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den Heijer AE, Jansen ASN, van Kersbergen M, van Dokkum NH, Reijneveld SA, Spikman JM, de Kroon MLA, Bos AF. Neurocognitive outcomes in moderately preterm born adolescents. Early Hum Dev 2024; 193:106020. [PMID: 38733834 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.106020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early preterm (EP) born children are at risk of neurocognitive impairments persisting into adulthood. Less is known about moderately to late (MLP) preterm born children, especially after early childhood. The aim of this study was to assess neurocognitive functioning of MLP adolescents regarding intelligence, executive and attentional functioning, compared with EP and full-term (FT) adolescents. METHODS This study was part of the Longitudinal Preterm Outcome Project (LOLLIPOP), a large community-based observational cohort study. In total 294 children (81 EP, 130 MLP, and 83 FT) were tested at age 14 to 16 years, regarding intelligence, speed of processing, attention, and executive functions. We used the Dutch version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition-Dutch Version (WISC-III-NL), the Test of Everyday Attention for Children, and the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children. We assessed differences between preterm-born groups with the FT group as a reference. RESULTS Compared to the FT group, MLP adolescents scored significantly lower on two subtasks of the WISC-III-NL, i.e. Similarities and Symbol Search. EP adolescents performed significantly lower on all neuropsychological tests than their FT peers, except for the subtask Vocabulary. The MLP adolescents scored in between FT and EP adolescents on all tasks, except for three WISC-III-NL subtasks. CONCLUSIONS Neurocognitive outcomes of MLP adolescents fell mostly in between outcomes of their EP and FT peers. MLPs generally performed on a low-average to average level, and appeared susceptible to a variety of moderate neurodevelopmental problems at adolescent age, which deserves attention in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- A E den Heijer
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - A S N Jansen
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - M van Kersbergen
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - N H van Dokkum
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - S A Reijneveld
- Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - J M Spikman
- Department of Neurology, Subdepartment of Clinical Neuropsychology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - M L A de Kroon
- Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Centre Environment & Health, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - A F Bos
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Torres-González C, Ricardo-Garcell J, Alvarez-Núñez D, Galindo-Aldana G. Intellectual Development in Mexican Preterm Children at Risk of Perinatal Brain Damage: A Longitudinal Study. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:652. [PMID: 38929232 PMCID: PMC11201988 DOI: 10.3390/children11060652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Preterm birth accounts for about 10% of births worldwide. Studying risk factors for perinatal brain damage is essential, as findings suggest that almost 20% of disabilities are linked to risks in the early stages of development. This research aimed to study longitudinal changes in intelligence from 6 to 8 years of age in a sample of 39 preterm children with a history of risk of brain damage and a control group of 35 children born at term. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC-IV) was used to measure cognitive ability at six, seven, and eight years old. The results showed that the preterm group obtained significantly lower scores than the control group. The working memory indicator significantly affected the interaction between age and prematurity. We consider it crucial to expand the knowledge we have about the neurocognitive development of premature infants, both in specific cognitive domains and in age ranges, so that the information obtained can help predict the probability of presenting cognitive alterations from early stages. This, therefore, helps in implementing intervention strategies and programs based on scientific evidence, and their design is complemented by clinical experience and empirical and theoretical knowledge of the different professionals involved in infant cognitive intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Torres-González
- Faculty of Administrative, Social, and Engineering Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, State Hwy No. 3, Guadalupe Victoria, Mexicali 21720, Baja California, Mexico;
| | - Josefina Ricardo-Garcell
- Neurodevelopmental Research Unit “Augusto Fernandez Guardiola”, Institute of Neurobiology, Autonomous University of Mexico, Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, La Mesa, Juriquilla 76230, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Daniel Alvarez-Núñez
- CETyS University, Calzada CETYS s/n. Col. Rivera, Mexicali 21259, Baja California, Mexico;
| | - Gilberto Galindo-Aldana
- Faculty of Administrative, Social, and Engineering Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, State Hwy No. 3, Guadalupe Victoria, Mexicali 21720, Baja California, Mexico;
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Lacalle L, Martínez-Shaw ML, Marín Y, Sánchez-Sandoval Y. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in school-aged preterm infants: A systematic review. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1216825. [PMID: 37560105 PMCID: PMC10409487 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1216825] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Preterm birth (before 37 weeks of gestational age) is associated with certain risks to child development. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize available and updated empirical evidence on prematurity as a risk factor for cognitive development in school age. Thus, we attempted to identify similarities and differences with the full-term population and to point out possible risk or protective factors among the biological, psychosocial and family variables. The conceptualization and methodology of this review followed the PRISMA recommendations. The search was carried out in Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, and Dialnet databases, in May 2022. The search was limited to journal articles, published between 2012 and 2022, in English and Spanish. Research articles selected were those focused on the intelligence quotient (IQ) of preterm children aged 6-12 years. The review included studies with cross-sectional or longitudinal cohorts, compared to a control group of children born at term or to standardized scales. The quality of evidence of the selected studies was verified with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The initial search identified 1,040 articles. Forty articles met the inclusion criteria and were finally included in this review. These studies involved 5,396 preterm children from 37 different cohorts. Despite the diversity found among the results, in general, total IQ scores were within the normative mean for premature children; however, compared to their full-term peers, these scores were lower. The most studied variables in relation to IQ are perinatal (e.g., gestational age and birth weight) and family (e.g., socioeconomic level and education level of the mother). Recent studies corroborate that premature birth affects cognitive development in school age, and identify associated perinatal and family variables. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=337371; identifier: CRD42022337371.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lacalle
- Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
| | - Melissa Liher Martínez-Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
| | - Yolanda Marín
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
| | - Yolanda Sánchez-Sandoval
- Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
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Della Longa L, Nosarti C, Farroni T. Emotion Recognition in Preterm and Full-Term School-Age Children. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:6507. [PMID: 35682092 PMCID: PMC9180201 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19116507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Children born preterm (<37 weeks’ gestation) show a specific vulnerability for socio-emotional difficulties, which may lead to an increased likelihood of developing behavioral and psychiatric problems in adolescence and adulthood. The accurate decoding of emotional signals from faces represents a fundamental prerequisite for early social interactions, allowing children to derive information about others’ feelings and intentions. The present study aims to explore possible differences between preterm and full-term children in the ability to detect emotional expressions, as well as possible relationships between this ability and socio-emotional skills and problem behaviors during everyday activities. We assessed 55 school-age children (n = 34 preterm and n = 21 full-term) with a cognitive battery that ensured comparable cognitive abilities between the two groups. Moreover, children were asked to identify emotional expressions from pictures of peers’ faces (Emotion Recognition Task). Finally, children’s emotional, social and behavioral outcomes were assessed with parent-reported questionnaires. The results revealed that preterm children were less accurate than full-term children in detecting positive emotional expressions and they showed poorer social and behavioral outcomes. Notably, correlational analyses showed a relationship between the ability to recognize emotional expressions and socio-emotional functioning. The present study highlights that early difficulties in decoding emotional signals from faces may be critically linked to emotional and behavioral regulation problems, with important implications for the development of social skills and effective interpersonal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letizia Della Longa
- Developmental Psychology and Socialization Department, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy;
| | - Chiara Nosarti
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK;
| | - Teresa Farroni
- Developmental Psychology and Socialization Department, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy;
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