ALE Meta-Analysis Reveals Neural Substrates for the Impact of Prematurity on Executive Functioning in Children and Adults

Premature birth has known impacts on brain development, leading to sustained differences in cognitive function throughout the lifespan. Despite known deficits in executive functioning (EF) within individuals born premature, the extent to which neural engagement during executive functioning tasks differs between those born preterm and full-term is not fully understood. Additionally, it is unknown whether regions of differential engagement are the same in children and adults. This meta-analysis synthesizes fMRI results of activation differences between preterm and full-term subjects during executive functioning tasks in adult and child groups separately. Our results indicate that differences in neural engagement during EF tasks differ between pre-term (PT) and full term (FT) individuals in both age groups. Moreover, the regions affected contribute to well-known brain networks, including the fronto-striatal circuitry, the default mode network (DMN), and the salience network, all of which subserve broad EF capabilities. We found no differences between child and adult maps in a direct contrast, suggesting that effects of prematurity on executive functioning may persist from childhood into adulthood, although these findings should be interpreted in context of methodological limitations and potential confounding factors. This meta-analysis provides greater insight into the neural mechanisms behind EF disruption following premature birth.