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Cerebral asymmetry in 14 year olds born very preterm
Kristin Lancefield1, Chiara Nosarti, Larry Rifkin
1Department of Forensic Mental Health Science, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
Insights
Preterm birth does not appear to alter fronto-occipital asymmetry in adolescents. However, neonatal brain injury may be linked to reversed sensorimotor area asymmetry.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Cerebral asymmetry patterns can be altered in neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Very preterm birth increases the risk of brain damage and persistent abnormalities.
- Understanding the impact of preterm birth on brain development is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if preterm birth affects the development of fronto-occipital asymmetry.
- To compare brain asymmetry in preterm adolescents with full-term controls.
Main Methods:
- Structural MRI scans were used for morphometric analysis in 14-year-old individuals.
- Stereological methods quantified regional brain volumes and asymmetry indices.
- Reductive factor analysis was applied to the calculated asymmetry indices.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in fronto-occipital asymmetry were found between preterm and full-term adolescents.
- Preterm birth itself does not seem to disrupt normal fronto-occipital asymmetry development.
- Neonatal periventricular hemorrhage with ventricular dilatation may correlate with sensorimotor asymmetry reversal.
Conclusions:
- Preterm birth is unlikely to alter the typical development of fronto-occipital brain asymmetry.
- Specific neonatal complications, like periventricular hemorrhage, might influence asymmetry.
- Further research is needed to explore the nuanced effects of preterm birth complications on brain development.
Abstract:
The normal pattern of cerebral asymmetry may be altered in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Babies born very preterm have an increased risk of brain damage, and brain abnormalities which persist into adolescence. This study aimed to ascertain whether preterm birth affects the development of fronto-occipital asymmetry. Structural MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans from 14 year old individuals born very preterm (n = 61; mean age 14 years 11 months; 29 male) and age-matched full-term controls (n = 49; mean age 14 years 11 months; 31 male) underwent morphometric analysis, using well-validated stereological methods. Measurements of right and left prefrontal, premotor, sensorimotor and occipitoparietal regional volumes were made and asymmetry indices calculated. These factors underwent a reductive factor analysis. There were no significant between-group differences in fronto-occipital asymmetry between the preterm adolescents and their full-term counterparts. It seems unlikely, therefore, that preterm birth per se deviates the development of normal fronto-occipital asymmetry. Neonatal periventricular haemorrhage with ventricular dilatation revealed by ultrasound may be associated with reversal of asymmetry in the sensorimotor area.
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