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Hippocampal volume and memory performance in children with perinatal stroke
Jeffrey J Gold1, Doris A Trauner1
1University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California; Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, California.
Pediatric Neurology
|November 6, 2013
Summary
Children with perinatal stroke often have smaller hippocampi, impacting memory. Hippocampal volume loss, particularly in the left and right hippocampi, correlates with poorer verbal and non-verbal memory performance, respectively.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Predicting cognitive outcomes after perinatal brain injury is crucial for pediatric neurologists and neonatologists.
- Limited data exist on accurate prediction methods for cognitive outcomes in children.
- While adult studies extensively link hippocampal volume to memory, pediatric research in this area is scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between hippocampal volume and memory performance in children with perinatal stroke.
- To compare hippocampal volumes in children with and without perinatal stroke.
- To explore the impact of perinatal stroke on declarative memory functions.
Main Methods:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure hippocampal volumes in 27 children with perinatal stroke and 19 controls.
- Standardized verbal and non-verbal memory tests were administered to assess cognitive function.
- Statistical analyses were performed to correlate hippocampal volume with memory test scores.
Main Results:
- Children with perinatal stroke exhibited smaller left and right hippocampal volumes compared to controls.
- Individual findings included no hippocampal loss, unilateral loss, or bilateral hippocampal volume loss.
- Smaller hippocampal volumes were inversely correlated with poorer verbal (left hippocampus) and non-verbal (right hippocampus) memory performance.
- Seizures significantly influenced memory deficits and the extent of hippocampal volume reduction.
Conclusions:
- The study supports the preferential role of the left and right hippocampi in verbal and non-verbal memory, respectively, in the developing brain.
- This research is the first to demonstrate hippocampal volume reduction and declarative memory impairments in children with focal brain injury from perinatal stroke.
- Findings highlight the vulnerability of the hippocampus to perinatal injury and its significant impact on memory development.
