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- Nagy, Zoltan, et al.
(author)
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Structural Correlates of Preterm Birth in the Adolescent Brain
- 2009
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In: Pediatrics. - : American Academy of Pediatrics. - 0031-4005 .- 1098-4275. ; 124:5, s. e964-e972
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The Stockholm Neonatal Project involves a prospective,cross-sectional, population-based, cohort monitored for 12 to17 years after birth; it was started with the aim of investigatingthe long-term structural correlates of preterm birth and comparingfindings with reports on similar cohorts.METHODS: High-resolution anatomic and diffusion tensor imagingdata measuring diffusion in 30 directions were collected byusing a 1.5-T MRI scanner. A total of 143 adolescents (12.18–17.7years of age) participated in the study, including 74 formerlypreterm infants with birth weights of 1500 g (range: 645–1486g) and 69 term control subjects. The 2 groups were well matchedwith respect to demographic and socioeconomic data. The anatomicMRI data were used for calculation of total brain volumes andvoxelwise comparison of gray matter (GM) volumes. The diffusiontensor imaging data were used for voxelwise comparison of whitematter (WM) microstructural integrity.RESULTS: The formerly preterm individuals possessed 8.8% smallerGM volume and 9.4% smaller WM volume. The GM and WM volumesof individuals depended on gestational age and birth weight.The reduction in GM could be attributed bilaterally to the temporallobes, central, prefrontal, orbitofrontal, and parietal cortices,caudate nuclei, hippocampi, and thalami. Lower fractional anisotropywas observed in the posterior corpus callosum, fornix, and externalcapsules.CONCLUSIONS: Although preterm birth was found to be a risk factorregarding long-term structural brain development, the outcomewas milder than in previous reports. This may be attributableto differences in social structure and neonatal care practices.
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- Vollmer, Brigitte, et al.
(author)
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Correlation between white matter microstructure and executive functions suggests early developmental influence on long fibre tracts in preterm born adolescents
- 2017
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Main objectives: Executive functions are frequently a weakness in children born preterm. We examined associations of executive functions and general cognitive abilities with brain structure in preterm born adolescents who were born with appropriate weight for gestational age and who have no radiological signs of preterm brain injury on neuroimaging.Methods: The Stockholm Neonatal Project (SNP) is a longitudinal, population-based study of children born preterm (<36 weeks of gestation) with very low birth weight (<1501g) between 1988–1993. At age 18 years (mean 18 years, SD 2 weeks) 134 preterm born and 94 full term participants underwent psychological assessment (general intelligence, executive function measures). Of these, 71 preterm and 63 full term participants underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at mean 15.2 years (range 12–18 years), including 3D T1-weighted images for volumetric analyses and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) for assessment of white matter microstructure. Group comparisons of regional grey and white matter volumes and fractional anisotropy (FA, as a measure of white matter microstructure) and, within each group, correlation analyses of cognitive measures with MRI metrics were carried out.Results: Significant differences in grey and white matter regional volumes and widespread differences in FA were seen between the two groups. No significant correlations were found between cognitive measures and brain volumes in any group after correction for multiple comparisons. However, there were significant correlations between FA in projection fibres and long association fibres, linking frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and measures of executive function and general cognitive abilities in the preterm born adolescents, but not in the term born adolescents.Overall significance of the study: In persons born preterm, in the absence of perinatal brain injury on visual inspection of MRI, widespread alterations in regional brain tissue volumes and microstructure are present in adolescence/young adulthood. Importantly, these alterations in WM tracts are correlated with measures of executive function and general cognitive abilities. Our findings suggest that disturbance of neural pathways, rather than changes in regional brain volumes, are involved in the impaired cognitive functions.
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