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Ou X, Glasier CM, Ramakrishnaiah RH, Kanfi A, Rowell AC, Pivik RT, Andres A, Cleves MA, Badger TM. Gestational Age at Birth and Brain White Matter Development in Term-Born Infants and Children. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2017; 38:2373-2379. [PMID: 29025726 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a5408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Studies on infants and children born preterm have shown that adequate gestational length is critical for brain white matter development. Less is known regarding how variations in gestational age at birth in term infants and children affect white matter development, which was evaluated in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using DTI tract-based spatial statistics methods, we evaluated white matter microstructures in 2 groups of term-born (≥37 weeks of gestation) healthy subjects: 2-week-old infants (n = 44) and 8-year-old children (n = 63). DTI parameters including fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity were calculated by voxelwise and ROI methods and were correlated with gestational age at birth, with potential confounding factors such as postnatal age and sex controlled. RESULTS Fractional anisotropy values, which are markers for white matter microstructural integrity, positively correlated (P < .05, corrected) with gestational age at birth in most major white matter tracts/regions for the term infants. Mean diffusivity values, which are measures of water diffusivities in the brain, and axial and radial diffusivity values, which are markers for axonal growth and myelination, respectively, negatively correlated (P < .05, corrected) with gestational age at birth in all major white matter tracts/regions excluding the body and splenium of the corpus callosum for the term infants. No significant correlations with gestational age were observed for any tracts/regions for the term-born 8-year-old children. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that longer gestation during the normal term period is associated with significantly greater infant white matter development (as reflected by higher fractional anisotropy and lower mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity values); however, similar associations were not observable in later childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Ou
- From the Departments of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.)
- Pediatrics (X.O., C.M.G., R.T.P., A.A., M.A.C., T.M.B.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (X.O., R.T.P., A.A., T.M.B.), Little Rock, Arkansas
- Department of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.), Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - C M Glasier
- From the Departments of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.)
- Pediatrics (X.O., C.M.G., R.T.P., A.A., M.A.C., T.M.B.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
- Department of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.), Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - R H Ramakrishnaiah
- From the Departments of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.)
- Department of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.), Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - A Kanfi
- From the Departments of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.)
- Department of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.), Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - A C Rowell
- From the Departments of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.)
- Department of Radiology (X.O., C.M.G., R.H.R., A.K., A.C.R.), Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - R T Pivik
- Pediatrics (X.O., C.M.G., R.T.P., A.A., M.A.C., T.M.B.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (X.O., R.T.P., A.A., T.M.B.), Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - A Andres
- Pediatrics (X.O., C.M.G., R.T.P., A.A., M.A.C., T.M.B.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (X.O., R.T.P., A.A., T.M.B.), Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - M A Cleves
- Pediatrics (X.O., C.M.G., R.T.P., A.A., M.A.C., T.M.B.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - T M Badger
- Pediatrics (X.O., C.M.G., R.T.P., A.A., M.A.C., T.M.B.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (X.O., R.T.P., A.A., T.M.B.), Little Rock, Arkansas
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