Spectral slowing is associated with working memory performance in children born very preterm

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Children born very preterm (VPT) often experience working memory (WM) deficits, impacting academic achievement.
• Functional brain network research in VPT children's WM is limited, especially during early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the functional brain networks underlying visual working memory (WM) maintenance in 6-year-old VPT and full-term (FT) children.
• To identify differences in oscillatory mechanisms and network organization between VPT and FT children during WM tasks.

Main Methods:

• Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to examine brain activity in 15 VPT and 20 FT children.
• Analysis focused on oscillatory mechanisms (alpha and theta bands) and whole-brain connectivity during WM maintenance.

Main Results:

• Despite similar task performance, VPT children exhibited reduced alpha-band synchrony and altered network organization compared to FT children.
• VPT children showed increased theta-band connectivity during WM maintenance, engaging similar network hubs as FT children.
• FT children displayed higher alpha-band connectivity associated with correct WM performance.

Conclusions:

• VPT children may rely on theta-band oscillations for WM, differing from the alpha-band mechanisms used by FT children.
• Altered oscillatory patterns in VPT children suggest a less mature functional network recruitment for WM, potentially affecting complex cognitive processing.