Cortical surface area, thalamic nuclei volume, and associations with neurocognitive functioning in 6–13-year-old children born late preterm and full term
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Background
Late preterm (LP) children (34 0/7 – 36 6/7 weeks of gestation) are at risk for neurocognitive challenges, yet the neuroanatomic and functional disruptions underlying these developmental differences remain poorly understood.
Purpose or Hypothesis
Investigate (1) regional differences in cortical surface area and thalamic nuclei volume and (2) structural variations that may explain heterogeneity in neurocognitive functioning in LP versus full term (FT) school-aged children, using two complementary approaches: a vertex-wise analysis of cortical surface area and a region-of-interest volumetric analysis of thalamic nuclei.
Study Type
Secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort study.
Population or Subjects
48 LP and 72 FT children aged 6–13 years.
Field Strength/Sequence
3T; Sagittal T1-weighted MP-RAGE and axial T2-weighted 3D SPACE.
Assessment
FreeSurfer 7.4.1 was used to parcellate cortical regions (Destrieux atlas) and segment thalamic nuclei (25 nuclei). Neurocognitive functioning was assessed across four domains: hyperactivity/inattention (Pediatric Behavior Scale), processing speed (WISC-IV), working memory (WISC-III), and visual-spatial perception (Benton JLO).
Statistical Tests
Independent samples t-tests for group comparisons; vertex-wise GLMs for cortical surface analyses with false discovery rate (FDR) correction; and multiple linear regression for thalamic nuclei analyses with FDR-corrected q < 0.05.
Results
Vertex-wise analyses revealed regional differences in cortical surface area between LP and FT children in both hemispheres, along with associations between surface area in several cortical regions and hyperactivity/inattention, working memory, and visual-spatial perception. In contrast, using an ROI approach, thalamic nuclei volumes did not differ between groups and were not associated with any neurocognitive domains.
Conclusion
LP birth may be associated with subtle, region-specific bidirectional left and right hemispheric cortical surface area differences rather than widespread structural alterations in middle childhood, with regional macrostructural measures associated with individual differences in neurocognitive functioning.
