Brain structure and function in the fourth decade of life after extremely low birth weight: An MRI and EEG study.

OBJECTIVE

To examine potential long-term effects of extremely low birth weight (ELBW; ≤ 1000 g) on adult brain structure, brain function, and cognitive-behavioral performance.

METHODS

A subset of survivors from the prospectively-followed McMaster ELBW Cohort (n = 23, M = 816 g) and their peers born at normal birth weight (NBW; ≥ 2500 g; n = 14, M = 3361 g) provided T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, resting electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings, and behavioral responses to a face-processing task in their early thirties.

RESULTS

Visual discrimination accuracy for human faces, resting EEG alpha power, and long-distance alpha coherence were lower in ELBW survivors than NBW adults, and volumes of white matter hypointensities (WMH) were higher. Across groups, face-processing performance was correlated positively with posterior EEG spectral power and long-distance alpha and theta coherence, and negatively with WMH. The associations between face-processing scores and parietal alpha power and theta coherence were reduced after adjustment for WMH.

CONCLUSIONS

Electrocortical activity, brain functional connectivity, and higher-order processing ability may be negatively affected by WMH burden, which is greater in adults born extremely preterm.

SIGNIFICANCE

Decrements in electrocortical activity and behavioral performance in adult ELBW survivors may be partly explained by increased WMH volumes in this vulnerable population.