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Long-term associations between perinatal factors and white matter microstructure at 8-10 years
Injoong Kim1,2, Omar Azrak2, Mark Foster2
1Department of Radiology, Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Gestational age and birth weight significantly impact white matter microstructure in school-aged children. These perinatal factors, particularly axial diffusivity, are linked to long-term brain development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Perinatal factors significantly influence early brain development.
- Long-term effects of perinatal factors on white matter microstructure are not fully understood.
- Previous studies using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) showed limited associations.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate associations between perinatal factors (birth weight, gestational age, head circumference) and white matter microstructure.
- Examine long-term impacts on brain development in school-aged children.
- Utilize advanced diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed DTI data from 117 children aged 8-10 years.
- Employed a fiber tract-based framework covering 54 major white matter tracts.
- Used functional analysis of fiber tract profiles for statistical assessment.
Main Results:
- Gestational age and birth weight showed widespread associations with white matter microstructure (38 and 36 tracts, respectively).
- Head circumference had limited associations (3 tracts).
- Axial diffusivity (AD) showed stronger associations than radial diffusivity (RD) or fractional anisotropy (FA), particularly with birth weight and gestational age.
Conclusions:
- Gestational age and birth weight are linked to widespread white matter organization differences at school age.
- Axial diffusivity variations suggest impacts on axonal characteristics.
- Early-life biological measures relate to later white matter microstructure, warranting further research into developmental mechanisms.
Background:
While perinatal factors are known to influence brain development, their long-term impact on white matter microstructure remains incompletely understood. Previous studies using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) have shown limited associations between neonatal measures and later white matter development.
Methods:
We investigated associations between perinatal factors (birth weight [BW], gestational age [GA], and head circumference at birth [HC]) and white matter microstructure in 117 children aged 8-10 years from the UNC Early Brain Development Study cohort. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were analyzed using a fiber tract-based framework examining 54 major white matter tracts. Statistical analyses were performed using a functional analysis of fiber tract profiles.
Results:
GA and BW showed widespread patterns of significant associations with white matter microstructure (38 and 36 out of 54 tracts, respectively), whereas HC showed limited associations (3 out of 54 tracts). Post hoc univariate analyses revealed stronger associations with axial diffusivity (AD) compared to radial diffusivity (RD) or fractional anisotropy (FA). AD associations with BW, GA, and HC were observed in 30, 31, and 8 tracts, respectively.
Conclusion:
Using a fiber tract-based analysis approach, we found that GA and BW were associated with widespread patterns of differences in white matter organization at school age, whereas HC showed limited associations. Associations involving AD were most consistently observed across tracts, suggesting that these perinatal factors may be related to variation in axonal characteristics of white matter. Overall, our findings indicate that early-life biological measures are related to later white matter microstructure, although further work is needed to clarify the developmental mechanisms underlying these associations.
