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, Palo Alto, USA.
Neuroimage Rep. 2024 Jun;4(2). doi: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2024.100201. Epub 2024 Apr 12.
This study investigated whether internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems in children were associated with fractional anisotropy of white matter tracts connecting other brain regions to the frontal lobes. We contrasted patterns of association between children born at term (FT) and very preterm (PT: gestational age at birth =< 32 weeks).
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. Multiple linear regressions investigated 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, anterior thalamic radiations, and dorsal cingulate bundle, controlling for birth group and sex.
Models predicting internalizing T-scores found significant group-by-tract interactions for left and right arcuate and right uncinate. Internalizing scores were negatively associated with mean-FA of left and right arcuate only in FT children ( = 0.01, = 0.01). Models predicting externalizing T-scores 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 FT ( = 0.01) and positively associated in PT children ( preterm = 0.01). Other models were not significant.
In children with a full range of scores on behavioral problems from normal to significantly elevated, internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems were negatively associated with mean-FA of white matter tracts connecting to frontal lobes in FT children; externalizing behavioral problems were positively associated with mean-FA of the right uncinate in PT children. The different associations by birth group suggest that the neurobiology of behavioral problems differs in the two birth groups.
本研究调查了儿童内化和外化行为问题是否与连接其他脑区与额叶的白质束的各向异性分数有关。我们对比了足月儿（FT）和极早产儿（PT：出生时胎龄≤32周）之间的关联模式。
父母完成儿童行为检查表/6 - 18问卷，以量化其孩子8岁时的行为问题（N = 36名FT儿童和37名PT儿童）。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。多元线性回归研究了内化和外化问题的年龄校正T分数与左右钩束、弓状束、丘脑前辐射和扣带背束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。
预测内化T分数的模型发现，左右弓状束和右钩束存在显著的组×束交互作用。仅在FT儿童中，内化分数与左右弓状束的平均-FA呈负相关（左 = 0.01，右 = 0.01）。预测外化T分数的模型发现，左弓状束和右钩束存在显著的组×束交互作用。外化分数在FT儿童中与右钩束的平均-FA呈负相关（ = 0.01），而在PT儿童中呈正相关（早产 = 0.01）。其他模型无显著意义。
在行为问题得分从正常到显著升高的儿童中，FT儿童的内化和外化行为问题与连接额叶的白质束的平均-FA呈负相关；PT儿童的外化行为问题与右钩束的平均-FA呈正相关。不同出生组的不同关联表明，两组出生组中行为问题的神经生物学存在差异。
