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Association between left precuneus functional connectivity and early neurodevelopment in preterm infants
Ye Feng1, Xu Li2, Shaohua Bi1
1Department of Neonatology, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, Hefei 230051, China.
Brain & Development
|February 11, 2026
Summary
Preterm infants show altered brain connectivity in the left precuneus, impacting neurobehavioral development. These functional impairments may be linked to long-term deficits, informing early assessment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Preterm birth is linked to brain network alterations, potentially causing motor and neurocognitive deficits.
- The neural mechanisms behind these deficits in preterm infants are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional brain activity changes in preterm infants.
- To correlate these changes with early neurobehavioral development.
Main Methods:
- Used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) on 15 preterm and 15 full-term infants.
- Applied amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analyses.
- Correlated Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment (NBNA) scores with FC in preterm infants.
Main Results:
- Preterm infants had higher ALFF and ReHo in the left precuneus compared to full-term infants.
- Reduced FC was observed between the left precuneus and the left Rolandic operculum, right putamen, and left hippocampus in preterm infants.
- FC between the left precuneus and left Rolandic operculum/right putamen positively correlated with NBNA scores.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants may exhibit early functional connectivity impairments in the left precuneus.
- These impairments could be a neural correlate of neurobehavioral abnormalities.
- Findings offer insights into preterm birth-related neurodevelopmental mechanisms and inform early clinical assessment.
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