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Age-related grey matter changes in preterm infants: an MRI study
L C Tzarouchi1, L G Astrakas, V Xydis
1Department of Radiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
Insights
Grey matter development in preterm children shows region-specific patterns. Key brain areas mature earlier, following specific developmental trajectories from inferior to superior and posterior to anterior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Grey matter (GM) maturation in healthy preterm children remains understudied.
- Understanding early brain development is crucial for identifying potential neurodevelopmental deviations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the age-dependent maturation of 116 grey matter areas in preterm infants.
- To characterize the developmental trajectories of grey matter structures in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution 3D MRI (T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo sequence) in 61 preterm infants.
- Employed Voxel Based Morphometry Toolboxes and IBASPM for grey matter segmentation and volume calculation.
- Applied non-linear regression analysis with a monoexponential function to model age-related volume changes.
Main Results:
- Supratentorial grey matter areas generally followed a monoexponential maturation model, unlike cerebellar structures.
- Grey matter volume increase exhibited an inferior-to-superior and posterior-to-anterior progression.
- Specific structures like the putamen, thalamus, and caudate nucleus matured earlier than most cortical areas; distinct patterns of maturation were observed across cortical regions and hemispheric asymmetries.
Conclusions:
- Grey matter development in preterm children is a region-specific process.
- Maturation patterns align with known functional, phylogenetical, and white matter development.
- Findings provide a normative reference for grey matter development in this population.
Abstract:
Grey matter (GM) maturation has not been previously studied in healthy preterm children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the age dependency of GM development in 116 GM areas in preterm subjects. Sixty one preterm infants (corrected age: 13.7+/-9.92 months, gestational age: 33.4+/-1.9 weeks) with normal structural appearance on MRI were included in the study. Using a T1-weighted high resolution 3D spoiled gradient echo sequence, volumes of 116 GM areas were calculated after their segmentation using the Voxel Based Morphometry Toolboxes and the Individual Brain Atlas Statistical Parametric Mapping (IBASPM) software packages. Non linear regression analysis assessed age dependency of volume data for every GM area using the monoexponential function y=A-Bexp(-x/C). All supratentorial GM areas followed the monoexponential function model reasonably well. Cerebellar structures had a poor goodness of fit. Volume increase of the individual GM areas followed an inferior to superior and a posterior to anterior pattern. The putamen, thalamus, and caudate nucleus reached 99% of the final volume earlier than most cortical GM areas. The visual cortex and the postcentral and precentral cortices matured earlier than the parietal, frontal and temporal cortices. The fronto-occipital asymmetry or torque seen in adults was observed in the preterm infants; the left occipital areas reached maturation earlier than the right, while the right prefrontal and frontal areas matured earlier than the left. To conclude, GM development progresses in a region-specific manner coinciding with functional, phylogenetical and regional white matter (WM) maturation.
