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Motor outcomes and visual function in adults born preterm with very low birthweight
Silje D Benum1, Urd E Svennevig2, Anna Fivelstad2
1Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Insights
Adults born preterm with very low birthweight (VLBW) show poorer motor outcomes in mid-adulthood. Visual function, specifically best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), partially mediates this association, highlighting a link between early development and later motor skills.
Area of Science:
- Developmental neuroscience
- Clinical neurology
- Public health
Background:
- Preterm birth and very low birthweight (VLBW) are associated with neurodevelopmental challenges.
- Long-term outcomes in mid-adulthood for individuals born VLBW require further investigation.
- The role of visual function in mediating motor outcomes in this population is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if being born preterm with VLBW is linked to poorer motor outcomes in mid-adulthood.
- To investigate if visual function mediates the relationship between VLBW and motor difficulties.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study in Finland and Norway.
- Assessed motor outcomes and visual function in adults born VLBW and term-born controls.
- Used validated tests for motor abilities and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).
Main Results:
- Significantly higher rates of overall motor difficulties in VLBW adults compared to controls.
- Increased risk differences for fine and gross motor difficulties in the VLBW group.
- BCVA mediated the association between VLBW and fine motor difficulties, as well as continuous motor scores.
Conclusions:
- VLBW is associated with poorer motor outcomes in mid-adulthood.
- Visual function, particularly BCVA, plays a mediating role in this association.
- Further research is needed to elucidate causal pathways or shared etiologies.
Aim:
To examine whether being born preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) with very low birthweight (VLBW ≤1500 g) is associated with poorer outcomes in mid-adulthood, and whether this association is mediated by visual function.
Method:
In two prospective cohorts from Finland and Norway, motor outcomes and visual function were assessed in 118 adults born with VLBW and 147 term-born control individuals. Risk differences (95% confidence intervals [CI]) were assessed for overall and gross motor difficulties (<5th centile on Bruininks Motor Ability Test Short Form and Revised High-level Mobility Assessment Tool) and fine motor difficulties (>2 standard deviations on the Grooved Pegboard and Trail Making Test-5). We investigated the association between VLBW and motor outcomes with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) as mediator.
Results:
Overall motor difficulties were present in 34.7% of the VLBW and 4.8% of the control groups (risk difference 29.9%; 95% CI 20.6-39.1). Risk differences were 2.6% (-1.1 to 6.2) to 12.3% (4.9-19.7) for fine motor difficulties and 15.5% (7.5-23.6) for gross motor difficulties. BCVA mediated the association between VLBW and fine motor difficulties as well as continuous overall, fine, and gross motor scores.
Interpretation:
Whether the findings reflect a causal pathway between visual function and motor outcomes, or a shared aetiology, cannot be answered in this study.
