Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
Measurement Of Neuromagnetic Brain Function In Pre-school Children With Custom Sized MEG
Published on: February 19, 2010
Predictive value of brain MRI at term-equivalent age in extremely preterm children on neurodevelopmental outcome at
Aurélie Garbi1, Gaelle Sorin1, Stéphanie Coze2
1Department of Neonatology, North Hospital, Chemin Des Bourrely, APHM University Hospital, 13015, Marseille, France.
Insights
Brain MRI at term-equivalent age can predict neurocognitive disorders in extremely premature children. Specific abnormalities correlate with executive function, language, and visuospatial delays in school-aged survivors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Extremely premature (EPT) children often experience neurocognitive deficits.
- Early identification of neurocognitive risks is crucial for timely intervention.
- Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at term-equivalent age (TEA) may offer predictive insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To correlate brain MRI findings at TEA with neurocognitive outcomes in school-aged EPT children.
- To investigate associations between specific MRI abnormalities and executive function, language, and visuospatial skills.
- To assess the utility of a standardized MRI scoring system for predicting long-term neuropsychological outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional multicenter study (GP-Qol) including 114 EPT children (7-10 years old).
- Clinical examinations and psychometric assessments for cognitive and executive functions.
- Standardized scoring system analysis of brain MRIs performed at TEA.
Main Results:
- Moderate to severe grey matter abnormalities were linked to executive function deficits and language delay.
- Ventricular dilatation abnormalities correlated significantly with ideomotor dyspraxia.
- Abnormal biparietal diameters were associated with visuospatial integration delays.
Conclusions:
- Brain MRI at TEA, analyzed with a scoring system, can predict long-term neuropsychological outcomes in EPT children.
- Specific MRI findings provide valuable information for identifying children at risk for neurocognitive disorders.
- This non-invasive imaging approach aids in understanding the neurodevelopmental trajectory of EPT survivors without severe disabilities.
Abstract:
This study's objective was to correlate the abnormalities in brain MRIs performed at corrected-term age for minor or moderate neurocognitive disorders in children school-age born extremely premature (EPT) and without serious sequelae such as autism, cerebral palsy, mental impairment. Data were issued from a cross-sectional multicenter study (GP-Qol study, number NCT01675726). Clinical examination and psychometric assessments were performed when the children were between 7 and 10 years old during a day-long evaluation. Term-equivalent age brain MRIs on EPT were analyzed with a standardized scoring system. There were 114 children included in the study. The mean age at the time of evaluation, was 8.47 years old (± 0.70). 59% of children with at least one cognitive impairment and 53% who had a dysexecutive disorder. Only ten EPT (8.7%) presented moderate to severe white and grey matter abnormalities. These moderate to severe grey matter abnormalities were associated with at least two abnormal executive functions [OR 3.08 (95% CI 1.04-8.79), p = 0.04] and language delay [OR 3.25 (95% CI 1.03-9.80), p = 0.04]. These results remained significant in the multivariate analysis. Moderate to severe ventricular dilatation abnormalities (15%, n = 17) were associated with ideomotor dyspraxia [OR 7.49 (95% CI 1.48-35.95), p = 0.02] and remained significant in multivariate analysis [OR 11.2 (95% CI 1.45-131.4), p = 0.02]. Biparietal corrected diameters were moderate abnormal in 20% of cases (n = 23) and were associated to visuo spatial integration delay [OR 4.13 (95% CI 1.23-13.63), p = 0.02]. Cerebral MRI at term-equivalent age with scoring system analysis can provide information on long-term neuropsychological outcomes at school-age in EPTs children having no severe disability.
