Quantifying cortical maturational aspects during different vigilance states in preterm infants by advanced EEG analysis

Preterm birth is associated with numerous neurodevelopmental adverse outcomes, even in the absence of acquired lesions, as it occurs during a critical period of brain development. Clear organization of vigilance states can be recognized from 30–32 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). In this study, we investigated whether spatial and temporal properties of neuronal oscillatory dynamics ( i.e. , phase synchronization, bistability, and cross-frequency coupling) during different vigilance states provide insights into cortical maturation in preterm infants born very low birth weight (VLBW) at low neurological risk and devoid of detectable brain lesions.

We analyzed artifact-free video-polysomnographic data from 11 VLBW preterm infants (PMA at recording: 33.0 ± 1.6 weeks) who underwent brain MRI at term-equivalent age. For each vigilance state, we computed the weighted Phase Lag Index (wPLI), Bistability Index (BiS), and Phase-Amplitude Coupling (PAC), both globally and across anterior and posterior regions, and examined their correlation with PMA at recording.

wPLI, BiS, and PAC showed specific trends across vigilance states. BiS and PAC exhibited posterior-to-anterior differences and correlated with PMA.

Our study suggests that these electrophysiological markers, particularly BiS and PAC, may serve as indices to monitor aspects of cortical maturation in VLBW at low neurological risk.