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Wegiel J, Chadman K, London E, Wisniewski T, Wegiel J. Contribution of the serotonergic system to developmental brain abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2024; 17:1300-1321. [PMID: 38500252 PMCID: PMC11272444 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
This review highlights a key role of the serotonergic system in brain development and in distortions of normal brain development in early stages of fetal life resulting in cascades of abnormalities, including defects of neurogenesis, neuronal migration, neuronal growth, differentiation, and arborization, as well as defective neuronal circuit formation in the cortex, subcortical structures, brainstem, and cerebellum of autistic subjects. In autism, defects in regulation of neuronal growth are the most frequent and ubiquitous developmental changes associated with impaired neuron differentiation, smaller size, distorted shape, loss of spatial orientation, and distortion of cortex organization. Common developmental defects of the brain in autism include multiregional focal dysplastic changes contributing to local neuronal circuit distortion, epileptogenic activity, and epilepsy. There is a discrepancy between more than 500 reports demonstrating the contribution of the serotonergic system to autism's behavioral anomalies, highlighted by lack of studies of autistic subjects' brainstem raphe nuclei, the center of brain serotonergic innervation, and of the contribution of the serotonergic system to the diagnostic features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Discovery of severe fetal brainstem auditory system neuronal deficits and other anomalies leading to a spectrum of hearing deficits contributing to a cascade of behavioral alterations, including deficits of social and verbal communication in individuals with autism, is another argument to intensify postmortem studies of the type and topography of, and the severity of developmental defects in raphe nuclei and their contribution to abnormal brain development and to the broad spectrum of functional deficits and comorbid conditions in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarek Wegiel
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA
| | - Kathryn Chadman
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA
| | - Eric London
- Department of Psychology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA
| | - Thomas Wisniewski
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Pathology and Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jerzy Wegiel
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA
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2
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Romo N, Robb MP, Lee J, Wermke K. Noise phenomena in distress cries of term and very preterm infants at term-equivalent age. LOGOP PHONIATR VOCO 2024:1-7. [PMID: 38647190 DOI: 10.1080/14015439.2024.2342335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM To examine whether the noise components in distress cries of term infants differed from very preterm infants whose cries were collected at a comparable "corrected" gestational age. METHODS Distress cries were collected from 20 term and 20 preterm infants. The cries were acoustically examined for the occurrence of aperiodic phonatory behavior within and across moments of crying. RESULTS The findings indicated no significant differences between term and preterm infants at term age in the occurrence of noise. CONCLUSIONS Distress cries of both term and term-equivalent preterm infants appear to contain high instances of phonatory noise. The high arousal associated with distress crying and associated increase in subglottal pressure appeared to influence both term and term-equivalent preterm infants similarly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Romo
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Michael P Robb
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Jimin Lee
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Kathleen Wermke
- Center for Prespeech Development and Developmental Disorders, Department of Orthodontics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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3
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Deferm W, Tang T, Moerkerke M, Daniels N, Steyaert J, Alaerts K, Ortibus E, Naulaers G, Boets B. Subtle microstructural alterations in white matter tracts involved in socio-emotional processing after very preterm birth. Neuroimage Clin 2024; 41:103580. [PMID: 38401459 PMCID: PMC10944182 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Children born very preterm (VPT, < 32 weeks of gestation) have an increased risk of developing socio-emotional difficulties. Possible neural substrates for these socio-emotional difficulties are alterations in the structural connectivity of the social brain due to premature birth. The objective of the current study was to study microstructural white matter integrity in VPT versus full-term (FT) born school-aged children along twelve white matter tracts involved in socio-emotional processing. Diffusion MRI scans were obtained from a sample of 35 VPT and 38 FT 8-to-12-year-old children. Tractography was performed using TractSeg, a state-of-the-art neural network-based approach, which offers investigation of detailed tract profiles of fractional anisotropy (FA). Group differences in FA along the tracts were investigated using both a traditional and complementary functional data analysis approach. Exploratory correlations were performed between the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), a parent-report questionnaire assessing difficulties in social functioning, and FA along the tract. Both analyses showed significant reductions in FA for the VPT group along the middle portion of the right SLF I and an anterior portion of the left SLF II. These group differences possibly indicate altered white matter maturation due to premature birth and may contribute to altered functional connectivity in the Theory of Mind network which has been documented in earlier work with VPT samples. Apart from reduced social motivation in the VPT group, there were no significant group differences in reported social functioning, as assessed by SRS-2. We found that in the VPT group higher FA values in segments of the left SLF I and right SLF II were associated with better social functioning. Surprisingly, the opposite was found for segments in the right IFO, where higher FA values were associated with worse reported social functioning. Since no significant correlations were found for the FT group, this relationship may be specific for VPT children. The current study overcomes methodological limitations of previous studies by more accurately segmenting white matter tracts using constrained spherical deconvolution based tractography, by applying complementary tractometry analysis approaches to estimate changes in FA more accurately, and by investigating the FA profile along the three components of the SLF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ward Deferm
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Tiffany Tang
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Nicky Daniels
- Neuromotor Rehabilitation Research Group, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Belgium; Child Psychiatry, UZ Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kaat Alaerts
- Neuromotor Rehabilitation Research Group, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Gunnar Naulaers
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - Neonatology, UZ Leuven, Belgium; UZ Leuven & Center for Developmental Disorders, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Belgium
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4
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Hadaya L, Vanes L, Karolis V, Kanel D, Leoni M, Happé F, Edwards AD, Counsell SJ, Batalle D, Nosarti C. Distinct Neurodevelopmental Trajectories in Groups of Very Preterm Children Screening Positively for Autism Spectrum Conditions. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:256-269. [PMID: 36273367 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05789-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Very preterm (VPT; < 33 weeks' gestation) toddlers screening positively for autism spectrum conditions (ASC) may display heterogenous neurodevelopmental trajectories. Here we studied neonatal brain volumes and childhood ASC traits evaluated with the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) in VPT-born toddlers (N = 371; median age 20.17 months) sub-divided into three groups based on their Modified-Checklist for Autism in Toddlers scores. These were: those screening positively failing at least 2 critical items (critical-positive); failing any 3 items, but less than 2 critical items (non-critical-positive); and screening negatively. Critical-positive scorers had smaller neonatal cerebellar volumes compared to non-critical-positive and negative scorers. However, both positive screening groups exhibited higher childhood ASC traits compared to the negative screening group, suggesting distinct aetiological trajectories associated with ASC outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laila Hadaya
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Lucy Vanes
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Vyacheslav Karolis
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Dana Kanel
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Marguerite Leoni
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Francesca Happé
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - A David Edwards
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Serena J Counsell
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Dafnis Batalle
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Chiara Nosarti
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
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Kanellopoulos AK, Costello S, Mainardi F, Koshibu K, Deoni S, Schneider N. Dynamic Interplay between Social Brain Development and Nutrient Intake in Young Children. Nutrients 2023; 15:3754. [PMID: 37686785 PMCID: PMC10490067 DOI: 10.3390/nu15173754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Myelination of the brain structures underlying social behavior in humans is a dynamic process that parallels the emergence of social-emotional development and social skills in early life. Of the many genetic and environmental factors regulating the myelination processes, nutrition is considered as a critical and modifiable early-life factor for establishing healthy social brain networks. However, the impact of nutrition on the longitudinal development of social brain myelination remains to be fully understood. This study examined the interplay between childhood nutrient intake and social brain development across the first 5 years of life. Myelin-sensitive neuroimaging and food-intake data were analyzed in 293 children, 0.5 to 5 years of age, and explored for dynamic patterns of nutrient-social brain myelin associations. We found three data-driven age windows with specific nutrient correlation patterns, 63 individual nutrient-myelin correlations, and six nutrient combinations with a statistically significant predictive value for social brain myelination. These results provide novel insights into the impact of specific nutrient intakes on early brain development, in particular social brain regions, and suggest a critical age-sensitive opportunity to impact these brain regions for potential longer-term improvements in socio-emotional development and related executive-function and critical-thinking skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros K. Kanellopoulos
- Brain Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Vers-Chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Costello
- Brain Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Vers-Chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fabio Mainardi
- Data Science Group, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Vers-Chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kyoko Koshibu
- Brain Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Vers-Chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sean Deoni
- Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, Rhode Island Hospital, 1 Hoppin Street, Providence, RI 20903, USA
- Department of Radiology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Spinn Neuroscience, Seattle, WA 98275, USA
| | - Nora Schneider
- Brain Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Vers-Chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland
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6
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de Oliveira SR, Machado ACCDP, Magalhães LDC, de Miranda DM, de Paula JJ, Bouzada MCF. Cognitive assessment in preterms by Bayley-III: development in the first year and associated factors. REVISTA PAULISTA DE PEDIATRIA : ORGAO OFICIAL DA SOCIEDADE DE PEDIATRIA DE SAO PAULO 2023; 42:e2022164. [PMID: 37646747 PMCID: PMC10503422 DOI: 10.1590/1984-0462/2024/42/2022164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To analyze the cognitive development of preterm infants at six and 12 months of corrected age and the associations with perinatal and socioeconomic factors. METHODS Cognitive development of 40 infants (20 preterm and 20 full-term) at six and 12 months of age was evaluated using the Bayley-III scale. Correlations between cognitive outcome and associated factors were assessed using Spearman correlation. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis with covariance was applied to identify changes on cognitive score between six and 12 months. RESULTS Bayley-III cognitive score in preterm group was significantly lower than in full-term group at both six and 12 months of age. Birth weight correlated with cognitive performance at six months and head circumference at birth at 12 months, in full-terms infants. The occurrence of necrotizing enterocolitis was inversely associated with cognitive score in preterms at 12 months. An increase in cognitive score was observed between six and 12 months in both groups, but the gain was more pronounced in preterms. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest some cognitive recovery capacity in the first year despite the restrictions imposed by premature birth and emphasize the importance of early interventions in this population.
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7
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Quinones JF, Hildebrandt A, Pavan T, Thiel CM, Heep A. Preterm birth and neonatal white matter microstructure in in-vivo reconstructed fiber tracts among audiovisual integration brain regions. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 60:101202. [PMID: 36731359 PMCID: PMC9894786 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals born preterm are at risk of developing a variety of sequelae. Audiovisual integration (AVI) has received little attention despite its facilitating role in the development of socio-cognitive abilities. The present study assessed the association between prematurity and in-vivo reconstructed fiber bundles among brain regions relevant for AVI. We retrieved data from 63 preterm neonates enrolled in the Developing Human Connectome Project (http://www.developingconnectome.org/) and matched them with 63 term-born neonates from the same study by means of propensity score matching. We performed probabilistic tractography, DTI and NODDI analysis on the traced fibers. We found that specific DTI and NODDI metrics are significantly associated with prematurity in neonates matched for postmenstrual age at scan. We investigated the spatial overlap and developmental order of the reconstructed tractograms between preterm and full-term neonates. Permutation-based analysis revealed significant differences in dice similarity coefficients and developmental order between preterm and full term neonates at the group level. Contrarily, no group differences in the amount of interindividual variability of DTI and NODDI metrics were observed. We conclude that microstructural detriment in the reconstructed fiber bundles along with developmental and morphological differences are likely to contribute to disadvantages in AVI in preterm individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan F Quinones
- Psychological Methods and Statistics, Department of Psychology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
| | - Andrea Hildebrandt
- Psychological Methods and Statistics, Department of Psychology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany.
| | - Tommaso Pavan
- Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christiane M Thiel
- Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany; Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Axel Heep
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany; Klinik für Neonatologie, Intensivmedizin und Kinderkardiologie, Oldenburg, Germany
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Rolison M, Lacadie C, Chawarska K, Spann M, Scheinost D. Atypical Intrinsic Hemispheric Interaction Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Present within the First Year of Life. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:1212-1222. [PMID: 34424949 PMCID: PMC8924430 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by atypical connectivity lateralization of functional networks. However, previous studies have not directly investigated if differences in specialization between ASD and typically developing (TD) peers are present in infancy, leaving the timing of onset of these differences relatively unknown. We studied the hemispheric asymmetries of connectivity in children with ASD and infants later meeting the diagnostic criteria for ASD. Analyses were performed in 733 children with ASD and TD peers and in 71 infants at high risk (HR) or normal risk (NR) for ASD, with data collected at 1 month and 9 months of age. Comparing children with ASD (n = 301) to TDs (n = 432), four regions demonstrated group differences in connectivity: posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), posterior superior temporal gyrus, extrastriate cortex, and anterior prefrontal cortex. At 1 month, none of these regions exhibited group differences between ASD (n = 10), HR-nonASD (n = 15), or NR (n = 18) infants. However, by 9 months, the PCC and extrastriate exhibited atypical connectivity in ASD (n = 11) and HR-nonASD infants (n = 24) compared to NR infants (n = 22). Connectivity did not correlate with symptoms in either sample. Our results demonstrate that differences in network asymmetries associated with ASD risk are observable prior to the age of a reliable clinical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Rolison
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
| | - Cheryl Lacadie
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Katarzyna Chawarska
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Marisa Spann
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Dustin Scheinost
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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9
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Stallworthy IC, Sifre R, Fenoglio A, Dahl C, Georgieff MK, Elison JT. Birthweight moderates the association between chronological age and infants’ abilities to respond to cues for joint attention. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22239. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.22239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Robin Sifre
- Institute of Child Development University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - Angela Fenoglio
- Institute of Child Development University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - Claire Dahl
- Institute of Child Development University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - Michael K. Georgieff
- Institute of Child Development University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
- Department of Pediatrics University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - Jed T. Elison
- Institute of Child Development University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
- Department of Pediatrics University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
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10
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Laverty C, Surtees A, O’Sullivan R, Sutherland D, Jones C, Richards C. The prevalence and profile of autism in individuals born preterm: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Neurodev Disord 2021; 13:41. [PMID: 34548007 PMCID: PMC8454175 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-021-09382-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Preterm birth (<37 weeks) adversely affects development in behavioural, cognitive and mental health domains. Heightened rates of autism are identified in preterm populations, indicating that prematurity may confer an increased likelihood of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The present meta-analysis aims to synthesise existing literature and calculate pooled prevalence estimates for rates of autism characteristics in preterm populations. METHODS Search terms were generated from inspection of relevant high-impact papers and a recent meta-analysis. Five databases were searched from database creation until December 2020 with PRISMA guidelines followed throughout. RESULTS 10,900 papers were retrieved, with 52 papers included in the final analyses, further classified by assessment method (screening tools N=30, diagnostic assessment N=29). Pooled prevalence estimates for autism in preterm samples was 20% when using screening tools and 6% when using diagnostic assessments. The odds of an autism diagnosis were 3.3 times higher in individuals born preterm than in the general population. CONCLUSIONS The pooled prevalence estimate of autism characteristics in individuals born preterm is considerably higher than in the general population. Findings highlight the clinical need to provide further monitoring and support for individuals born preterm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Laverty
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK
| | - Andrew Surtees
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK
- Forward Thinking Birmingham, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Rory O’Sullivan
- School of Psychology, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU UK
| | - Daniel Sutherland
- School of Psychology, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU UK
| | - Christopher Jones
- School of Psychology, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU UK
| | - Caroline Richards
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK
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11
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Mossad SI, Vandewouw MM, Smith ML, Taylor MJ. The preterm social brain: altered functional networks for Theory of Mind in very preterm children. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcaa237. [PMID: 33615217 PMCID: PMC7882208 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental difficulties emerge in very preterm born children (<32-week gestation) in infancy and continue to early adulthood but little is known about their social-cognitive development. This study utilized the complementary methodological advantages of both functional MRI and magnetoencephalography to examine the neural underpinnings of Theory of Mind in very preterm birth. Theory of Mind, one of the core social-cognitive skills, is the ability to attribute mental states to others, and is crucial for predicting others’ behaviours in social interactions. Eighty-three children (40 very preterm born, 24 boys, age = 8.7 ± 0.5 years, and 43 full-term born, 22 boys, age = 8.6 ± 0.5 years) completed the study. In functional MRI, both groups recruited classic Theory of Mind areas, without significant group differences. However, reduced Theory of Mind connectivity in the very preterm born group was found in magnetoencephalography in distinct theta, alpha and beta-band networks anchored in a set of brain regions that comprise the social brain. These networks included regions such as the angular gyrus, the medial pre-frontal cortex, the superior temporal gyrus and the temporal poles. Very preterm born children showed increased connectivity compared to controls in a network anchored in the occipital gyri rather than classical social-processing regions. Very preterm born children made significantly more attribution errors and mis-construed the social scenarios. Findings offer novel insight into the neural networks, supporting social cognition in very preterm born children and highlight the importance of multimodal neuroimaging to interrogate the social brain in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah I Mossad
- Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Marlee M Vandewouw
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Mary Lou Smith
- Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
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12
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Fontana C, Marasca F, Provitera L, Mancinelli S, Pesenti N, Sinha S, Passera S, Abrignani S, Mosca F, Lodato S, Bodega B, Fumagalli M. Early maternal care restores LINE-1 methylation and enhances neurodevelopment in preterm infants. BMC Med 2021; 19:42. [PMID: 33541338 PMCID: PMC7863536 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-020-01896-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preterm birth affects almost 9-11% of newborns and is one of the leading causes of childhood neurodevelopmental disabilities; the underlying molecular networks are poorly defined. In neurons, retrotransposons LINE-1 (L1) are an active source of genomic mosaicism that is deregulated in several neurological disorders; early life experience has been shown to regulate L1 activity in mice. METHODS Very preterm infants were randomized to receive standard care or early intervention. L1 methylation was measured at birth and at hospital discharge. At 12 and 36 months, infants' neurodevelopment was evaluated with the Griffiths Scales. L1 methylation and CNVs were measured in mouse brain areas at embryonic and postnatal stages. RESULTS Here we report that L1 promoter is hypomethylated in preterm infants at birth and that an early intervention program, based on enhanced maternal care and positive multisensory stimulation, restores L1 methylation levels comparable to healthy newborns and ameliorates neurodevelopment in childhood. We further show that L1 activity is fine-tuned in the perinatal mouse brain, suggesting a sensitive and vulnerable window for the L1 epigenetic setting. CONCLUSIONS Our results open the field on the inspection of L1 activity as a novel molecular and predictive approach to infants' prematurity-related neurodevelopmental outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrial.gov ( NCT02983513 ). Registered on 6 December 2016, retrospectively registered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Fontana
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Marasca
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Enrica e Romeo Invernizzi" (INGM), Milan, Italy
| | - Livia Provitera
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, NICU, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Mancinelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Pesenti
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, NICU, Milan, Italy.,Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, Division of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Shruti Sinha
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Enrica e Romeo Invernizzi" (INGM), Milan, Italy
| | - Sofia Passera
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, NICU, Milan, Italy
| | - Sergio Abrignani
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Enrica e Romeo Invernizzi" (INGM), Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Mosca
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, NICU, Milan, Italy
| | - Simona Lodato
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Beatrice Bodega
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Enrica e Romeo Invernizzi" (INGM), Milan, Italy.
| | - Monica Fumagalli
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. .,Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, NICU, Milan, Italy.
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13
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Wheelock MD, Lean RE, Bora S, Melzer TR, Eggebrecht AT, Smyser CD, Woodward LJ. Functional Connectivity Network Disruption Underlies Domain-Specific Impairments in Attention for Children Born Very Preterm. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:1383-1394. [PMID: 33067997 PMCID: PMC8179512 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Attention problems are common in school-age children born very preterm (VPT; < 32 weeks gestational age), but the contribution of aberrant functional brain connectivity to these problems is not known. As part of a prospective longitudinal study, brain functional connectivity (fc) was assessed alongside behavioral measures of selective, sustained, and executive attention in 58 VPT and 65 full-term (FT) born children at corrected-age 12 years. VPT children had poorer sustained, shifting, and divided attention than FT children. Within the VPT group, poorer attention scores were associated with between-network connectivity in ventral attention, visual, and subcortical networks, whereas between-network connectivity in the frontoparietal, cingulo-opercular, dorsal attention, salience and motor networks was associated with attention functioning in FT children. Network-level differences were also evident between VPT and FT children in specific attention domains. Findings contribute to our understanding of fc networks that potentially underlie typical attention development and suggest an alternative network architecture may help support attention in VPT children.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Wheelock
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - R E Lean
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - S Bora
- Mothers, Babies, and Women’s Health Program, Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Australia
| | - T R Melzer
- Department of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | - A T Eggebrecht
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - C D Smyser
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - L J Woodward
- School of Health Sciences and Child Wellbeing Research Institute, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
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14
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Zivan M, Morag I, Yarmolovsky J, Geva R. Hyper-Reactivity to Salience Limits Social Interaction Among Infants Born Pre-term and Infant Siblings of Children With ASD. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:646838. [PMID: 34054606 PMCID: PMC8160104 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.646838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to engage attention with selected stimuli is essential for infants to explore the world and process information relating to their surroundings. There are two main populations with a higher risk to develop attentional and social deficits whose deficits may arise from difficulties in regulating attention to salient cues: (1) siblings of children diagnosed with Autism; and (2) infants who were born pre-term. This study investigated infants' (N = 97) attention-engagement and pupil-dilation (PD) at 9 months of age, using a gaze-contingent paradigm and a structured social interaction. Specifically, we explored attention to stimuli with simple salient features (e.g., clear defined shapes, colors, and motions) vs. more complex non-social cues (amorphous shapes, colors, and motions) and social interaction in typically developing infants (TD, N = 25) and among two groups of infants at-risk to develop social difficulties (pre-terms, N = 56; siblings of children with Autism, N = 16). Findings show that the two risk groups preferred stimuli with simple features (F = 11.306, p < 0.001), accompanied by increased PD (F = 6.6, p < 0.001). Specifically, pre-term infants showed increased PD toward simple vs. complex stimuli (p < 0.001), while siblings showed a pervasive hyper-arousal to both simple and complex stimuli. Infants in the TD group preferred complex stimuli with no change in PD. Finally, the preference for the simple stimulus mediated the relationship between increased risk for social difficulties and decreased engagement duration in face-to-face interaction with the experimenter. Results suggest that activation of the attention-salience network shapes social abilities at infancy. Further, hyper-reactivity to salient stimuli limits social interaction among infants born pre-term and siblings of children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Zivan
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Iris Morag
- Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jessica Yarmolovsky
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Ronny Geva
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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15
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Luu J, Jellett R, Yaari M, Gilbert M, Barbaro J. A Comparison of Children Born Preterm and Full-Term on the Autism Spectrum in a Prospective Community Sample. Front Neurol 2020; 11:597505. [PMID: 33343497 PMCID: PMC7744721 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.597505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Previous research suggests children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD or “autism”) born extremely and very preterm face substantially delayed development than their peers born full-term. Further, children born preterm are proposed to show a unique behavioral phenotype, which may overlap with characteristics of autism, making it difficult to disentangle their clinical presentation. To clarify the presentation of autism in children born preterm, this study examined differences in key indicators of child development (expressive language, receptive language, fine motor, and visual reception) and characteristics of autism (social affect and repetitive, restricted behaviors). Materials and Methods: One fifty-eight children (136 full-term, twenty-two preterm) diagnosed with autism, aged 22–34 months, were identified prospectively using the Social Attention and Communication Surveillance tools during community-based, developmental surveillance checks in the second year of life. Those identified at “high likelihood” of an autism diagnosis were administered the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Results: The children born preterm and full-term did not differ significantly in their fine motor, visual reception, expressive language, or receptive language skills. No significant differences in social affect and repetitive and restrictive behavior traits were found. Discussion: The findings of this study differs from previous research where children diagnosed with autism born very or extremely preterm were developmentally delayed and had greater autistic traits than their term-born peers. These null findings may relate to the large proportion of children born moderate to late preterm in this sample. This study was unique in its use of a community-based, prospectively identified sample of children diagnosed with autism at an early age. It may be that children in these groups differ from clinic- and hospital-based samples, that potential differences emerge later in development, or that within the autism spectrum, children born preterm and full-term develop similarly. It was concluded that within the current sample, at 2 years of age, children diagnosed with autism born preterm are similar to their peers born full-term. Thus, when clinicians identify characteristics of autism in children born preterm, it is important to refer the child for a diagnostic assessment for autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Luu
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Rachel Jellett
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Maya Yaari
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Goshen - Community Child Health and Well-Being, Haruv Campus for Children, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Melissa Gilbert
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Josephine Barbaro
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), The University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, QLD, Australia
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16
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Mossad SI, Muscat C, Pang EW, Taylor M. Emerging atypical connectivity networks for processing angry and fearful faces in very preterm born children. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:3794-3806. [PMID: 32533810 PMCID: PMC7416058 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Very preterm born (VPT) children are those born before 32/40 weeks' gestational age and comprise 10% of the 15 million babies born prematurely worldwide each year. Due to advancements in neonatal medicine, the survival rate of VPT birth has increased, but few studies have investigated the nonmedical, social-cognitive morbidities that affect these children. In this study, we examined emotional face processing networks in VPT compared to age and sex matched full-term born (FT) children. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to test VPT and FT born children at 6 years (n = 78) and 8 years (n = 83). Children were assessed using an implicit emotion face-processing task. Happy, fearful, and angry faces were presented for 150 ms, but children were asked to respond by button press to the location of a control pixelated image of the face displayed on the side of the screen opposite to the face. Children rated the valence of the images on a five-point scale. Group differences showed that VPT children rated angry faces more positively than their FT peers. VPT children had reduced connectivity for angry and fearful faces at 8 years in networks including regions such as the bilateral amygdala, superior temporal sulci, and anterior cingulate gyrus. Interventions should target both emotion recognition, as well as higher cognitive processes related to emotional control and thinking about one's own emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah I Mossad
- Department of Diagnostic ImagingThe Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Neurosciences & Mental HealthSickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Christine Muscat
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Elizabeth W. Pang
- Neurosciences & Mental HealthSickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- Division of NeurologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Margot Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic ImagingThe Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Neurosciences & Mental HealthSickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
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17
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Cavalcanti HG, da Silva Nunes AD, da Cunha BKS, de Freitas Alvarenga K, Balen SA, Pereira A. Early exposure to environment sounds and the development of cortical auditory evoked potentials of preterm infants during the first 3 months of life. BMC Res Notes 2020; 13:303. [PMID: 32586405 PMCID: PMC7318486 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-020-05129-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Preterm infants are exposed earlier than their term counterparts to unattenuated sounds from the external environment during the sensitive period of the organization of the auditory cortical circuitry. In the current study, we investigate the effect of preterm birth on the course of development of auditory cortical areas by evaluating how gestational age (GA) correlates with the latency of the P1 component of the cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) of two experimental groups measured at 1 or 3 months of age. RESULTS Our sample consisted of 23 infants delivered at GA ranging from 31.28 to 41.42 weeks and separated into two groups evaluated transversally at 1 or 3 months of corrected age (CA). In the group evaluated at 1-month CA, the latency of the component P1 was similar in both terms and infants classified as late-preterm (GA > 32 weeks). However, in the group evaluated at 3 months CA, P1 latency was significantly smaller in preterms. These preliminary results suggest an acceleration of the development of auditory cortical pathways in preterms, probably due to their early exposure to socially relevant auditory stimuli from the external environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannalice Gottschalck Cavalcanti
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Federal University of Paraíba, Cidade Universitária, S/N - Conj. Pres. Castelo Branco III, João Pessoa, PB, 58051-900, Brazil
| | - Aryelly Dayane da Silva Nunes
- Speech and Language Pathology Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Gen. Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, S/N, Natal, RN, 59012-570, Brazil
| | - Brenda Karla Silva da Cunha
- Speech and Language Pathology Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Gen. Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, S/N, Natal, RN, 59012-570, Brazil
| | - Kátia de Freitas Alvarenga
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, University of São Paulo, Alameda Dr. Octávio Pinheiro Brisolla, 9-75, Bauru, SP, 17012-901, Brazil
| | - Sheila Andreoli Balen
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Gen. Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, S/N, Natal, RN, 59012-570, Brazil
| | - Antonio Pereira
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Federal University of Pará, Rua Augusto Correa, S/N, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil.
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18
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Neonatal Risk, Maternal Sensitive-Responsiveness and Infants’ Joint Attention: Moderation by Stressful Contexts. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 48:453-466. [DOI: 10.1007/s10802-019-00598-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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19
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Hunt BAE, Scratch SE, Mossad SI, Emami Z, Taylor MJ, Dunkley BT. Disrupted Visual Cortex Neurophysiology Following Very Preterm Birth. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 5:951-960. [PMID: 31706907 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Visual regions develop rapidly in utero and throughout early childhood, but very preterm (VPT) birth can disrupt the typical maturation of primary cortices, with VPT children exhibiting mild visual impairments in early life and throughout development. This is thought to be due to dysfunctional maturation of occipital cortices. A way to readily index brain function is to examine neural oscillations; these mechanisms play a central role in the modeling and pruning of connections, providing an intrinsic temporal structure that refines the precise alignment of spiking, processing information in the brain, and coordinating networks. METHODS Using magnetoencephalography, we examined regional oscillatory patterns and functional coupling in VPT and full-term children. Five minutes of eyes-open resting-state data were acquired from 27 VPT and 32 full-term children at 8 years of age. RESULTS As hypothesized, the VPT group, when compared with control children, had elevated theta-band power, while alpha amplitude envelope coupling, a marker of connectivity, was found to be decreased. CONCLUSIONS These results support the hypothesis of spectral slowing in VPT children and more broadly suggest that the developmental arc of visual neurophysiology is disrupted by VPT birth. We conclude that these deficits underlie difficulties in complex visual perceptual processing evident during childhood and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A E Hunt
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shannon E Scratch
- Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Bloorview Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sarah I Mossad
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zahra Emami
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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20
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Nurturing the preterm infant brain: leveraging neuroplasticity to improve neurobehavioral outcomes. Pediatr Res 2019; 85:166-175. [PMID: 30531968 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-018-0203-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
An intrinsic feature of the developing brain is high susceptibility to environmental influence-known as plasticity. Research indicates cascading disruption to neurological development following preterm (PT) birth; yet, the interactive effects of PT birth and plasticity remain unclear. It is possible that, with regard to neuropsychological outcomes in the PT population, plasticity is a double-edged sword. On one side, high plasticity of rapidly developing neural tissue makes the PT brain more vulnerable to injury resulting from events, including inflammation, hypoxia, and ischemia. On the other side, plasticity may be a mechanism through which positive experience can normalize neurological development for PT children. Much of the available literature on PT neurological development is clinically weighted and focused on diagnostic utility for predicting long-term outcomes. Although diagnostic utility is valuable, research establishing neuroprotective factors is equally beneficial. This review will: (1) detail specific mechanisms through which plasticity is adaptive or maladaptive depending on the experience; (2) integrate research from neuroimaging, intervention, and clinical science fields in a summary of findings suggesting inherent plasticity of the PT brain as a mechanism to improve child outcomes; and (3) summarize how responsive caregiving experiences situate parents as agents of change in normalizing PT infant brain development.
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21
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Neuroinflammation in preterm babies and autism spectrum disorders. Pediatr Res 2019; 85:155-165. [PMID: 30446768 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-018-0208-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Genetic anomalies have a role in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Each genetic factor is responsible for a small fraction of cases. Environment factors, like preterm delivery, have an important role in ASD. Preterm infants have a 10-fold higher risk of developing ASD. Preterm birth is often associated with maternal/fetal inflammation, leading to a fetal/neonatal inflammatory syndrome. There are demonstrated experimental links between fetal inflammation and the later development of behavioral symptoms consistent with ASD. Preterm infants have deficits in connectivity. Most ASD genes encode synaptic proteins, suggesting that ASD are connectivity pathologies. Microglia are essential for normal synaptogenesis. Microglia are diverted from homeostatic functions towards inflammatory phenotypes during perinatal inflammation, impairing synaptogenesis. Preterm infants with ASD have a different phenotype from term born peers. Our original hypothesis is that exposure to inflammation in preterm infants, combined with at risk genetic background, deregulates brain development leading to ASD.
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22
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Rogers CE, Lean RE, Wheelock MD, Smyser CD. Aberrant structural and functional connectivity and neurodevelopmental impairment in preterm children. J Neurodev Disord 2018; 10:38. [PMID: 30541449 PMCID: PMC6291944 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-018-9253-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite advances in antenatal and neonatal care, preterm birth remains a leading cause of neurological disabilities in children. Infants born prematurely, particularly those delivered at the earliest gestational ages, commonly demonstrate increased rates of impairment across multiple neurodevelopmental domains. Indeed, the current literature establishes that preterm birth is a leading risk factor for cerebral palsy, is associated with executive function deficits, increases risk for impaired receptive and expressive language skills, and is linked with higher rates of co-occurring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders. These same infants also demonstrate elevated rates of aberrant cerebral structural and functional connectivity, with persistent changes evident across advanced magnetic resonance imaging modalities as early as the neonatal period. Emerging findings from cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations increasingly suggest that aberrant connectivity within key functional networks and white matter tracts may underlie the neurodevelopmental impairments common in this population. Main body This review begins by highlighting the elevated rates of neurodevelopmental disorders across domains in this clinical population, describes the patterns of aberrant structural and functional connectivity common in prematurely-born infants and children, and then reviews the increasingly established body of literature delineating the relationship between these brain abnormalities and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. We also detail important, typically understudied, clinical, and social variables that may influence these relationships among preterm children, including heritability and psychosocial risks. Conclusion Future work in this domain should continue to leverage longitudinal evaluations of preterm infants which include both neuroimaging and detailed serial neurodevelopmental assessments to further characterize relationships between imaging measures and impairment, information necessary for advancing our understanding of modifiable risk factors underlying these disorders and best practices for improving neurodevelopmental trajectories in this high-risk clinical population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia E Rogers
- Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8504, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Rachel E Lean
- Departments of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8504, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Muriah D Wheelock
- Departments of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8504, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Christopher D Smyser
- Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics and Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
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23
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Amygdala functional connectivity is associated with social impairments in preterm born young adults. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 21:101626. [PMID: 30545688 PMCID: PMC6413301 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.101626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Survivors of preterm birth experience long-lasting behavioral problems characterized by increased risk of depression, anxiety, and impairments in social functioning. The amygdala is a key region for social functioning and alterations in amygdala structure and connectivity are thought to underlie social functioning deficits in many disorders, including preterm birth. However, functional connectivity of the amygdala and its association with social impairments is not well-studied in preterm participants (PTs). In a group of late adolescents born very PT (600–1250 g birth weight), measures of social and emotional development were examined using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) administered at age 16 (66 term and 161 preterm participants), the Youth Self Report (YSR) administered at age 16 (56 term and 45 preterm participants), and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) administered at age 18 (71 term and 190 preterm participants). Amygdala functional connectivity was also examined using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at age 20 (17 term and 19 preterm participants). By parent report, preterm-born adolescents demonstrate increased social impairment compared to their term-born peers. Amygdala connectivity is altered for those prematurely-born, and markers of social functioning correlate with altered amygdala-PCC connectivity. These findings add to knowledge regarding the developmental trajectory of amygdala connectivity in PT and suggest a possible neural underpinning for the well-characterized social impairment experienced by prematurely-born individuals. By parent report, preterm adolescents demonstrate increased social impairment. By self-report, preterm adolescents demonstrate no social impairment. Amygdalar connectivity is altered for those preterm young adults. Markers of social functioning correlate with altered amygdala-PCC connectivity.
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Peralta-Carcelen M, Schwartz J, Carcelen AC. Behavioral and Socioemotional Development in Preterm Children. Clin Perinatol 2018; 45:529-546. [PMID: 30144853 DOI: 10.1016/j.clp.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Prematurity is a significant risk factor for impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes. These include motor, cognitive, language, behavioral, and socioemotional competence. Long-term overall function depends on healthy socioemotional functioning. The vulnerability of the preterm brain during critical periods of development contributes to behavioral and socioemotional problems in preterm children. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) clinical features are more frequent in preterm children compared with their full-term counterparts; however, true rates of ASD and ADHD vary across studies. Early detection of behavioral and socioemotional problems in preterm children would enable timely early intervention to improve long-term functional outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Peralta-Carcelen
- Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dearth Tower Suite 5602, McWane. 1600 7th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233-1711, USA.
| | - Justin Schwartz
- Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dearth Tower Suite 5602, McWane. 1600 7th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233-1711, USA
| | - Andrea C Carcelen
- International Health Department, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Room 5517, Baltimore, MD, USA
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