Altered functional connectivity during face processing in children born with very low birth weight
Julie Sato1,2,3, Kristina Safar1,3, Marlee M Vandewouw1,3,4,5
1Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.
Insights
Very low birth weight (VLBW) children exhibit altered brain network connectivity for processing angry faces, impacting emotion recognition. This theta-band network difference suggests potential socio-emotional challenges in VLBW individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Preterm birth is linked to structural brain changes in emotional processing regions.
- Functional network alterations in very low birth weight (VLBW) children remain understudied.
- Understanding face processing networks is crucial for VLBW child development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional brain networks in VLBW children during implicit emotional face processing.
- To compare network activity between VLBW and full-term (FT) children using magnetoencephalography (MEG).
- To explore the relationship between network function and behavioral affect recognition.
Main Methods:
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to record brain activity in 5-year-old children.
- Implicit processing of happy and angry faces was assessed in VLBW (n=28) and FT (n=24) groups.
- Theta-band (4-7 Hz) functional connectivity was analyzed.
Main Results:
- VLBW children showed reduced theta-band connectivity in response to angry faces compared to FT children.
- This hypo-connectivity was localized to left orbitofrontal and parietal regions.
- FT children demonstrated higher affect recognition scores, correlating positively with theta-band network recruitment.
Conclusions:
- VLBW children exhibit atypical theta-band network function in processing angry faces, potentially impacting social functioning.
- Theta oscillations play a significant role in early face and emotion processing.
- Deficits in these networks may contribute to socio-emotional impairments in VLBW populations.
Abstract:
Structural brain alterations have been reported in key emotional face processing regions following preterm birth; however, few studies have investigated the functional networks underlying these processes in children born with very low birth weight (VLBW). Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we examined the functional networks related to the implicit processing of happy and angry faces in 5-year-old VLBW (n = 28) and full-term (FT; n = 24) children. We found that VLBW children showed atypical recruitment of emotional face processing networks in theta (4-7 Hz) compared to FT children. VLBW children showed reduced theta connectivity during processing of angry faces only. This hypo-connected theta-band network was anchored in the left orbitofrontal and parietal regions, involved in the higher level processing of faces and emotion regulation. At the behavioural level, despite VLBW children performing within the normal range, FT children had significantly higher affect recognition scores. Our MEG results suggest a selective impairment in processing angry faces, which would negatively impact social functioning in VLBW children. In FT children, greater recruitment of this theta-band network was positively associated with improved affect recognition scores. Thus, our findings suggest an important role of theta oscillations in early face processing, deficits which may contribute to broader socio-emotional impairments in VLBW children.
