A multimodal imaging study of recognition memory in very preterm born adults

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Very preterm birth (<32 weeks gestation) is associated with long-term cognitive deficits, including memory impairments.
• Structural brain alterations are observed in individuals born very preterm, potentially impacting neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neuroanatomy of recognition memory in adults born very preterm using functional MRI (fMRI).
• To compare brain structure and function related to memory between very preterm-born adults and controls.

Main Methods:

• fMRI, T1-weighted, and diffusion-weighted imaging were used in 49 very preterm-born adults and 50 controls.
• Recognition memory task performance was assessed, alongside hippocampal volume, fornix/cingulum tractography (volume and HMOA), and neural activity during encoding and recognition.

Main Results:

• Very preterm adults exhibited poorer recognition memory performance (A scores).
• Significant differences in brain structure (smaller hippocampi, fornix, cingulum) and function (altered fMRI activation in frontal, occipital, and parietal regions) were found.
• Lateral occipital cortex (LOC) activation was the strongest predictor of task performance and was associated with fornix HMOA in the preterm group.

Conclusions:

• Neuroanatomical differences in very preterm individuals are associated with impaired recognition memory.
• Altered brain structure and function, particularly in the LOC and fornix, may underlie memory deficits in this population.