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Impulse control, working memory and other executive functions in preterm children when starting school

B Böhm1, A C Smedler, H Forssberg

  • 1Department of Woman and Child Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. birgitta.bohm@kus.se

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|October 27, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Preterm children often have lower executive functions (EF) than full-term peers, even with normal intelligence. Neonatal factors like retinopathy of prematurity and visual impairment are linked to poorer EF in these children.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Preterm birth is a significant global health concern.
  • Executive functions (EF) are crucial for cognitive and social development.
  • Understanding EF deficits in preterm populations informs early intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate executive function (EF) differences between preterm and full-term children.
  • To determine if EF deficits in preterm children are linked to intelligence (IQ) or neonatal risk factors.
  • To explore the influence of gender on EF in both groups.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based study involving 182 very low birthweight (VLBW) preterm children and 125 full-term controls.
  • Neuropsychological assessment of executive functions (EF) using the Nepsy 1990 test battery at 5.5 years of age.
  • Statistical analyses controlled for intelligence (IQ) and examined correlations with neonatal risk factors and gender.

Main Results:

  • Full-term children demonstrated superior executive functions (EF) compared to VLBW preterm children, even after controlling for IQ.
  • Executive function (EF) performance was associated with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and overall visual impairment.
  • Girls outperformed boys in executive functions (EF) in both preterm and full-term groups.

Conclusions:

  • Executive functions (EF) can be reliably assessed in preschool-aged children.
  • Preterm children are at increased risk for subnormal executive functioning, irrespective of their general IQ.
  • Early identification and support for EF in preterm children are critical for optimizing developmental outcomes.
Abstract

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