Functional thalamocortical connectivity at term equivalent age and outcome at 2 years in infants born preterm

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Pediatric Neurology

Background:

• Preterm infants face high risks of long-term motor and neurocognitive deficits.
• Standard structural MRI often fails to predict outcomes accurately in these infants.
• Thalamocortical connections, vital for brain function, develop late gestationally and are susceptible to perinatal stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if abnormal functional connectivity between the thalamus and cortex underlies neurocognitive impairments in very preterm infants.
• To explore the relationship between specific thalamocortical connections and later motor and cognitive performance.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed in 102 very preterm infants without major brain lesions.
• Partial correlations were calculated between thalamus and cortical areas to assess functional connectivity.
• Connectivity parameters were correlated with standardized neurocognitive assessments at 20 months corrected age.

Main Results:

• Connectivity between the pre-motor association cortex and the thalamus significantly correlated with motor function.
• Connectivity between the primary sensory-motor cortex and the thalamus correlated with cognitive scores.
• These findings indicate specific thalamocortical pathways are linked to distinct neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Functional thalamocortical connectivity is critical for neurocognitive development following preterm birth.
• The development of these connections during the perinatal period is vulnerable and impacts long-term outcomes.
• Assessing functional connectivity may offer a more sensitive marker for predicting neurodevelopmental trajectories in preterm infants.