Hosoki Machiko, Eidsness Margarita Alethea, Bruckert Lisa, Travis Katherine E, Feldman Heidi M
Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine.
medRxiv. 2023 Nov 9:2023.11.08.23298268. doi: 10.1101/2023.11.08.23298268.
This study investigated whether behavioral problems in children were associated with fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter tracts connecting from other brain regions to right and left frontal lobes. We considered internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems separately and contrasted patterns of associations in children born at term and very preterm.
Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 questionnaire to quantify behavioral problems when their children were age 8 years (N=36 FT and 37 PT). Diffusion magnetic resonance scans were collected at the same age and analyzed using probabilistic tractography. We used multiple linear regression to investigate the strength of association between age-adjusted T-scores of internalizing and externalizing problems and mean fractional anisotropy (mean-FA) of right and left uncinate, arcuate, and anterior thalamic radiations, controlling for birth group and sex.
Regression models predicting internalizing T-scores from mean-FA found significant group-by-tract interactions for the left and right arcuate and right uncinate. Internalizing scores were negatively associated with mean-FA of left and right arcuate only in children born at term ( =0.01, =0.01). Regression models predicting externalizing T-scores from mean-FA found significant group-by-tract interactions for the left arcuate and right uncinate. Externalizing scores were negatively associated with mean-FA of right uncinate in children born at term ( =0.01) and positively associated in children born preterm ( =0.01). Other models were not significant.
In this sample of children with scores for behavioral problems across the full range, internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems were negatively associated with mean-FA of white matter tracts connecting to frontal lobes in children born at term; externalizing behavioral problems were positively associated with mean-FA of the right uncinate in children born preterm. The different associations by birth group suggest that the neurobiology of behavioral problems differs in the two birth groups.
本研究调查了儿童的行为问题是否与从其他脑区连接至左右额叶的白质束的各向异性分数（FA）相关。我们分别考虑了内化和外化行为问题，并对比了足月儿和极早产儿中关联模式的差异。
当孩子8岁时（足月儿N = 36例，早产儿N = 37例），父母完成儿童行为量表/6 - 18问卷以量化行为问题。在相同年龄收集扩散磁共振扫描数据，并使用概率纤维束成像进行分析。我们使用多元线性回归来研究内化和外化问题的年龄校正T分数与左右钩束、弓状束和丘脑前辐射的平均各向异性分数（平均FA）之间的关联强度，同时控制出生组和性别因素。
从平均FA预测内化T分数的回归模型发现，左右弓状束和右钩束存在显著的组 - 束交互作用。仅在足月儿中，内化分数与左右弓状束的平均FA呈负相关（p = 0.01，p = 0.01）。从平均FA预测外化T分数的回归模型发现，左弓状束和右钩束存在显著的组 - 束交互作用。外化分数在足月儿中与右钩束的平均FA呈负相关（p = 0.01），而在早产儿中呈正相关（p = 0.01）。其他模型无显著意义。
在这个行为问题得分涵盖全范围的儿童样本中，足月儿的内化和外化行为问题与连接额叶的白质束平均FA呈负相关；早产儿的外化行为问题与右钩束平均FA呈正相关。不同出生组的不同关联表明，两组中行为问题的神经生物学机制存在差异。
