Preterm Birth and Early Life Environmental Factors: Neuropsychological Profiles at Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Overview

Journal J Perinatol

Specialty Gynecology & Obstetrics

Date 2023 Jul 15

PMID 37454175

Authors

Lexuri Fernandez de Gamarra-Oca

Leire Zubiaurre-Elorza

Ainara Gomez-Gastiasoro

Marta Molins-Sauri

Begona Loureiro

Javier Pena

M Acebo Garcia-Guerrero

Naroa Ibarretxe-Bilbao

Olga Bruna

Carme Junque

Alfons Macaya

Maria A Poca

Natalia Ojeda

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To establish neuropsychological profiles after high- and low-risk preterm birth (i.e., with and without neonatal brain injury) during adolescence and young adulthood and to assess the potential role of early life environmental factors in cognition.

Study Design: Participants (N = 177; M = 20.11 years) of both sexes were evaluated when adolescent or in young adulthood. They were grouped according to their birth status: 30 high-risk preterm, 83 low-risk preterm and 64 born at full term.

Results: Significant differences were found in several cognitive domains between groups. Furthermore, familial socioeconomic status (SES) moderated the relation between the degree of maturity/immaturity at birth and cognition (F = 11.94, p < 0.001, R = 0.26).

Discussion: The findings showed different neuropsychological profiles during adolescence and young adulthood, with the high-risk preterm sample evidencing lower cognitive values. In addition, higher scores in the familial SES score in this study seem to have a protective effect on cognition.

References

Raju T, Pemberton V, Saigal S, Blaisdell C, Moxey-Mims M, Buist S . Long-Term Healthcare Outcomes of Preterm Birth: An Executive Summary of a Conference Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. J Pediatr. 2016; 181:309-318.e1. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.10.015. View

Rees P, Callan C, Chadda K, Vaal M, Diviney J, Sabti S . Preterm Brain Injury and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: A Meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2022; 150(6). PMC: 9724175. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-057442. View

Volpe J . The encephalopathy of prematurity--brain injury and impaired brain development inextricably intertwined. Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2009; 16(4):167-78. PMC: 2799246. DOI: 10.1016/j.spen.2009.09.005. View

Hart A, Whitby E, Griffiths P, Smith M . Magnetic resonance imaging and developmental outcome following preterm birth: review of current evidence. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2008; 50(9):655-63. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2008.03050.x. View

Walsh J, Doyle L, Anderson P, Lee K, Cheong J . Moderate and late preterm birth: effect on brain size and maturation at term-equivalent age. Radiology. 2014; 273(1):232-40. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.14132410. View

Chan E, Leong P, Malouf R, Quigley M . Long-term cognitive and school outcomes of late-preterm and early-term births: a systematic review. Child Care Health Dev. 2016; 42(3):297-312. DOI: 10.1111/cch.12320. View

McBryde M, Fitzallen G, Liley H, Taylor H, Bora S . Academic Outcomes of School-Aged Children Born Preterm: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2020; 3(4):e202027. PMC: 7125435. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.2027. View

Bhutta A, Cleves M, Casey P, Cradock M, Anand K . Cognitive and behavioral outcomes of school-aged children who were born preterm: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2002; 288(6):728-37. DOI: 10.1001/jama.288.6.728. View

Hadaya L, Nosarti C . The neurobiological correlates of cognitive outcomes in adolescence and adulthood following very preterm birth. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2020; 25(3):101117. DOI: 10.1016/j.siny.2020.101117. View

10.

OReilly H, Johnson S, Ni Y, Wolke D, Marlow N . Neuropsychological Outcomes at 19 Years of Age Following Extremely Preterm Birth. Pediatrics. 2020; 145(2). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-2087. View

11.

Brydges C, Landes J, Reid C, Campbell C, French N, Anderson M . Cognitive outcomes in children and adolescents born very preterm: a meta-analysis. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2018; 60(5):452-468. DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.13685. View

12.

de Jong M, Verhoeven M, van Baar A . School outcome, cognitive functioning, and behaviour problems in moderate and late preterm children and adults: a review. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2012; 17(3):163-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.siny.2012.02.003. View

13.

Yaari M, Mankuta D, Harel-Gadassi A, Friedlander E, Bar-Oz B, Eventov-Friedman S . Early developmental trajectories of preterm infants. Res Dev Disabil. 2017; 81:12-23. DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2017.10.018. View

14.

Linsell L, Johnson S, Wolke D, OReilly H, Morris J, Kurinczuk J . Cognitive trajectories from infancy to early adulthood following birth before 26 weeks of gestation: a prospective, population-based cohort study. Arch Dis Child. 2017; 103(4):363-370. PMC: 5890637. DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2017-313414. View

15.

Wong H, Edwards P . Nature or nurture: a systematic review of the effect of socio-economic status on the developmental and cognitive outcomes of children born preterm. Matern Child Health J. 2012; 17(9):1689-700. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-012-1183-8. View

16.

Perez-Pereira M, Fernandez M, Gomez-Taibo M, Martinez-Lopez Z, Arce C . A Follow-Up Study of Cognitive Development in Low Risk Preterm Children. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(7). PMC: 7178262. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17072380. View

17.

Sansavini A, Guarini A, Caselli M . Preterm birth: neuropsychological profiles and atypical developmental pathways. Dev Disabil Res Rev. 2013; 17(2):102-13. DOI: 10.1002/ddrr.1105. View

18.

Zubiaurre-Elorza L, Soria-Pastor S, Junque C, Fernandez-Espejo D, Segarra D, Bargallo N . Thalamic changes in a preterm sample with periventricular leukomalacia: correlation with white-matter integrity and cognitive outcome at school age. Pediatr Res. 2012; 71(4 Pt 1):354-60. DOI: 10.1038/pr.2011.70. View

19.

Zubiaurre-Elorza L, Soria-Pastor S, Junque C, Segarra D, Bargallo N, Mayolas N . Gray matter volume decrements in preterm children with periventricular leukomalacia. Pediatr Res. 2011; 69(6):554-60. DOI: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e3182182366. View

20.

Happe F . An advanced test of theory of mind: understanding of story characters' thoughts and feelings by able autistic, mentally handicapped, and normal children and adults. J Autism Dev Disord. 1994; 24(2):129-54. DOI: 10.1007/BF02172093. View