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Specific cognitive abilities in 2-year-old children with subependymal and mild intraventricular hemorrhage
G Ross1, S Boatright, P A Auld
1Cornell University Medical College, NY, USA.
Insights
Subependymal and intraventricular hemorrhages (S/IVH) in premature infants can impact cognitive skills. Children with S/IVH showed deficits in memory for location and response set reversal.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Subependymal and intraventricular hemorrhages (S/IVH) are common in premature infants.
- Damage to subcortical and frontal brain regions is linked to cognitive impairments, including visual attention, spatial memory, and cognitive flexibility.
- The long-term effects of S/IVH on these specific abilities in early childhood require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if S/IVH at birth affects visual attention, memory for location, and response set shifting in two-year-old children.
- To compare cognitive performance between premature infants with S/IVH, premature infants without S/IVH, and full-term infants.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of two-year-old children, including those with S/IVH, premature infants with normal scans, and full-term infants, were assessed.
- Cognitive abilities were evaluated using a habituation/novelty preference task (visual attention), Piaget's invisible displacement task (memory for location), and an object discrimination reversal task (response set shifting).
- The Bayley Scales of Infant Development were also administered for a comprehensive assessment.
Main Results:
- Premature children with S/IVH demonstrated significantly poorer performance in remembering the location of a hidden object.
- Children with S/IVH also showed significant difficulties in the ability to reverse response set.
- Both groups of premature children exhibited some level of performance differences compared to full-term controls, though specific details are truncated.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal S/IVH can lead to lasting deficits in specific cognitive functions, particularly spatial memory and cognitive flexibility, in early childhood.
- These findings highlight the importance of monitoring and early intervention for premature infants with S/IVH to address potential developmental challenges.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the spectrum of cognitive outcomes associated with S/IVH and to develop targeted support strategies.
Abstract:
Subependymal and mild intraventricular hemorrhages (S/IVH) are likely to affect the subcortical and frontal cortex regions of the brain in premature infants. Damage to the subcortical and frontal areas has been associated with poorer performance in certain abilities, including visual attention, memory for location, and ability to change response set. This study investigated whether S/IVH, occurring at birth, affect these abilities in young children. Two-year-old premature children with S/ IVH, premature children with normal neonatal head ultrasound scans, and full term children with normal births were evaluated on a series of tasks. These tasks were a habituation/novelty preference task (visual attention), Piaget's invisible displacement task (memory for location), an object discrimination reversal task (ability to change response set), and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (traditional infant test). Premature children with hemorrhage performed significantly less well on the task of ability to remember the last location of a hidden object and on the task of ability to reverse response set. Both groups of premature children performed.