Fetal growth, cognitive function, and brain volumes in childhood and adolescence.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the association between fetal growth pattern and cognitive function at 5 and 9 years and regional brain volumes at 15 years.


METHODS
Eighty-three term-born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonates and 105 non-SGA neonates in a control group were available for follow-up. Based on serial fetal ultrasound measurements from gestational weeks 25-37, SGA neonates were classified with fetal growth restriction (n=13) or non-fetal growth restriction (n=36). Cognitive function was assessed at 5 and 9 years, and brain volumes were estimated with cerebral magnetic resonance imaging at 15 years.


RESULTS
Small-for-gestational-age children had lower performance intelligence quotient at 5 years compared with those in a control group (107.3 compared with 112.5, P<.05). Although there were no differences between the SGA non-fetal growth restriction and control groups, the SGA fetal growth restriction group had significantly lower performance intelligence quotient at 5 years (103.5 compared with 112.5, P<.05) and 9 years (96.2 compared with 107.5, P<.05) compared with those in the control group. There were some brain volume differences at 15 years between SGA children and those in the control group, but after adjustment for total intracranial volume, age at examination, and sex, there were only significant differences between the SGA fetal growth restriction and control groups for thalamic (17.4 compared with 18.6 cm, P<.01) and cerebellar white matter volumes (21.5 compared with 24.3 cm, P<.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Small-for-gestational-age children had lower intelligence quotient scores at 5 and 9 years and smaller brain volumes at 15 years compared with those in the control group, but these findings were only found in those with fetal growth restriction, indicating a possible relationship to decelerated fetal growth.


METHODS
II.
Departments of Public Health and General Practice and Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the Department of Obstetrics, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, and the Department of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal, Norway.
Tormod
T
Rogne
Andreas Aass
AA
Engstrøm
Geir Wenberg
GW
Jacobsen
Jon
J
Skranes
Heidi Furre
HF
Østgård
Marit
M
Martinussen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000523:psychology*; D009929:Organ Size; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult