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Published on: January 2, 2012
Linking Pregnancy- and Birth-Related Risk Factors to a Multivariate Fusion of Child Cortical Structure
Linn R S Lindseth1,2, Dani Beck1,2, Lars T Westlye3,4,5
1PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Insights
Pregnancy complications and prematurity are linked to reduced brain surface area in children. Specific birth complications also showed regional brain structure variations, highlighting early life impacts on neurodevelopment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Early life exposures significantly influence offspring brain development.
- Previous research often examined pregnancy and birth factors in isolation.
- Understanding multivariate associations is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between diverse pregnancy/birth factors and multivariate cortical brain MRI features.
- To identify overarching dimensions of pregnancy and birth variables.
- To explore relationships between these dimensions and detailed brain structure.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 8,396 children (ages 8.9-11.1) from the ABCD Study.
- Applied multiple correspondence analysis and factor analysis of mixed data to group pregnancy/birth variables.
- Employed linked independent component analysis to fuse vertex-wise cortical thickness, surface area, and curvature MRI data.
Main Results:
- Maternal pregnancy complications and low birth weight/prematurity correlated with smaller global brain surface area.
- Low birth weight/prematurity also showed regional cortical patterns of surface area and thickness variations.
- Newborn complications were linked to specific regional changes in brain area and thickness.
Conclusions:
- Multifactorial analysis reveals connections between pregnancy/birth complications and global/regional brain structure.
- Early life factors like prematurity and birth complications have distinct impacts on child brain development.
- Maternal substance use during pregnancy did not show associations with child cortical structure in this study.
Abstract:
Pregnancy- and birth-related factors affect offspring brain development, emphasizing the importance of early life exposures. While most previous studies have focused on a few variables in isolation, here we investigated associations between a broad range of pregnancy- and birth-related variables and multivariate cortical brain MRI features. Our sample consisted of 8,396 children aged 8.9 to 11.1 years from the ABCD Study. Through multiple correspondence analysis and factor analysis of mixed data, we distilled numerous pregnancy and birth variables into four overarching dimensions; maternal pregnancy complications, maternal substance use, low birth weight and prematurity, and newborn birth complications. Vertex-wise measures of cortical thickness, surface area, and curvature were fused using linked independent component analysis. Linear mixed effects models showed that maternal pregnancy complications and low birth weight and prematurity were associated with smaller global surface area. Additionally, low birth weight and prematurity was associated with complex regional cortical patterns reflecting bidirectional variations in both surface area and cortical thickness. Newborn birth complications showed multivariate patterns reflecting smaller occipital- and larger temporal area, bi-directional frontal area variations, and reduced cortical thickness across the cortex. Maternal substance use showed no associations with child cortical structure. By employing a multifactorial and multivariate morphometric fusion approach, we connected complications during pregnancy and fetal size and prematurity to global surface area and specific regional signatures across child cortical MRI features.
