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Updated: Dec 16, 2025
19:32
Preterm EEG: A Multimodal Neurophysiological Protocol
Published on: February 18, 2012
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Extremely preterm children exhibit altered cortical thickness in language areas
Maria E Barnes-Davis1,2, Brady J Williamson3, Stephanie L Merhar4,5
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, USA. maria.barnes@cchmc.org.
Scientific Reports
|July 4, 2020
Summary
Children born extremely preterm (EPT) may show altered brain structure. Intracranial volume (ICV)-normalized cortical thickness in the right temporal lobe is linked to better language skills in EPT children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Children born extremely preterm (EPT) face higher risks for neurocognitive deficits, including language impairments.
- Previous studies on cortical thickness in EPT individuals yielded inconsistent findings, potentially due to not normalizing for intracranial volume (ICV).
- EPT children often exhibit smaller head sizes and ICV, necessitating ICV normalization for accurate structural brain analyses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cortical thickness differences in the brains of children born extremely preterm (EPT) compared to term controls (TC).
- To examine the relationship between cortical thickness, intracranial volume (ICV), and language performance in EPT children.
- To determine if ICV normalization influences the observed cortical thickness patterns and their association with language outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on 15 EPT children and 15 TC aged 4-6 years.
- Cortical thickness and volumetric analyses were conducted using FreeSurfer software.
- Whole-brain analyses of cortical thickness were performed both with and without ICV normalization.
Main Results:
- Non-normalized analyses revealed thinner temporal cortex in EPT children compared to TC.
- ICV-normalized analyses demonstrated significantly thicker cortical regions in the right temporal lobe of EPT children (FDRq < 0.05).
- Language scores were significantly correlated only with ICV-normalized cortical thickness, specifically a positive association with right temporal cortical thickness.
Conclusions:
- Intracranial volume normalization is crucial for accurately assessing cortical thickness in extremely preterm children.
- ICV-normalized cortical thickness in the right temporal lobe is associated with language abilities in EPT children.
- These findings highlight potential structural correlates of language development in the context of extremely preterm birth.
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