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Published on: July 1, 2015
Atypical neuromagnetic resting activity associated with thalamic volume and cognitive outcome in very preterm
Adonay S Nunes1, Nataliia Kozhemiako1, Evan Hutcheon1
1Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
Insights
Children born very preterm face cognitive challenges linked to brain development disruptions. This study connects altered brain wave activity and thalamus structure in these children to poorer neurocognitive outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Children born very preterm are at higher risk for cognitive difficulties, even without obvious brain injury.
- Developmental disruptions in the thalamocortical system during neonatal intensive care unit stays are implicated.
- The thalamus plays a crucial role in sensory relay and integrating cortical activity, regulating brain wave power.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between atypical resting-state brain oscillatory power, neurocognitive function, and thalamic structural alterations in school-aged children born very preterm.
- To explore how magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can reveal these associations.
Main Methods:
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to measure resting-state brain oscillatory power (delta, theta, alpha, beta frequencies) in children born very preterm and full-term controls.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was employed to assess structural alterations, including normalized T1 intensity and thalamic volume.
- Neurocognitive function was evaluated in both groups.
Main Results:
- Children born extremely preterm exhibited higher power in slow frequencies (delta, theta) and lower power in faster frequencies (alpha, beta) compared to controls.
- This atypical spectral power pattern correlated with poorer neurocognitive outcomes.
- The observed oscillatory power pattern was also associated with altered normalized T1 intensity and reduced thalamic volume.
Conclusions:
- Very preterm birth is associated with structural thalamic alterations and atypical resting-state brain oscillatory power.
- These neurophysiological and structural changes are linked to neurocognitive difficulties observed in school-aged children born very preterm.
- The findings highlight the thalamocortical system's vulnerability to preterm birth and its impact on cognitive development.
Abstract:
Children born very preterm, even in the absence of overt brain injury or major impairment, are at increased risk of cognitive difficulties. This risk is associated with developmental disruptions of the thalamocortical system during critical periods while in the neonatal intensive care unit. The thalamus is an important structure that not only relays sensory information but acts as a hub for integration of cortical activity which regulates cortical power across a range of frequencies. In this study, we investigate the association between atypical power at rest in children born very preterm at school age using magnetoencephalography (MEG), neurocognitive function and structural alterations related to the thalamus using MRI. Our results indicate that children born extremely preterm have higher power at slow frequencies (delta and theta) and lower power at faster frequencies (alpha and beta), compared to controls born full-term. A similar pattern of spectral power was found to be associated with poorer neurocognitive outcomes, as well as with normalized T1 intensity and the volume of the thalamus. Overall, this study provides evidence regarding relations between structural alterations related to very preterm birth, atypical oscillatory power at rest and neurocognitive difficulties at school-age children born very preterm.
