Summary: A new study reveals premature babies may suffer from severe abnormalities of the thalamus, especially if they are born before 28 weeks gestation.
Source: SfN.
Premature babies undergoing hundreds of life-saving procedures exhibit abnormal development of the thalamus and cognitive and motor impairments in the first years of life, according to a study published in JNeurosci of infants born as early as 24 weeks of gestation.
Steven Miller and colleagues studied 155 newborns from the neonatal intensive care unit at BC Women’s Hospital in Canada, collecting neuroimaging data shortly after birth and again at the age they were expected to have been born.
Researchers observed the most severe abnormalities of the thalamus, which transmits sensory information to the cortex, in the extremely preterm newborns (born less than 28 weeks of gestation). These changes were related to exposure to painful stimuli in the first half of the neonatal period as well as cognitive and motor ability assessed at three years of age.
Minimizing painful procedures in extremely preterm born babies may therefore provide an opportunity to promote brain health and improve outcomes in this vulnerable population.
Source: David Barnstone – SfN
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is credited to Steven Miller & Emma Duerden.
Original Research: The study will appear in Journal of Neuroscience.
[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]SfN “Altered Brain Development and Cognitive Ability in Preterm Babies.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 18 December 2017.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-development-cognition-premies-8203/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]SfN (2017, December 18). Altered Brain Development and Cognitive Ability in Preterm Babies. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved December 18, 2017 from https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-development-cognition-premies-8203/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]SfN “Altered Brain Development and Cognitive Ability in Preterm Babies.” https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-development-cognition-premies-8203/ (accessed December 18, 2017).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]
