title: Evaluation of somatosensory cortical processing in extremely preterm infants at term with MEG and EEG.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prior studies on extremely preterm infants have reported long-term prognostic value of absent secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) responses in magnetoencephalography (MEG) at term. The present work (i) further examines the potential added value of SII responses in neonatal neurological evaluation of preterm infants, and (ii) tests whether SII responses are detectable in routine neonatal electroencephalogram complemented with median nerve stimulation (EEG-SEP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Altogether 29 infants born <28 gestational weeks underwent MEG, MRI, and neonatal neurological examination at term age, and Hempel neurological examination at 2-years corrected age. Term-age EEG-SEP was available for seven infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While in neonatal neurological examination severely abnormal finding predicted unfavorable outcome in 2/2 infants, outcome was unfavorable also in 3/9 (33%) moderately abnormal and in 5/18 (28%) mildly abnormal/normal infants. Of these eight infants four had unilaterally absent SII responses in MEG, compared with only two of the 24 infants with favorable outcome. Furthermore, SII responses (when present in MEG) were also usually detectable in EEG-SEP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Complementing clinical EEG recording with SEP holds promise for valuable extension of neonatal neurophysiological assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multimodal study of EEG and sensory evoked responses is informative, safe, and cheap, and it can be readily performed at bedside.
authors.affiliation: BioMag Laboratory, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), Helsinki, Finland; Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Children's Hospital, HUS Medical Imaging Center, HUCH, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: paivi.nevalainen@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Päivi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nevalainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, HUCH, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rahkonen
authors.affiliation: Brain Research Unit, O.V. Lounasmaa Laboratory, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland.
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pihko
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Neurology, Children's Hospital, HUCH, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Aulikki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lano
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Children's Hospital, HUS Medical Imaging Center, HUCH, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sampsa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanhatalo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, HUCH, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, HUS Medical Imaging Center, HUCH, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Taina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Autti
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, HUS Medical Imaging Center, HUCH, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valanne
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, HUCH, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Marjo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Metsäranta
authors.affiliation: BioMag Laboratory, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), Helsinki, Finland; Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Children's Hospital, HUS Medical Imaging Center, HUCH, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lauronen
mesh_terms: D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D047929:Term Birth / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Magnetoencephalography (MEG); Preterm infant; Secondary somatosensory cortex (SII); Somatosensory evoked fields (SEFs); Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs)