title: Selectively reduced posterior corpus callosum size in a population-based sample of young adults born with low birth weight.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Several studies suggest that VLBW is associated with a reduced CC size later in life. We aimed to clarify this in a prospective, controlled study of 19-year-olds, hypothesizing that those with LBWs had smaller subregions of CC than the age-matched controls, even after correcting for brain volume.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred thirteen survivors of LBW (BW <2000 grams) without major handicaps and 100 controls underwent a 3T MR examination of the brain. The cross-sectional area of the CC (total callosal area, and the callosal subregions of the genu, truncus, and posterior third) was measured. Callosal areas were adjusted for head size.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The posterior third subregion of the CC was significantly smaller in individuals born with a LBW compared with controls, even after adjusting for size of the forebrain. Individuals who were born with a LBW had a smaller CC (mean area, 553.4 mm(2)) than the controls (mean area, 584.1 mm(2)). Differences in total area, however, did not remain statistically significant after adjusting for FBV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The uncorrected callosal size in 19-years-olds born with LBW was smaller than that of normal controls. However, after adjusting for FBV, the group difference was restricted to the posterior third. The clinical impact of a smaller posterior part needs further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. stein.magnus.aukland@helse-bergen.no
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Aukland
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Westerhausen
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Plessen
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Odberg
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Elgen
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ersland
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Eide
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rosendahl
mesh_terms: D002508:Cephalometry; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult