Altered structural connectome and motor problems of very preterm born children at school-age
Jorrit F de Kieviet1, Renee Lustenhouwer2, Marsh Königs3
1Amsterdam UMC, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Insights
Very preterm children exhibit altered brain network organization compared to term-born peers. Motor impairments in term-born children are linked to their brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Infants born very preterm (<32 weeks gestation) often experience long-term cognitive and motor deficits.
- Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of these deficits is crucial for early intervention.
- The structural connectome, representing brain network organization, may be affected by preterm birth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the structural connectome of very preterm children with term-born controls at school age.
- To investigate the relationship between structural connectome alterations and cognitive/motor problems in these groups.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and probabilistic tractography were used to analyze white matter tracts.
- Brain network properties, including smallworldness and clustering coefficient, were calculated.
- Cognitive and motor functions were assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and Movement Assessment Battery for Children.
Main Results:
- Very preterm children showed significantly higher smallworldness and clustering coefficients, indicating a more segregated network organization.
- Motor impairments (Total Motor Impairment, Manual Dexterity) were associated with higher smallworldness in term-born controls.
- Poorer Ball Skills were linked to higher smallworldness in both very preterm and term-born children.
Conclusions:
- Very preterm birth leads to distinct structural connectome organization characterized by increased network segregation.
- Motor problems are associated with altered brain network organization in term-born children, suggesting a potential compensatory mechanism.
- This compensatory mechanism for motor skills appears limited to specific abilities like Ball Skills in very preterm children.
Abstract:
Infants born very preterm (<32 weeks of gestation) show distinct cognitive and motor problems throughout childhood. This study aims 1) to investigate differences in the structural connectome between very preterm born children and term born controls at school-age, and 2) to examine the relationship of the structural connectome with cognitive and motor problems. This study included 29 very preterm (12 males, mean age 8.6 years) and 52 term born peers (25 males, mean age 8.7 years). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and Movement Assessment Battery for Children were used. Brain network measures of smallworldness, clustering coefficient and shortest path length based on fiber density of white matter tracts were determined from Diffusion Tensor Imaging data using probabilistic tractography. Smallworldness (F(1,79) = -2.09, p = .04, d = 0.52) and clustering coefficient (F(1,79) = -2.63, p = .01, d = 0.64) were significantly higher for very preterm children as compared to term peers. For Total Motor Impairment score and Manual Dexterity, there was a significant interaction between group and smallworldness (Beta = -10.81, p = .03 and Beta = -2.99, p = .004, respectively). Greater Total Motor Impairment and poorer Manual Dexterity were only significantly related to higher smallworldness in term controls (r = 0.35, p = .01 and r = 0.27, p = .04, respectively). Poorer Ball Skills were significantly related to higher smallworldness in both groups (Beta = -0.30, p = .03). This study clearly shows a more segregated network organization in very preterm children as compared to term peers. Importantly, motor problems go together with altered organization of the structural connectome in term born children, whereas this potential compensational process is only found for Ball Skills for very preterm children.
