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White matter and cognition in adults who were born preterm

Matthew P G Allin1, Dimitris Kontis, Muriel Walshe

  • 1King's Health Partners, King's College London, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom. matthew.allin@kcl.ac.uk

Plos One
|October 25, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Very preterm birth (before 33 weeks gestation) can impact white matter development, affecting adult cognition. Diffusion tensor MRI revealed persistent microstructural white matter alterations in very preterm individuals, linked to cognitive performance.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Individuals born very preterm (VPT) face risks of white matter damage.
  • This damage can impact later cognitive and behavioral development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess white matter microstructure in adults born very preterm using diffusion tensor MRI (DT-MRI).
  • To investigate the association between white matter alterations and cognitive function in VPT individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Diffusion tensor MRI (DT-MRI) was used to measure white matter fractional anisotropy (FA).
  • 80 VPT individuals and 41 term-born controls (ages 17-22) were assessed.
  • Cognitive functions including general intellect, executive function, and memory were evaluated.

Main Results:

  • VPT individuals showed altered FA in several white matter tracts compared to controls.
  • Increased FA clusters correlated with neonatal brain injury severity in the VPT group.
  • Reduced FA clusters were linked to lower birth weight, perinatal hypoxia, and poorer adult cognitive performance in VPT individuals.

Conclusions:

  • White matter microstructure alterations persist into adulthood for individuals born very preterm.
  • These persistent alterations are associated with cognitive function deficits in adulthood.
Abstract

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