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Published on: November 20, 2015
Specific relations between neurodevelopmental abilities and white matter microstructure in children born preterm.
Serena J Counsell1, A David Edwards, Andrew T M Chew
1Imaging Sciences Department, Robert Steiner MR Unit, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. serena.counsell@imperial.ac.uk
Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|October 28, 2008
Summary
Preterm birth survivors with normal MRIs show impaired neurodevelopment linked to white matter microstructure changes. Fractional anisotropy (FA) in specific brain areas predicts developmental quotient (DQ) and sub-scores, aiding prognostication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Preterm birth survivors often experience neurodevelopmental impairments not fully explained by conventional brain imaging.
- Conventional MRI may not detect subtle white matter abnormalities impacting neurodevelopment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between white matter microstructure and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants without focal brain abnormalities.
- To test if local changes in white matter microstructure, measured by fractional anisotropy (FA), correlate with neurodevelopmental abilities at 2 years corrected age.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to measure FA in 33 preterm children at a median corrected age of 25.5 months.
- Neurodevelopmental assessment was performed using the Griffiths Mental Development Scales, yielding a developmental quotient (DQ) and sub-scores.
- Tract-based spatial statistics and linear regression analyzed the correlation between FA values and DQ/sub-scores.
Main Results:
- Overall developmental quotient (DQ) showed a linear relationship with FA in specific regions of the corpus callosum.
- Performance and eye-hand coordination sub-scores correlated with FA in various white matter tracts, including the corpus callosum, cingulum, fornix, anterior commissure, and uncinate fasciculus.
- These findings indicate precise relationships between microstructural abnormalities and specific neurodevelopmental deficits.
Conclusions:
- Specific neurodevelopmental impairments in preterm infants are precisely linked to consistent, localized white matter microstructural abnormalities.
- Fractional anisotropy (FA) shows potential as a biomarker for prognostication and guiding therapeutic interventions in preterm brain injury.
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