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Published on: July 1, 2015
Gestational Duration and Postnatal Age-Related Changes in Aperiodic and Periodic Parameters in Neonatal and Toddler
Silja Luotonen1,2,3, Henry Railo1,4, Henriette Acosta1,5
1FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Insights
Longer gestational duration is linked to brain activity changes in neonates and toddlers. This suggests prenatal development significantly impacts brain physiology long-term.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Brain development is rapid during gestation and early infancy.
- Electrophysiological studies show changes in aperiodic brain activity from infancy to adulthood.
- The impact of gestational duration on brain activity, both periodic and aperiodic, is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between gestational duration and EEG power spectrum characteristics (aperiodic and periodic activity).
- To examine these associations in both neonates and toddlers.
- To understand the lasting effects of prenatal development on brain physiology.
Main Methods:
- Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) data from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study.
- Analyzed data from 73 neonates and 56 toddlers.
- Employed the SpecParam tool to decompose EEG power spectra into aperiodic and periodic components.
- Used multilevel models for neonates and regression models for toddlers, controlling for covariates like birth weight and sex.
Main Results:
- Longer gestational duration correlated with a steeper EEG power spectrum slope in both neonates and toddlers, particularly pronounced in toddlers.
- A quadratic relationship was observed between gestational duration and beta center frequency in neonates.
- In toddlers, beta center frequencies were higher in females than males.
- Neonatal theta center frequency and aperiodic offset showed negative associations with postnatal age.
Conclusions:
- Gestational duration appears to exert significant and enduring influences on brain physiology.
- These findings highlight the critical role of prenatal development in shaping brain activity patterns.
- Further research is warranted to explore the behavioral and cognitive implications of these brain physiology changes.
Abstract:
The brain develops most rapidly during pregnancy and early neonatal months. While prior electrophysiological studies have shown that aperiodic brain activity undergoes changes across infancy to adulthood, the role of gestational duration in aperiodic and periodic activity remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to bridge this gap by examining the associations between gestational duration and aperiodic and periodic activity in the EEG power spectrum in both neonates and toddlers. This cross-sectional study involved EEG data from 73 neonates (postnatal age 1-5 days, 40 females) and 56 toddlers (postnatal age of 2.9-3.2 years, 28 females) from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. EEG power spectra were parameterized to aperiodic and periodic components using the SpecParam tool. We tested the associations between gestational duration as well as postnatal age and SpecParam parameters in neonates and toddlers while including birth weight and child sex as covariates. For neonates, multilevel models were employed, considering different data acquisitions (sleep and auditory paradigm + sleep), while in toddlers, regression models were used as only data from the auditory paradigm was available. We found that longer gestational duration was associated with a steeper power spectrum across EEG frequencies both in neonates and toddlers. Effect was especially strong in toddlers (β = 0.45, p = 0.004), while in neonates, it remained nearly statistically significant (p = 0.061). In neonates, a quadratic association between gestational duration and beta center frequency (12.5-30 Hz) was found. In toddlers, beta center frequencies were overall higher in females compared to males. Offset (calculated as the power of the aperiodic curve at 2.5 Hz) and theta center frequency had negative associations with postnatal age in neonates, but not in toddlers. Our results suggest that gestational duration may have significant and relatively long-lasting effects on brain physiology. The possible behavioral and cognitive consequences of these changes are enticing topics for future research.
