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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Recent advances in imaging preterm brain injury
1Robert Steiner MRI Unit, Imaging Sciences Department, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK. j.boardman@imperial.ac.uk
Insights
Preterm birth survivors face neurocognitive impairment risks. Advanced MRI reveals subtle brain changes, offering insights into injury mechanisms and potential neural substrates for these disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Preterm birth survivors are at high risk for neurocognitive impairment.
- Major destructive brain lesions (e.g., cystic periventricular leucomalacia) are decreasing due to improved perinatal care.
- Subtle alterations in brain development are increasingly apparent in preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current brain lesions and outcomes in preterm birth survivors.
- To discuss how advanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging defines neural systems affected by preterm birth.
- To provide insights into the mechanisms of brain injury in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on preterm birth outcomes.
- Application of advanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques in the neonatal period.
- Analysis of subtle alterations in brain development and their correlation with neurocognitive impairment.
Main Results:
- Advanced MR imaging detects subtle brain alterations in preterm infants.
- These subtle changes occur with similar frequency to long-term neurocognitive impairment.
- MR imaging helps define affected neural systems and potential injury mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Subtle brain alterations identified by advanced MR imaging are candidate neural substrates for neurocognitive impairment in preterm survivors.
- Understanding these subtle changes is crucial for identifying mechanisms of injury.
- State-of-the-art MR imaging provides valuable insights into brain development disturbances following preterm birth.
Abstract:
Survivors of preterm birth are at high risk of neurocognitive impairment in childhood, but the disturbances to brain growth and function that underlie impairment are not completely understood. Improvements in perinatal care have led to a reduction in the major destructive parenchymal brain lesions that are associated with motor impairment, such as cystic periventricular leucomalacia and haemorrhagic parenchymal infarction. However, with the application of advanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and processing techniques in the neonatal period, subtle alterations in brain development have become apparent. These changes occur with similar frequency to long-term neurocognitive impairment, and may therefore represent candidate neural substrates for this group of disorders. Here we review the range of lesions and associated outcomes that are seen in the current era of perinatal care, and discuss how state of the art MR imaging techniques have helped to define the neural systems affected by preterm birth, and have provided insights into understanding mechanisms of injury.
