the Hollingshead Four Factor Index of Social Status–Child was estimated.ResultsTwenty-one children born preterm with PGF (14 girls [66.7%]), 17 children born preterm without PGF (6 girls [35.3%]), and 44 children born full term (24 girls [54.5%]) were recruited. Attention function was less favorable in children with PGF than those without PGF (mean [SD] ATA score: children with PGF, 63.5 [9.4]; children without PGF, 55.7 [8.0]; P = .008). Significantly lower mean (SD) fractional anisotropy in the forceps major of the corpus callosum (0.498 [0.067] vs 0.558 [0.044] vs 0.570 [0.038]) and higher mean (SD) mean diffusivity in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus–parietal bundle (8.312 [0.318] vs 7.902 [0.455] vs 8.083 [0.393]; originally calculated as millimeter squared per second and rescaled 10 000 times as mean diffusivity × 10 000) were seen among children with PGF compared with children without PGF and controls, respectively. Decreased resting-state functional connectivity strength was observed in the children with PGF. The mean diffusivity of the forceps major of the corpus callosum significantly correlated with the attention measures (r = 0.225; P = .047). Functional connectivity strength between the left superior lateral occipital cortex and both superior parietal lobules correlated with cognitive outcomes of intelligence (right superior parietal lobule, r = 0.262; P = .02; and left superior parietal lobule, r = 0.286; P = .01) and executive function (right superior parietal lobule, r = 0.367; P = .002; and left superior parietal lobule, r = 0.324; P = .007). The ATA score was positively correlated with functional connectivity strength between the precuneus and anterior division of the cingulate gyrus (r = 0.225; P = .048); however, it was negatively correlated with functional connectivity strength between the posterior cingulate gyrus and both superior parietal lobules (the right superior parietal lobule [r = −0.269; P = .02] and the left superior parietal lobule [r = −0.338; P = .002]).Conclusions and RelevanceThis cohort study suggests that the forceps major of the corpus callosum and the superior parietal lobule were vulnerable regions in preterm infants. Preterm birth and suboptimal postnatal growth could have negative associations with brain maturation, including altered microstructure and functional connectivity. Postnatal growth may be associated with differences in long-term neurodevelopment among children born preterm.

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Cognitive performance during adulthood in a rat model of neonatal diffuse white matter injury

et al. 2022

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Rationale Infants born prematurely risk developing diffuse white matter injury (WMI), which is associated with impaired cognitive functioning and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder. Recently, our rat model of preterm diffuse WMI induced by combined fetal inflammation and postnatal hypoxia showed impaired motor performance, anxiety-like behaviour and autism-like behaviour in juvenile rats, especially males. Immunohistochemistry showed delayed myelination in the sensory cortex and impaired oligodendrocyte differentiation. Objective To assess long-term cognitive deficits in this double-hit rat model of diffuse WMI, animals were screened on impulsivity, attention and cognitive flexibility in adulthood using the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT) and a probabilistic reversal learning task, tests that require a proper functioning prefrontal cortex. Thereafter, myelination deficits were evaluated by immunofluorescent staining in adulthood. Results Overall, little effect of WMI or sex was found in the cognitive tasks. WMI animals showed subtle differences in performance in the 5CSRTT. Manipulating 5CSRTT parameters resulted in performance patterns previously seen in the literature. Sex differences were found in perseverative responses and omitted trials: female WMI rats seem to be less flexible in the 5CSRTT but not in the reversal learning task. Males collected rewards faster in the probabilistic reversal learning task. These findings are explained by temporally rather than permanently affected myelination and by the absence of extensive injury to prefrontal cortical subregions, confirmed by immunofluorescent staining in both adolescence and adulthood. Conclusion This rat model of preterm WMI does not lead to long-term cognitive deficits as observed in prematurely born human infants.

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A longitudinal model of executive function development from birth through adolescence in children born very or extremely preterm

Cited by 30 publications

References 64 publications

Intelligence and executive functions in 9–10 year-old preterm children born with very low and extremely low birth weight

Intelligence and executive functions in 9–10 year-old preterm children born with very low and extremely low birth weight

Association of Brain Microstructure and Functional Connectivity With Cognitive Outcomes and Postnatal Growth Among Early School–Aged Children Born With Extremely Low Birth Weight

Cognitive performance during adulthood in a rat model of neonatal diffuse white matter injury

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