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Task-free functional connectivity changes before and after hyper- and hypoglycemia in very preterm neonates

Guy A Perkins1, Giacomo Bianco2, Silvia Guiducci3

  • 1University of Padova, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, Padua, Italy.

Neurophotonics
|April 2, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Very preterm infants

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal neuroscience
  • Neurodevelopmental biology
  • Metabolic disorders

Background:

  • Very preterm infants exhibit significant blood glucose concentration (BGC) fluctuations due to immature glucose control.
  • Impaired glucose regulation in neonates can impact brain development and function.
  • Understanding brain responses to glycemic events is crucial for identifying early biomarkers of neurodevelopmental vulnerability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between blood glucose concentration (BGC) fluctuations and changes in brain functional connectivity in very preterm infants.
  • To determine if task-free functional connectivity (tfFC) patterns are altered by glycemic variability.
  • To explore potential early biomarkers of brain vulnerability in preterm neonates.

Main Methods:

  • Continuous monitoring of blood glucose concentration (BGC) using a continuous glucose monitoring device.
  • Simultaneous monitoring of brain hemodynamics using diffuse optical tomography.
  • Analysis of task-free functional connectivity (tfFC) patterns in 12 very preterm newborns.

Main Results:

  • Changes in tfFC between left frontal and left parietal regions correlated with the standard deviation of BGC.
  • Alterations in tfFC between central prefrontal cortex and right prefrontal regions correlated with maximum BGC.
  • Specific brain region couplings during rest were found to be dependent on glycemic changes.

Conclusions:

  • Glycemic fluctuations in preterm infants are associated with changes in region-specific brain functional connectivity.
  • These findings suggest that brain area coupling during rest is influenced by glycemic variability in the preterm brain.
  • Characterizing these relationships may offer insights into neurodevelopment and early identification of brain vulnerability.
Abstract

Keywords:
diffuse optical tomographyfunctional connectivityglycemianear infrared spectroscopypreterm infants

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