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Processing speed in the 1st year of life: a longitudinal study of preterm and full-term infants
Susan A Rose1, Judith F Feldman, Jeffery J Jankowski
1Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York 10461, USA. srose@aecom.yu.edu
Insights
Preterm infants show slower processing speed compared to full-term infants within their first year of life. This early deficit in processing speed persists and is linked to medical risk factors in preterm babies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neonatal Neuroscience
- Infant Cognitive Development
Background:
- Preterm birth is associated with potential long-term neurodevelopmental challenges.
- Previous research indicates processing speed deficits in older preterm children.
- Early identification of cognitive differences in infants is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate processing speed in preterm infants during the first year of life.
- To compare processing speed between preterm and full-term infants.
- To explore the relationship between medical risk and processing speed in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Processing speed was assessed at 5, 7, and 12 months in full-term and preterm infants (birth-weight < 1,750 g).
- A novel visual task measured novelty preference, requiring infants to distinguish between changing and constant stimuli.
- The number of trials and time to reach a consistent novelty preference served as measures of processing speed.
Main Results:
- Preterm infants consistently required approximately 20% more trials and 30% more time to reach the criterion compared to full-term infants.
- Among preterm infants, increased medical risk (e.g., respiratory distress syndrome) correlated with slower processing speed.
- Developmental trajectories for processing speed and attention were similar across both groups, despite the initial differences.
Conclusions:
- Processing speed deficits are evident in preterm infants as early as the first year of life.
- These early differences suggest that the cognitive challenges seen in older preterm children originate in infancy.
- Medical risk factors during preterm infancy are associated with slower cognitive processing.
Abstract:
Processing speed was assessed at 5, 7, and 12 months in full-term and preterm infants (birth-weight < 1,750 g). Speed was gauged directly in a new task by presenting infants with a series of paired faces, one that remained the same across trials and one that changed; trials continued until infants showed a consistent novelty preference. At all ages, preterms required about 20% more trials and 30% more time than full-terms to reach criterion. Among preterms, slower processing was associated with greater medical risk (e.g., respiratory distress syndrome). Developmental trajectories for speed (and attention) were similar for both groups. Thus, the deficits in processing speed previously found for preterms in childhood are already present in the 1st year of life.