Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 31, 2025
06:34
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
16.6K
Microstructural Measures of the Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus Predict Later Cognitive and Language Development in
Matthew C Bugada1, Julia E Kline1, Nehal A Parikh1,2,3
1Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Journal of Child Neurology
|June 30, 2021
Summary
Diffusion MRI metrics, specifically fractional anisotropy of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, can predict cognitive and language development in extremely preterm infants. This early prediction allows for timely neuroprotective interventions during critical developmental periods.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Extremely preterm infants face significant risks for neurodevelopmental challenges.
- Early identification of predictors for developmental outcomes is crucial for timely interventions.
- Neuroplasticity is highest in early life, making early prediction critical.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics of the inferior longitudinal and uncinate fasciculi in predicting cognitive and language outcomes in preterm infants.
- To identify early biomarkers for neurodevelopmental trajectories in extremely preterm children.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study involving 43 extremely low-birth-weight preterm infants scanned with diffusion MRI at term-equivalent age.
- Diffusion tensor imaging metrics (fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity) assessed white matter tracts.
- Bayley Scales of Infant & Toddler Development-III scores at 18-22 months used as outcomes, with regression models controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- Fractional anisotropy of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus was associated with Bayley-III scores.
- This metric independently predicted cognitive and language development in multivariable analyses.
- 36 out of 43 infants provided high-quality data for analysis.
Conclusions:
- Fractional anisotropy of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus shows promise as an early neuroimaging biomarker.
- Integrating diffusion MRI biomarkers with structural MRI can improve neurodevelopmental predictive accuracy.
- Further research in larger cohorts is necessary to validate these findings.
Keywords:
cognitiondevelopmental delaydiffusion tensor imagingmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI)neuroimagingpretermMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:27Language and Cognition
526
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
526
01:30Biological Influences on Intelligence
296
Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
296
01:22Language Development
593
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
593
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
2.2K
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
2.2K