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Updated: Oct 16, 2025
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Phase-Based Cortical Synchrony Is Affected by Prematurity
Pauliina Yrjölä1,2,3, Susanna Stjerna1,3,4, J Matias Palva2,3,5
1Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, BABA Center, Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00029 HUS, Finland.
Insights
Prematurity impacts brain connectivity in infants, affecting higher cognitive functions. These brain network differences, identified via electroencephalography, predict clinical outcomes, offering potential biomarkers for neurodevelopmental risks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Inter-areal synchronization via phase-phase correlations (PPCs) of cortical oscillations is crucial for higher neurocognitive functions.
- Prematurity is a significant risk factor impacting neurodevelopment and cognitive abilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of prematurity on brain-wide cortical PPC networks at term-equivalent age.
- To identify sleep state- and frequency-specific alterations in PPC networks associated with prematurity.
- To explore the predictive value of PPC network synchronization for clinical outcomes in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record brain activity in preterm infants and healthy controls.
- Analysis focused on brain-wide cortical phase-phase correlations (PPCs) at term-equivalent age.
- Comparison of PPC network characteristics between preterm and control groups across different sleep states and frequencies.
Main Results:
- Prematurity significantly altered brain-wide cortical PPC networks in a sleep state-specific and frequency-selective manner.
- Differences in synchronization strength were observed in brain-wide connections between preterm and control infants.
- The strength of synchronization within these networks predicted clinical outcomes in preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Prematurity profoundly affects cortical phase-phase correlation networks, impacting neurocognitive functions.
- These findings highlight prematurity-induced alterations in brain connectivity as potential early functional biomarkers.
- The identified biomarkers may aid in clinical and translational studies for assessing neurodevelopmental compromise following early neonatal adversity.
Abstract:
Inter-areal synchronization by phase-phase correlations (PPCs) of cortical oscillations mediates many higher neurocognitive functions, which are often affected by prematurity, a globally prominent neurodevelopmental risk factor. Here, we used electroencephalography to examine brain-wide cortical PPC networks at term-equivalent age, comparing human infants after early prematurity to a cohort of healthy controls. We found that prematurity affected these networks in a sleep state-specific manner, and the differences between groups were also frequency-selective, involving brain-wide connections. The strength of synchronization in these networks was predictive of clinical outcomes in the preterm infants. These findings show that prematurity affects PPC networks in a clinically significant manner, suggesting early functional biomarkers of later neurodevelopmental compromise that may be used in clinical or translational studies after early neonatal adversity.
