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Barnes-Davis ME, Williamson BJ, Kline JE, Kline-Fath BM, Tkach J, He L, Yuan W, Parikh NA. Structural connectivity at term equivalent age and language in preterm children at 2 years corrected. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae126. [PMID: 38665963 PMCID: PMC11043656 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
We previously reported interhemispheric structural hyperconnectivity bypassing the corpus callosum in children born extremely preterm (<28 weeks) versus term children. This increased connectivity was positively associated with language performance at 4-6 years of age in our prior work. In the present study, we aim to investigate whether this extracallosal connectivity develops in extremely preterm infants at term equivalent age by leveraging a prospective cohort study of 350 very and extremely preterm infants followed longitudinally in the Cincinnati Infant Neurodevelopment Early Prediction Study. For this secondary analysis, we included only children born extremely preterm and without significant brain injury (n = 95). We use higher-order diffusion modelling to assess the degree to which extracallosal pathways are present in extremely preterm infants and predictive of later language scores at 22-26 months corrected age. We compare results obtained from two higher-order diffusion models: generalized q-sampling imaging and constrained spherical deconvolution. Advanced MRI was obtained at term equivalent age (39-44 weeks post-menstrual age). For structural connectometry analysis, we assessed the level of correlation between white matter connectivity at the whole-brain level at term equivalent age and language scores at 2 years corrected age, controlling for post-menstrual age, sex, brain abnormality score and social risk. For our constrained spherical deconvolution analyses, we performed connectivity-based fixel enhancement, using probabilistic tractography to inform statistical testing of the hypothesis that fibre metrics at term equivalent age relate to language scores at 2 years corrected age after adjusting for covariates. Ninety-five infants were extremely preterm with no significant brain injury. Of these, 53 had complete neurodevelopmental and imaging data sets that passed quality control. In the connectometry analyses adjusted for covariates and multiple comparisons (P < 0.05), the following tracks were inversely correlated with language: bilateral cerebellar white matter and middle cerebellar peduncles, bilateral corticospinal tracks, posterior commissure and the posterior inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. No tracks from the constrained spherical deconvolution/connectivity-based fixel enhancement analyses remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Our findings provide critical information about the ontogeny of structural brain networks supporting language in extremely preterm children. Greater connectivity in more posterior tracks that include the cerebellum and connections to the regions of the temporal lobes at term equivalent age appears to be disadvantageous for language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E Barnes-Davis
- Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Brady J Williamson
- Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Julia E Kline
- Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Beth M Kline-Fath
- Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Radiology, Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jean Tkach
- Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Radiology, Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Lili He
- Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Radiology, Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Weihong Yuan
- Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Nehal A Parikh
- Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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2
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Nazari R, Salehi M. Early development of the functional brain network in newborns. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1725-1739. [PMID: 37493690 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02681-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
During the prenatal period and the first postnatal years, the human brain undergoes rapid growth, which establishes a preliminary infrastructure for the subsequent development of cognition and behavior. To understand the underlying processes of brain functioning and identify potential sources of developmental disorders, it is essential to uncover the developmental rules that govern this critical period. In this study, graph theory modeling and network science analysis were employed to investigate the impact of age, gender, weight, and typical and atypical development on brain development. Local and global topologies of functional connectomes obtained from rs-fMRI data were collected from 421 neonates aged between 31 and 45 postmenstrual weeks who were in natural sleep without any sedation. The results showed that global efficiency, local efficiency, clustering coefficient, and small-worldness increased with age, while modularity and characteristic path length decreased with age. The normalized rich-club coefficient displayed a U-shaped pattern during development. The study also examined the global and local impacts of gender, weight, and group differences between typical and atypical cases. The findings presented some new insights into the maturation of functional brain networks and their relationship with cognitive development and neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Nazari
- Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mostafa Salehi
- Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
- School of Computer Science, Institute for Research in Fundamental Science (IPM), Tehran, P.O.Box 19395-5746, Iran.
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Mahabee-Gittens EM, Kline-Fath BM, Harun N, Folger AT, He L, Parikh NA. Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and risk of brain abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging at term in infants born very preterm. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2023; 5:100856. [PMID: 36592820 PMCID: PMC9974884 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2022.100856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and preterm birth are associated with abnormal brain and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants. Studies that can disentangle indirect mediating effects from direct effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on sensitive early brain magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers in very preterm infants are needed. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine whether prenatal tobacco smoke exposure in preterm infants posed any direct effects on magnetic resonance imaging-determined global brain abnormality score and secondary measures of brain abnormalities after removing any indirect mediating effects of preterm birth on neurostructural outcomes. STUDY DESIGN We examined brain magnetic resonance imaging findings collected at 39 to 44 weeks postmenstrual age from a prospective cohort of 395 infants born very preterm (gestational age of ≤32 weeks). The primary outcome was global brain abnormality score, and the secondary outcomes were global efficiency of structural connectome, diffuse white matter abnormality volume, total brain tissue volume, total gray and white matter volumes, and cerebellar volume. Maternal reports of smoking during pregnancy were obtained. We performed multivariable linear regression analyses to examine the association between prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and our magnetic resonance imaging outcomes, controlling for prospectively collected confounders. Moreover, we performed a mediation analysis to estimate the direct effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on brain abnormalities and any indirect effects through preterm birth. RESULTS Overall, 12.6% of infants had prenatal tobacco smoke exposure. Infants with prenatal tobacco smoke exposure had a higher median global brain abnormality score than nonexposed infants (7 [interquartile range, 0-41] vs 5 [interquartile range, 0-34]; P≤.001); the findings remained significant (P<.001) after controlling for antenatal confounders. Global efficiency (P<.001), diffuse white matter volume (P=.037), and total brain tissue volume (P=.047) were significantly different between TSE groups in multivariable analyses. On mediation analysis, preterm birth mediated between 0% and 29% of the indirect effect of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on several measures of brain abnormality outcomes. Thus, prenatal tobacco smoke exposure had a direct adverse effect between 71% and 100% on brain injury or abnormal development. CONCLUSION Our study has identified multiple adverse effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on sensitive and objective measures of neonatal brain injury and abnormal development; most cases seemed to be a direct effect of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on fetal brain development. The results underscored the significant adverse neurostructural effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Melinda Mahabee-Gittens
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH (Dr Mahabee-Gittens).
| | - Beth M Kline-Fath
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH (Drs Mahabee-Gittens, Kline-Fath, Folger, He, and Parikh)
| | - Nusrat Harun
- Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati OH (Dr Harun and Folger)
| | - Alonzo T Folger
- Departments of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH (Drs Kline-Fath and He)
| | - Lili He
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH (Drs Mahabee-Gittens, Kline-Fath, Folger, He, and Parikh)
| | - Nehal A Parikh
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH (Dr Mahabee-Gittens); Center for Prevention of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States (Drs He and Parikh)
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Berson ER, Mozayan A, Peterec S, Taylor SN, Bamford NS, Ment LR, Rowe E, Lisse S, Ehrlich L, Silva CT, Goodman TR, Payabvash S. A 1-Tesla MRI system for dedicated brain imaging in the neonatal intensive care unit. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1132173. [PMID: 36845429 PMCID: PMC9951115 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1132173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To assess the feasibility of a point-of-care 1-Tesla MRI for identification of intracranial pathologies within neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Methods Clinical findings and point-of-care 1-Tesla MRI imaging findings of NICU patients (1/2021 to 6/2022) were evaluated and compared with other imaging modalities when available. Results A total of 60 infants had point-of-care 1-Tesla MRI; one scan was incompletely terminated due to motion. The average gestational age at scan time was 38.5 ± 2.3 weeks. Transcranial ultrasound (n = 46), 3-Tesla MRI (n = 3), or both (n = 4) were available for comparison in 53 (88%) infants. The most common indications for point-of-care 1-Tesla MRI were term corrected age scan for extremely preterm neonates (born at greater than 28 weeks gestation age, 42%), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) follow-up (33%), and suspected hypoxic injury (18%). The point-of-care 1-Tesla scan could identify ischemic lesions in two infants with suspected hypoxic injury, confirmed by follow-up 3-Tesla MRI. Using 3-Tesla MRI, two lesions were identified that were not visualized on point-of-care 1-Tesla scan: (1) punctate parenchymal injury versus microhemorrhage; and (2) small layering IVH in an incomplete point-of-care 1-Tesla MRI with only DWI/ADC series, but detectable on the follow-up 3-Tesla ADC series. However, point-of-care 1-Tesla MRI could identify parenchymal microhemorrhages, which were not visualized on ultrasound. Conclusion Although limited by field strength, pulse sequences, and patient weight (4.5 kg)/head circumference (38 cm) restrictions, the Embrace® point-of-care 1-Tesla MRI can identify clinically relevant intracranial pathologies in infants within a NICU setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa R Berson
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ali Mozayan
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Steven Peterec
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Sarah N Taylor
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Nigel S Bamford
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.,Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Laura R Ment
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.,Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Erin Rowe
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Sean Lisse
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Lauren Ehrlich
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Cicero T Silva
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - T Rob Goodman
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Seyedmehdi Payabvash
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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Kline JE, Dudley J, Illapani VSP, Li H, Kline-Fath B, Tkach J, He L, Yuan W, Parikh NA. Diffuse excessive high signal intensity in the preterm brain on advanced MRI represents widespread neuropathology. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119727. [PMID: 36332850 PMCID: PMC9908008 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm brains commonly exhibit elevated signal intensity in the white matter on T2-weighted MRI at term-equivalent age. This signal, known as diffuse excessive high signal intensity (DEHSI) or diffuse white matter abnormality (DWMA) when quantitatively assessed, is associated with abnormal microstructure on diffusion tensor imaging. However, postmortem data are largely lacking and difficult to obtain, and the pathological significance of DEHSI remains in question. In a cohort of 202 infants born preterm at ≤32 weeks gestational age, we leveraged two newer diffusion MRI models - Constrained Spherical Deconvolution (CSD) and neurite orientation dispersion and density index (NODDI) - to better characterize the macro and microstructural properties of DWMA and inform the ongoing debate around the clinical significance of DWMA. With increasing DWMA volume, fiber density broadly decreased throughout the white matter and fiber cross-section decreased in the major sensorimotor tracts. Neurite orientation dispersion decreased in the centrum semiovale, corona radiata, and temporal lobe. These findings provide insight into DWMA's biological underpinnings and demonstrate that it is a serious pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia E Kline
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Jon Dudley
- Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Venkata Sita Priyanka Illapani
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Hailong Li
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Beth Kline-Fath
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Jean Tkach
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Lili He
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Weihong Yuan
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Nehal A Parikh
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
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Pineda R, Liszka L, Tran P, Kwon J, Inder T. Neurobehavior in very preterm infants with low medical risk and full-term infants. J Perinatol 2022; 42:1400-1408. [PMID: 35717460 PMCID: PMC9529919 DOI: 10.1038/s41372-022-01432-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe differences in neurobehavior among very preterm infants with low medical risk at term equivalent age and full-term infants. STUDY DESIGN One-hundred eighty-six (136 infants born ≤32 weeks gestation with low medical risk at term equivalent age and 50 full-term infants within 4 days of birth) had standardized neurobehavioral assessments. Low medical risk was defined by ventilation <10 days and absence of significant brain injury, necrotizing enterocolitis, patent ductus arteriosus, and retinopathy of prematurity. RESULTS Very preterm infants with low medical risk at term equivalent age demonstrated more sub-optimal reflexes (p < 0.001; ß = 1.53) and more stress (p < 0.001; ß = 0.08) on the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale compared to their full-term counterparts. Very preterm infants with low medical risk also performed worse on the Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination (p = 0.005; ß = -3.4). CONCLUSION Very preterm infants at term equivalent age continue to demonstrate less optimal neurobehavior compared to full-term infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Pineda
- Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science and Innovation, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Center for the Changing Family, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Lara Liszka
- Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Pido Tran
- Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jenny Kwon
- Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Terrie Inder
- Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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