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Brain Region Size Differences Associated With Dystonia in People With Cerebral Palsy Born Premature

Keerthana Chintalapati1, Toni S Pearson2, Keisuke Ueda1

  • 1Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri.

Pediatric Neurology
|August 26, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Brain imaging in premature infants with cerebral palsy (CP) reveals that a wider space between brain hemispheres, not deep gray matter size, is linked to dystonia. This finding helps understand brain injury patterns in preterm CP. Keywords: cerebral palsy, dystonia, premature birth, brain imaging.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Developmental Neuroscience

Background:

  • Dystonia in cerebral palsy (CP) is typically linked to deep gray matter injury in full-term infants.
  • Patterns of brain injury associated with dystonia in premature infants are not well understood.
  • This study investigates brain regional size differences in premature infants with CP and dystonia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if specific brain regional size differences are associated with dystonia in individuals with CP born prematurely.
  • To identify potential biomarkers for dystonia in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of premature infants (<37 weeks gestational age) with CP.
  • T1-weighted brain MRI analyzed between ages 1-5 years.
  • Measured brain structures included interhemispheric distance, biparietal width, lateral ventricle diameter, transcerebellar diameter, deep gray matter area, and corpus callosum thickness.

Main Results:

  • Fifty-five subjects were included in the analysis.
  • A significantly greater interhemispheric distance was observed in subjects with dystonia (P=0.005), suggesting reduced cortical volume.
  • No significant differences in deep gray matter area or other measured structures were found between groups.

Conclusions:

  • Increased interhemispheric distance is associated with dystonia in premature infants with CP.
  • Deep gray matter size is not a significant correlate of dystonia in this population.
  • Findings suggest cortical alterations, rather than deep gray matter injury, may underlie dystonia in preterm-born individuals with CP.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cerebral palsyDystoniaInterhemispheric distanceMagnetic resonance imagingPrematurity

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