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Visual pathways functioning in healthy pre-term adolescents: Sex but not gestational age effect
Matilde Taddei1, Francesca Tinelli2, Flavia Faccio1
1Pediatric Neuroscience Department Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
Pediatric Research
|October 16, 2024
Summary
Preterm birth impacts visuo-perceptual skills differently in males and females. While preterm females show reduced visual processing efficiency, they may use compensatory strategies to maintain neuropsychological performance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Visuo-spatial and visuo-perceptual functioning is well-researched in preterm individuals and shows sex-specific patterns.
- Limited data exists on sex differences and the interaction of sex with preterm birth in visuo-perceptual outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interaction between prematurity and sex in predicting visual pathway functioning.
- To explore the relationship between psychophysiological perceptive processing and neuropsychological performance in preterm adolescents.
Main Methods:
- Studied 30 preterm adolescents with normal cognitive and neurological outcomes and 34 age-matched controls.
- Assessed visual pathways functioning, psychophysical perceptive processing, and neuropsychological performance.
Main Results:
- Preterm females exhibited greater vulnerability in central visuo-cognitive processing but not in neuropsychological accuracy.
- Psychophysical thresholds correlated with neuropsychological accuracy only in preterm females, not males.
- Male vulnerability in cognitive functioning related to prematurity appears negligible in school-aged children with typical outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Preterm birth can lead to sex-specific visuo-perceptual outcomes in adolescents with normal cognitive and neurological status.
- Females born preterm may employ compensatory strategies to achieve good performance despite reduced perceptual efficiency.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering sex in understanding developmental trajectories of visuo-perceptual abilities post-preterm birth.
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