Functional Connectivity Network Disruption Underlies Domain-Specific Impairments in Attention for Children Born Very...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Attention problems are prevalent in school-age children born very preterm (VPT).
• The underlying neural mechanisms, specifically functional brain connectivity (fc), remain largely unknown.
• Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between functional brain connectivity and attention deficits in VPT children.
• To compare brain connectivity patterns associated with attention between VPT and full-term (FT) born children.
• To identify potential neural correlates of attention difficulties in VPT individuals.

Main Methods:

• A prospective longitudinal study assessed 58 VPT and 65 FT children at 12 years corrected age.
• Brain functional connectivity (fc) was measured using neuroimaging techniques.
• Behavioral assessments evaluated selective, sustained, and executive attention.

Main Results:

• VPT children exhibited poorer sustained, shifting, and divided attention compared to FT children.
• In VPT children, attention scores correlated with between-network connectivity in ventral attention, visual, and subcortical networks.
• In FT children, attention correlated with frontoparietal, cingulo-opercular, dorsal attention, salience, and motor network connectivity.

Conclusions:

• Functional brain connectivity differences are associated with attention problems in VPT children.
• Distinct network architectures may underlie attention functioning in VPT versus FT children.
• Findings offer insights into brain development and attention in preterm populations.