Abstract
Background
This study aims to (i) compare volumes of individual basal ganglia nuclei (caudate nucleus, pallidum, and putamen) and the thalamus between very preterm (VP) and term-born infants at term-equivalent age; (ii) explore neonatal basal ganglia and thalamic volume relationships with 7-year neurodevelopmental outcomes, and whether these relationships differed between VP and term-born children.
Methods
210 VP (<30 weeks’ gestational age) and 39 term-born (≥37 weeks’ gestational age) infants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging at term-equivalent age, and deep gray matter volumes of interest were automatically generated. 186 VP and 37 term-born children were assessed for a range of neurodevelopmental measures at age 7 years.
Results
All deep gray matter structures examined were smaller in VP infants compared with controls at term-equivalent age; ranging from (percentage mean difference (95% confidence intervals) −6.2% (−10.2%, −2.2%) for the putamen, to −9.5% (−13.9%, −5.1%) for the caudate nucleus. Neonatal basal ganglia and thalamic volumes were positively related to motor, intelligence quotient, and academic outcomes at age 7 years, with mostly similar relationships in the VP and control groups.
Conclusion
VP birth results in smaller basal ganglia and thalamic volumes at term-equivalent age, and these smaller volumes are related to a range of 7-year neurodevelopmental deficits in VP children.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful for the help and support of the Victorian Infant Brain Studies and Developmental Imaging groups, as well as the Melbourne Children’s MRI Centre at the Murdoch Childrens Research institute. We also thank the families and children who participated in this study.
Author contributions
W.Y.L. contributed to the study design and conceptualization, analyzed and interpreted the data, drafted the initial manuscript, and approved the final manuscript as submitted; P.J.A., J.L.Y.C., A.J.S., T.E.I., A.C., L.W.D., and D.K.T. contributed to the study design and conceptualization, interpreted the data, reviewed and revised the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript as submitted; J.C., C.M., and K.J.L. contributed to the data analysis and interpretation, reviewed and revised the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript as submitted.
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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
This study was supported by Australia’s National Health & Medical Research Council: Centre for Clinical Research Excellence 546519 to L.W.D. and P.J.A.; Centre for Research Excellence 1060733 to L.W.D., P.J.A., J.L.Y.C., D.K.T., A.J.S., and W.Y.L.; Project Grants 237117 to L.W.D., 491209 to P.J.A.; Senior Research Fellowship 1081288 to P.J.A.; Career Development Fellowships 1108714 to A.J.S., 1085754 to D.K.T.; Early Career Fellowship 1053787 to J.L.Y.C.. This study was also supported by the National Institutes of Health (HD058056), the Victorian Government’s Operational Infrastructure Support Program, and The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
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Loh, W., Anderson, P., Cheong, J. et al. Neonatal basal ganglia and thalamic volumes: very preterm birth and 7-year neurodevelopmental outcomes. Pediatr Res 82, 970–978 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2017.161
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2017.161
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