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Published on: February 18, 2012
Thalamic volume in very preterm infants: associations with severe brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcome at two
Emiliano Trimarco1, Bahram Jafrasteh1, Natalia Jiménez-Luque1
1Biomedical Research and Innovation Institute of Cádiz (INiBICA) Research Unit, Puerta del Mar University Hospital, Cádiz, Spain.
Insights
The thalamic growth trajectory in preterm infants is impacted by severe brain injury and predicts cognitive, motor, and language development at two years. This highlights the importance of early brain development monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Preterm birth is associated with altered brain development, particularly reduced thalamus volume.
- Understanding early brain growth trajectories is crucial for predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between thalamic growth trajectory during early postnatal life and neurodevelopment at two years of age in very preterm infants.
- To examine the impact of severe brain injury on thalamic growth.
Main Methods:
- MRI scans were analyzed to assess thalamic volume in 116 very preterm infants at two time points.
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes (cognitive, motor, language) were assessed at two years using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition.
- Multilevel linear regression models were employed to analyze the data.
Main Results:
- Severe brain injury was significantly associated with a less favorable thalamic growth trajectory (β = -0.611, p < 0.001).
- Thalamic growth trajectory positively correlated with cognitive (β = 6.297, p = 0.004), motor (β = 7.283, p = 0.001), and language (β = 9.053, p = 0.002) outcomes at two years.
Conclusions:
- Severe brain injury significantly impacts thalamic growth trajectory in the early postnatal period for preterm infants.
- The thalamic growth trajectory is a significant predictor of cognitive, motor, and language development in early childhood.
Introduction:
Several studies demonstrate the relationship between preterm birth and a reduced thalamus volume at term-equivalent age. In contrast, this study aims to investigate the link between the thalamic growth trajectory during the early postnatal period and neurodevelopment at two years of age.
Methods:
Thalamic volume was extracted from 84 early MRI scans at postmenstrual age of 32.33 (± 2.63) weeks and 93 term-equivalent age MRI scans at postmenstrual age of 42.05 (± 3.33) weeks of 116 very preterm infants (56% male) with gestational age at birth of 29.32 (± 2.28) weeks and a birth weight of 1158.92 (± 348.59) grams. Cognitive, motor, and language outcomes at two years of age were assessed with Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition. Bivariate analysis was used to describe the clinical variables according to neurodevelopmental outcomes and multilevel linear regression models were used to examine the impact of these variables on thalamic volume and its relationship with neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Results:
The results suggest an association between severe brain injury and thalamic growth trajectory (β coef = -0.611; p < 0.001). Moreover, thalamic growth trajectory during early postnatal life was associated with the three subscale scores of the neurodevelopmental assessment (cognitive: β coef = 6.297; p = 0.004; motor: β coef = 7.283; p = 0.001; language: β coeficient = 9.053; p = 0.002).
Discussion:
These findings highlight (i) the impact of severe brain injury on thalamic growth trajectory during early extrauterine life after preterm birth and (ii) the relationship of thalamic growth trajectory with cognitive, motor, and language outcomes.
