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Factors affecting the cognitive profile of 11-year-old children born very preterm

Anna Nyman1, Tapio Korhonen1, Petriina Munck1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

Pediatric Research
|April 20, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Children born very preterm often have average cognitive skills at age 11. However, major brain pathology, low paternal education, male gender, and low birth weight z-score are risk factors for poorer cognitive development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Preterm birth is a known risk factor for cognitive development.
  • Understanding long-term cognitive outcomes in very preterm infants is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the cognitive profile of children born very preterm at 11 years of age.
  • To identify risk factors associated with cognitive development in this cohort.

Main Methods:

  • 128 children born very preterm were studied.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at term age.
  • Cognitive development was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fourth edition (WISC-IV).

Main Results:

  • Most children performed at average (51%) or low average (21%) full-scale IQ levels.
  • Children born very preterm performed poorer across all WISC-IV cognitive domains compared to norms.
  • Major brain pathology was the only significant risk factor for poor general cognition.

Conclusions:

  • Less than one-third of very preterm children scored below the low average cognitive level at age 11.
  • Neonatal factors (major brain pathology) and sociodemographic factors (low paternal education, male gender, low birth weight z-score) impact cognitive profiles.

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