RESTING-STATE NETWORKS IN SCHOOL-AGED VERY PRETERM CHILDREN: LINKS WITH COGNITION AND THEORY OF MIND

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatric Imaging

Background:

• Very preterm birth (<32 weeks GA) can affect neurodevelopment.
• Resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) patterns may be altered in these children.
• Understanding these alterations is crucial for identifying cognitive and socio-cognitive deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between gestational age (GA) and rsFC in school-aged very preterm children.
• To investigate how these neural connectivity patterns relate to cognitive and theory of mind (ToM) performance.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state fMRI data were acquired from 52 very preterm children (GA < 32 weeks).
• Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to extract resting-state networks.
• Cognitive and ToM assessments were performed.

Main Results:

• GA positively correlated with rsFC in the left posterior cerebellar network (lpCER) and negatively with the anterior default mode network (aDMN) and right frontoparietal network (rFPN).
• Increased lpCER connectivity was linked to better verbal comprehension, visuospatial ability, fluid reasoning, working memory, and ToM.
• Increased aDMN connectivity correlated with lower working memory, and decreased rFPN connectivity with lower IQ.

Conclusions:

• Gestational age significantly influences intrinsic brain network connectivity in very preterm children.
• Specific rsFC patterns are associated with cognitive and socio-cognitive outcomes.
• These findings highlight potential neural markers for targeted interventions in preterm populations.