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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

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Infant growth after preterm birth and neurocognitive abilities in young adulthood

Sara Sammallahti1, Riikka Pyhälä1, Marius Lahti1

  • 1Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|September 29, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Faster early growth in infants born very preterm (VLBW) is linked to better adult neurocognitive function, especially head growth. Post-term growth showed no consistent association.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatalogy
  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Infants born very low birth weight (VLBW) often experience growth deviations.
  • Early growth trajectories may influence long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between early growth (birth to term and first year) and neurocognitive abilities in VLBW adults.
  • To identify specific growth parameters predictive of cognitive outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of growth data (weight, length, head circumference) from 103 VLBW adults.
  • Neurocognitive assessments at mean age of 25 years, including general ability, executive function, attention, and visual memory.

Main Results:

  • Faster growth from birth to term correlated with enhanced general neurocognitive abilities, executive functioning, and visual memory.
  • Head circumference growth showed a stronger association with neurocognitive outcomes than weight or length, even after controlling for neonatal complications.
  • Growth during the first year post-term was not consistently linked to neurocognitive abilities.

Conclusions:

  • Accelerated early growth, particularly head growth, from birth to term is associated with improved neurocognitive function in adulthood for VLBW individuals.
  • Early postnatal head growth is a significant predictor of neurocognitive outcomes in this population.
Abstract

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