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Mapping the neuroanatomical impact of very preterm birth across childhood

Marlee M Vandewouw1,2, Julia M Young1,2,3, Sarah I Mossad1,2,3

  • 1Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Human Brain Mapping
|November 7, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Children born very preterm (VPT) show altered brain development compared to full-term (FT) peers. VPT individuals exhibit distinct patterns of cortical thickness and surface area changes, suggesting a delayed brain maturation trajectory.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Children born very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks gestational age) face increased risks for cognitive deficits.
  • Previous studies show inconsistent alterations in brain structure of VPT children compared to full-term (FT) children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in subcortical volumes, cortical thickness, and surface area between VPT and FT children aged 4-12 years.
  • To identify age-related changes and group-age interactions in brain structure.

Main Methods:

  • Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used in a large cohort of VPT (n=176) and FT (n=173) children.
  • Cortical thickness and surface area were measured using Corticometric Iterative Vertex-based Estimation of Thickness.
  • Subcortical segmentation was performed using the Multiple Automatically Generated Templates (MAGeT) tool.
  • Mixed-effects models were employed to analyze group differences and age interactions, controlling for whole-brain volume.

Main Results:

  • Few significant differences were observed in subcortical volumes between VPT and FT groups.
  • VPT children displayed increased cortical thickness in frontal, occipital, and fusiform gyri, and inferior pre-post-central areas, with thinning in the midcingulate.
  • Cortical thickness in occipital regions decreased more rapidly with age in VPT children.
  • VPT children showed regional increases (temporal lobe) and decreases in cortical surface area.

Conclusions:

  • VPT children exhibit distinct patterns of cortical development compared to FT children.
  • Findings suggest a delayed maturational trajectory in brain structure for individuals born very preterm.
  • These structural differences may underlie the increased risk of cognitive deficits observed in VPT populations.

Keywords:
brain structurechild developmentmagnetic resonance imagingpreterm birth

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