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A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
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Altered functional network connectivity in preterm infants: antecedents of cognitive and motor impairments?

Elveda Gozdas1,2, Nehal A Parikh3,4, Stephanie L Merhar3

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Brain Structure & Function
|July 12, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Very preterm infants show altered brain connectivity, impacting motor, language, and cognitive functions. These functional network changes, detectable early, may predict developmental delays and guide interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Very preterm infants (≤31 weeks gestational age) face high risks for brain injury and developmental delays.
  • Anatomical brain injury is not always evident in these infants, necessitating sensitive detection methods.
  • Understanding early functional brain alterations is crucial for predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate functional connectivity alterations in very preterm infants compared to term-born controls using resting-state functional MRI (fcMRI).
  • To test if graph theory measures reveal network differences in preterm infants, even without anatomical lesions.
  • To explore the potential of functional connectivity as early prognostic biomarkers.

Main Methods:

  • Resting-state functional MRI (fcMRI) was used to assess functional connectivity.
  • Graph theory analysis was applied to fcMRI data to examine brain network properties.
  • Fifty-one term-born controls and 24 very preterm infants were evaluated at term-equivalent age.

Main Results:

  • Preterm infants demonstrated significantly lower functional connectivity in motor, cognitive, language, and executive function networks compared to term controls.
  • Graph theory analysis revealed lower rich-club connectivity and assortativity, and higher small-worldness in preterm infants.
  • No significant differences in modularity were observed between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • Functional connectivity deficits are present early in very preterm infants, affecting key brain networks crucial for development.
  • These functional network alterations occur even without visible anatomical brain injury.
  • Functional network measures show promise as biomarkers for predicting developmental disabilities and informing early interventions.

Keywords:
BrainConnectivityImagingNeonatalPremature infantfMRI

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