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Brain morphometric changes in children born as small for gestational age without catch up growth

Tomozumi Takatani1, Tadashi Shiohama1, Rieko Takatani2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.

Frontiers in Neuroscience
|September 13, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Infants born small for gestational age (SGA) who don't achieve catch-up growth show reduced left insula volume and thickness. This brain morphology difference may impact intellectual and psychological development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Most infants born small for gestational age (SGA) achieve catch-up growth, but some do not.
  • Failure to achieve catch-up growth is linked to health risks, including neuropsychological issues.
  • Limited data exists on the brain morphology of SGA infants who do not achieve catch-up growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural brain characteristics of children born SGA without catch-up growth.
  • To identify specific brain regions affected by the lack of catch-up growth in SGA infants.

Main Methods:

  • Voxel- and surface-based morphometric analyses were performed on T1-weighted brain MRI scans.
  • Eight SGA infants without catch-up growth were compared to sixteen individuals with idiopathic short stature (ISS).
  • Growth hormone (GH) deficiency was excluded in all participants; statistical analyses included t-tests and Benjamini-Hochberg correction.

Main Results:

  • Morphometric analyses revealed decreased left insula thickness and volume in SGA infants without catch-up growth compared to the ISS group.
  • Distinct morphological brain disparities were observed in SGA infants lacking catch-up growth.

Conclusions:

  • The study identified specific brain morphology differences in SGA infants without catch-up growth.
  • These findings may enhance the understanding of the association between SGA without catch-up growth and intellectual/psychological outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
brain magnetic resonance imagingidiopathic short statureshort for gestational agesurface-based morphometryvoxel-based morphometry

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