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Neurocognitive abilities in young adults with very low birth weight
R Pyhälä1, J Lahti, K Heinonen
1Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
Adults born with very low birth weight (VLBW) demonstrate lower neurocognitive scores compared to term-born peers. These cognitive differences persist regardless of intrauterine growth, impacting executive functions and general cognitive abilities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Severely preterm birth is linked to childhood neurocognitive deficits.
- Adult follow-up studies on very low birth weight (VLBW) individuals are limited.
- Understanding long-term neurocognitive outcomes in VLBW adults is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neurocognitive abilities and academic performance in VLBW adults.
- To compare VLBW adults (small for gestational age [SGA] and appropriate for gestational age [AGA]) with term-born controls.
- To determine if intrauterine growth patterns affect adult neurocognitive outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A follow-up study of 103 VLBW adults and 105 term-born controls (mean age 25).
- Neurocognitive assessment including general cognitive ability and executive functioning.
- Self-reported academic performance and history of remedial education.
Main Results:
- VLBW adults scored lower and performed slower on neurocognitive tests compared to controls (0.3-0.5 SD difference).
- Higher rates of remedial education were observed in the VLBW group.
- No significant differences in self-reported academic performance were found between groups.
- Cognitive differences were present in both VLBW-SGA and VLBW-AGA subgroups.
Conclusions:
- VLBW adults exhibit lower neurocognitive performance compared to term-born adults.
- Impaired neurocognitive outcomes are associated with VLBW, independent of SGA status.
- These findings highlight the lasting impact of VLBW on cognitive function into adulthood.
Objective:
Although severely preterm birth has been associated with impaired neurocognitive abilities in children, follow-up studies in adulthood are scarce. We set out to study whether adults born with very low birth weight (VLBW) (<1,500 g), either small for gestational age (SGA) (birth weight ≤-2 SD) or appropriate for gestational age (AGA), differ in a range of neurocognitive abilities and academic performance from adults born at term and not SGA.
Methods:
As part of the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults, 103 VLBW (37 SGA) and 105 term-born control adults (mean age 25.0, range 21.4-29.7 years) without major neurosensory impairments participated in the follow-up study in 2007-2008. The test battery included measures of general cognitive ability as well as executive functioning and related abilities. Academic performance was self-reported.
Results:
With adjustment for sex and age, the VLBW group scored lower or performed slower than the control group in some indices of all tests (these mean differences ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 SD units, p ≤ 0.03) and they had received remedial education at school more frequently; however, no differences existed in self-reported academic performance. The differences were evident in both VLBW-SGA and VLBW-AGA groups. Further covariate adjustments for parental education, current head circumference, and head circumference at birth and, in tests of executive functioning and related abilities, adjustment for IQ estimate had minor effects on the results.
Conclusions:
In comparison with control adults, VLBW adults scored lower on several neurocognitive tests. Poorer neurocognitive performance is associated with VLBW irrespective of the intrauterine growth pattern.
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