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Updated: Mar 23, 2026
Transcutaneous Microcirculatory Imaging in Preterm Neonates
Published on: December 31, 2015
Functional magnetic resonance connectivity studies in infants born preterm: suggestions of proximate and long-lasting
Soo Hyun Kwon1, Dustin Scheinost2, Betty Vohr3
1Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Insights
Preterm birth immediately impacts brain functional connectivity, affecting language development long-term. These brain changes are evident from the neonatal period and persist through adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Preterm birth is associated with altered brain development.
- Functional connectivity (FC) changes are observed in school-aged and adolescent individuals born preterm.
- Emerging evidence indicates FC alterations are present neonatally in preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review methods for measuring FC in preterm infants and children.
- To examine the association between FC and language disorders in preterm individuals.
- To understand the developmental trajectory of FC alterations due to preterm birth.
Main Methods:
- Review of neuroimaging studies measuring functional connectivity.
- Analysis of data from neonatal through young adulthood periods.
- Correlation of functional connectivity patterns with language outcomes.
Main Results:
- Functional connectivity alterations are present in neonates born preterm before term-equivalent age.
- The impact of preterm birth on brain functional organization is immediate and persistent.
- Functional connectivity changes are linked to language impairments in preterm populations.
Conclusions:
- Preterm birth has proximate and long-lasting effects on the brain's functional organization for language.
- Early detection and intervention may be crucial for language development in preterm infants.
- Neuroimaging provides valuable insights into the long-term neurological consequences of preterm birth.
Abstract:
Sophisticated neuroimaging strategies demonstrate alterations in functional connectivity at school age, adolescence, and young adulthood in individuals born preterm. Recent data suggest these alterations are present in the postnatal period prior to term-equivalent age in neonates born preterm. Likewise, functional organization increases across development, but the influence of preterm birth on this fundamental infrastructure is immediate and unchanging. This article briefly reviews the current methods of measuring functional connectivity throughout development in those born preterm, and the association of functional connectivity with language disorders. Taken together, these data suggest that the effects of preterm birth on the functional organization of language in the developing brain are both proximate and long-lasting.
