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Slower reaction times and impaired learning in young adults with birth weight <1500 g

Sonja Strang-Karlsson1, Sture Andersson, Maria Paile-Hyvärinen

  • 1Institute of Clinical Medicine, Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. sonja.strang@helsinki.fi

Pediatrics
|December 17, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Young adults born with very low birth weight (VLBW) show lasting cognitive deficits, including slower processing speed and impaired learning, even without obvious neurosensory impairments. These findings highlight the long-term neurocognitive consequences of very preterm birth.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Children with very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) exhibit cognitive deficits compared to term-born peers.
  • Long-term cognitive outcomes in adulthood for VLBW individuals are not well-established.
  • Assessing core neurocognitive abilities in young adulthood is crucial for understanding the lasting impact of VLBW.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate persistent neurocognitive differences in young adults born with VLBW compared to term-born controls.
  • To assess processing speed, working memory, attention, and learning capacity in VLBW adults.
  • To determine if cognitive deficits persist into adulthood in the absence of neurosensory impairments.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults cohort.
  • Administered a computerized neurocognitive test battery to 147 VLBW and 171 control subjects (aged 18-27 years).
  • Employed t tests, linear regression, and Cohen's d for statistical analysis and effect size calculation.

Main Results:

  • VLBW adults demonstrated significantly slower reaction times across all tested tasks, including simple and choice reaction time, working memory, and divided attention.
  • Impaired learning capacity was observed in VLBW adults on the associated learning task, with lower accuracy rates.
  • Effect sizes for these cognitive differences ranged from 0.24 to 0.64, indicating small to moderate impacts.

Conclusions:

  • Young adults with a history of VLBW, even without overt neurosensory impairments, exhibit deficits in psychomotor speed and learning.
  • Very preterm birth can lead to enduring consequences on fundamental neurocognitive functions.
  • These findings underscore the importance of long-term monitoring and support for individuals born with VLBW.
Abstract

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