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Interactive roles of preterm-birth and socioeconomic status in cortical thickness of language-related brain

Collin Nolte1, Kalina J Michalska2, Paige M Nelson1

  • 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior
|September 7, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Preterm-born children face higher risks for language difficulties. Socio-economic status (SES) impacts brain development and language skills in both preterm and term-born children, suggesting similar environmental influences across gestational ages.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Children born preterm (PTB) exhibit increased neurocognitive and language challenges.
  • Socio-economic status (SES) significantly influences language development in term-born children and predicts behavioral outcomes in PTB children.
  • The neurocognitive impact of SES on language development in PTB children is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of SES in the neural underpinnings of language performance in preterm-born children.
  • To examine how SES and prematurity interact to affect brain structure and language abilities.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a large longitudinal cohort.
  • Analyzed the relationship between prematurity status, SES, cortical thickness, and receptive vocabulary.
  • Employed statistical models to assess additive and interactive effects.

Main Results:

  • Both prematurity status and SES were significant predictors of cortical thickness variability.
  • Cortical thickness was associated with receptive vocabulary performance in children.
  • No evidence of a differential role of environmental factors for PTB versus term-born children was found.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental factors, including SES, contribute significantly to language development in both preterm and term-born children.
  • The neural pathways influenced by SES in language development appear similar across the spectrum of gestational age.
  • SES is a crucial factor in understanding neurocognitive outcomes related to language in children.

Keywords:
Cortical thicknessLanguagePreterm-birthSocio-economic status

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