Mathematics ability and related skills in preschoolers born very preterm

Early Human Development

Brown

Akshoomoff

2020

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Background: Preterm birth is associated with an increased risk of neonatal brain injury, which can lead to alterations in brain maturation. Despite being born without the most significant medical consequences of preterm birth, infants born early remain at increased risk for subtle brain injury that affects future neurodevelopment and functioning. Aims: To investigate the gray matter morphometry measures of cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and sulcal depth using MRI at 5 years of age in healthy children born preterm. Study design: Cohort study. Subjects: Participants were 52 children born preterm (< 33 weeks gestational age) and 37 children born full term. Outcome measures: Cortical segmentation and calculation of morphometry measures were completed using FreeSurfer version 5.3.0 and compared between groups using surface-based, voxel-wise analyses. Results: The preterm group had a significantly thinner cortex in temporal and parietal regions while cortical thickness was significantly larger within occipital and inferior frontal regions. Surface area was significantly reduced within the fusiform gyrus. Sulcal depth was significantly lower within the posterior parietal and inferior temporal regions but greater in the middle temporal and medial parietal regions. Conclusions: Regional differences were found between preschoolers born preterm and full term in cortical thickness, surface area, and sulcal depth. Cortical thickness differences primarily overlapped with regions found in previous studies of older children and adults. Differences in sulcal depth may represent additional areas of maturational differences in preterm children. These findings likely represent a combination of delayed maturation and permanent alterations caused by the perinatal processes associated with preterm birth.

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variations in brain morphometry among healthy preschoolers born preterm

Early Human Development

Brown

Akshoomoff

2020

Self Cite

“…A single socioeconomic status (SES) value was calculated for each child as a combination of parentreported household income (4 levels) and years of maternal, or primary guardian, education (4 levels). This resulted in a value from 2 to 8 for each child; see our previous publication for full explanation of these levels (Hasler & Akshoomoff, 2019).…”

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The purpose of this study was to characterize the brain structural properties of a group of healthy preschoolers born VPT with relatively benign neonatal health history. This same sample was included in two of our previous papers (Hasler & Akshoomoff, 2019;Hasler et al, Submitted). Here we compared measures of surface area, cortical thickness, and sulcal depth between VPT and FT children at preschool age.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variations in Brain Morphometry Among Healthy Preschoolers Born Very Preterm

Brown

Akshoomoff

2019

Preprint

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BackgroundPreterm birth is associated with an increased risk of neonatal brain injury, which can lead to alterations in brain maturation. Advances in neonatal care have dramatically reduced the incidence of the most significant medical consequences of preterm birth. Relatively healthy preterm infants remain at increased risk for subtle injuries that impact future neurodevelopmental and functioning. AimsTo investigate the gray matter morphometry measures of cortical thickness, surface area, and sulcal depth in the brain using magnetic resonance imaging at 5 years of age in healthy children born very preterm. Study designCohort study SubjectsParticipants were 52 children born very preterm (VPT; less than 33 weeks gestational age) and 37 children born full term. Outcome measuresCortical segmentation and calculation of morphometry measures were completed using FreeSurfer version 5.3.0 and compared between groups using voxel-wise, surface-based analyses. ResultsThe VPT group had a significantly thinner cortex in temporal and parietal regions as well as thicker gray matter in the occipital and inferior frontal regions. Reduced surface area was found in the fusiform area in the VPT group. Sulcal depth was also lower in the VPT group within the posterior parietal and inferior temporal regions and greater sulcal depth was found in the middle temporal and medial parietal regions. Results in some of these regions were correlated with gestational age at birth in the VPT group. ConclusionsThe most widespread differences between the VPT and FT groups were found in cortical thickness. These findings may represent a combination of delayed maturation and permanent alterations caused by the perinatal processes associated with very preterm birth.

“…Participants were healthy children born VPT (n = 54) and FT (n = 32) who were part of an ongoing, longitudinal study of cognitive and academic skills (Hasler & Akshoomoff, 2017).…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement abilities and brain development in preschoolers born very preterm

Fuller

Vaucher

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Aim:To examine how healthy preschoolers born very preterm (VPT) with and without significant movement impairments differ from full term (FT) controls in subcortical brain volume measures and white matter diffusion properties. Method:A case-control, observational study of fifty-four VPT-born and 32 FT-born children were administered the Movement Assessment Battery for Children -Second Edition (MABC-2) and underwent MRI within 6-months of starting kindergarten. Selected subcortical structural volumes, fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) of selected white matter tracts were compared across VPT children with movement impairments (VPT-abnormal), and VPT and FT children without movement impairments. Results:The VPT-abnormal group had higher MD in the corpus callosum and inferior frontaloccipital fasciculus and lower FA in the anterior thalamic radiations, corpus callosum, and cingulum than the FT group. The forceps major was particularly affected in the VPT-abnormal group compared with the VPT and FT groups without movement impairments. Both VPT groups had reduced brainstem and cerebellar white matter volumes and larger lateral ventricles compared to the FT group.Interpretation: Movement impairments in healthy VPT preschoolers were associated with more abnormalities in white matter integrity and reduced subcortical brain volumes most likely reflecting a greater extent of white matter damage associated with their very preterm birth.