title: Normal visual evoked potentials in preschool children born small for gestational age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous studies have shown visual evoked potential (VEP) abnormalities in infants and animals born small for gestational age (SGA) compared with controls. The current exploratory study aims to investigate whether VEP abnormalities persist in older ages.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pattern VEP latencies were obtained in 21 children (11 girls, 10 boys), born SGA and moderately preterm, at an average age of 5 years and 8 months. Fifty-one children (24 girls, 27 boys, mean age of 5 years and 7 months), also born moderately preterm but with normal height and weight at birth, served as controls
  
  
  RESULTS
  Visual evoked potential results showed no significant differences in latency between children born SGA and controls born appropriate for gestational age (AGA) for either binocular stimulation, right eye or left eye stimulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings do not indicate any differences in VEP latency at preschool age for children born SGA compared with children born AGA. The results may support previous studies, suggesting that children born SGA show accelerated neurophysiologic maturation during their first year of life and that previously delayed VEP latencies after catch-up stay unchanged compared with controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. josefin.nilsson@neuro.gu.se
authors.forename: Josefin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Jovanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dahlgren
authors.forename: Ann-Katrine
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Marita Andersson
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Grönlund
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D008297:Male; D047928:Premature Birth; D011930:Reaction Time