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Contribution of brain size to IQ and educational underperformance in extremely preterm adolescents

Jeanie L Y Cheong1, Peter J Anderson, Gehan Roberts

  • 1Neonatal Services, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia ; Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia ; Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Plos One
|October 17, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Extremely preterm adolescents have smaller brains and lower IQs than term-born peers. Reduced total brain tissue volume significantly contributes to their cognitive and educational disadvantages.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Extremely preterm (EP) survivors (< 28 weeks gestation) often exhibit cognitive deficits compared to term-born individuals.
  • The specific contribution of reduced brain volume to these neurodevelopmental disparities remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare brain volumes between extremely preterm and term-born adolescents.
  • To investigate the relationship between brain tissue volumes and cognitive/educational outcomes.
  • To quantify the extent to which brain volume explains neurodevelopmental differences in EP survivors.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal cohort study involving 148 EP and 132 term-born adolescents assessed at age 18.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure brain tissue and structure volumes.
  • Intelligence (IQ) and educational skills (reading, spelling, math) were assessed using standardized tests.

Main Results:

  • EP adolescents exhibited significantly smaller total brain tissue volumes (-5.9%) compared to controls, with the largest reductions in the thalamus and hippocampus.
  • EP adolescents scored lower on IQ, spelling, math computation, and word reading tests.
  • Brain tissue volumes positively correlated with IQ and educational skills in both groups, with total brain tissue volume explaining 20-40% of the outcome differences.

Conclusions:

  • Extremely preterm birth is associated with smaller brain volumes, lower IQ, and poorer educational performance.
  • Brain structure volume is a critical determinant of cognitive and academic achievement.
  • Reduced brain volume is a key factor underlying the cognitive and educational underperformance observed in extremely preterm-born adolescents.
Abstract

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