Atypical neuromagnetic resting activity associated with thalamic volume and cognitive outcome in very preterm children

Abstract

Children born very preterm, even in the absence of overt brain injury or major impairment, are at risk of cognitive difficulties. This risk is associated with disruption of ongoing critical periods involving development of the thalamocortical system while in the neonatal intensive care unit. The thalamus is an important structure that not only relays sensory information but acts as a hub integrating cortical activity, and through this integration, it regulates cortical power at different frequency bands. In this study, we investigate the association between atypical power at rest in children born very preterm at school age, neurocognitive function and structural alterations related to the thalamus. Our results indicate that children born extremely preterm have higher power at low frequencies and lower power at high frequencies, compared to controls born full-term. A similar pattern of spectral power was found to be associated with poorer neurocognitive outcomes. This pattern of spectral power was also associated with normalized T1 intensity and the volume of the thalamus. Overall, this study provides evidence of the relation between structural alterations related to very preterm birth, atypical oscillatory power at rest and neurocognitive difficulties at school-age children born very preterm.