title: Infant growth after preterm birth and neurocognitive abilities in young adulthood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether faster growth from birth to term (40 postmenstrual weeks) and during the first year thereafter was associated with better neurocognitive abilities in adults born preterm with very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g).
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight, length, and head circumference data of 103 VLBW participants of the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults were collected from records. Measures at term and at 12 months of corrected age were interpolated. The participants underwent tests of general neurocognitive ability, executive functioning, attention, and visual memory at mean age of 25.0 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Faster growth from birth to term was associated with better general neurocognitive abilities, executive functioning, and visual memory in young adulthood. Effect sizes in SD units ranged from 0.23-0.43 per each SD faster growth in weight, length, or head circumference (95% CI 0.003-0.64; P values <.05). After controlling for neonatal complications, faster growth in head circumference remained more clearly associated with neurocognitive abilities than weight or length did. Growth during the first year after term was not consistently associated with neurocognitive abilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within a VLBW group with high variability in early growth, faster growth from birth to term is associated with better neurocognitive abilities in young adulthood. Neurocognitive outcomes were predicted, in particular, by early postnatal head growth.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: sara.sammallahti@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sammallahti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Riikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pyhälä
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anu-Katriina
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Pesonen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Kati
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heinonen
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Petteri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hovi
authors.affiliation: Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Vasa Central Hospital, Vasa, Finland; Unit of General Practice, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Johan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strang-Karlsson
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anna-Liisa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Järvenpää
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajantie
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Räikkönen
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology; D002508:Cephalometry; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D047929:Term Birth / Q000502:physiology