title: Maturation of corpus callosum anterior midbody is associated with neonatal motor function in eight preterm-born infants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The etiology of motor impairments in preterm infants is multifactorial and incompletely understood. Whether corpus callosum development is related to impaired motor function is unclear. Potential associations between motor-related measures and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the corpus callosum in preterm infants were explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight very preterm infants (gestational age of 28-32 weeks) underwent the Hammersmith neonatal neurological examination and DTI assessments at gestational age of 42 weeks. The total Hammersmith score and a motor-specific score (sum of Hammersmith motor subcategories) were calculated. Six corpus callosum regions of interest were defined on the mid-sagittal DTI slice-genu, rostral body, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, isthmus, and splenium. The fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of these regions were computed, and correlations between these and Hammersmith measures were sought.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anterior midbody FA measures correlated positively with total Hammersmith (rho = 0.929, P = 0.001) and motor-specific scores (rho = 0.857, P = 0.007). Total Hammersmith scores also negatively correlated with anterior midbody MD measures (rho = -0.714, P = 0.047).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest the integrity of corpus callosum axons, particularly anterior midbody axons, is important in mediating neurological functions. Greater callosal maturation was associated with greater motor function. Corpus callosum DTI may prove to be a valuable screening or prognostic marker.
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Research Centre and UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland and Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4029, Australia ; School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3806, Australia.
authors.forename: Preethi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pannek
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: M Giulia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: D'Acunto
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guzzetta
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Colditz
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finnigan
mesh_terms: D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000254:growth & development*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods