title: Using fMRI to Investigate Memory in Young Children Born Small for Gestational Age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can lead to infants being born small for gestational age (SGA). SGA is associated with differences in brain anatomy and impaired cognition. We investigated learning and memory in children born SGA using neuropsychological testing and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  18 children born appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and 34 SGA born children (18 with and 16 without postnatal catch-up growth) participated in this study. All children were between 4 and 7 years old. Cognitive functioning was assessed by IQ and memory testing (Digit/Word Span and Location Learning). A newly developed fMRI picture encoding task was completed by all children in order to assess brain regions involved in memory processes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neuropsychological testing demonstrated that SGA children had IQ's within the normal range but lower than in AGA and poorer performances across measures of memory. Using fMRI, we observed memory related activity in posterior parahippocampal gyrus as well as the hippocampus proper. Additionally, activation was seen bilaterally in the prefrontal gyrus. Children born SGA showed less activation in the left parahippocampal region compared to AGA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first fMRI study demonstrating different brain activation patterns in 4-7 year old children born SGA, suggesting that intrauterine growth restriction continues to affect neural functioning in children later-on.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henrica M A
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: de Bie
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michiel B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: de Ruiter
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Psychology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ouwendijk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Psychology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kim J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Oostrom
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine and Experimental Pediatric Neuroimaging Neuroimaging Group, Children's Hospital, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilke
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boersma
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dick J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Veltman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henriette A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Delemarre-van de Waal
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000254:growth & development; D007858:Learning; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests