title: Extremely Preterm-Born Infants Demonstrate Different Facial Recognition Processes at 6-10 Months of Corrected Age.
abstract: To compare cortical hemodynamic responses to known and unknown facial stimuli between infants born extremely preterm and term-born infants, and to correlate the responses of the extremely preterm-born infants to regional cortical volumes at term-equivalent age.
  
  
  
  We compared 27 infants born extremely preterm (<28 gestational weeks) with 26 term-born infants. Corrected age and chronological age at testing were between 6 and 10 months, respectively. Both groups were exposed to a gray background, their mother's face, and an unknown face. Cerebral regional concentrations of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin were measured with near-infrared spectroscopy. In the preterm group, we also performed structural brain magnetic resonance imaging and correlated regional cortical volumes to hemodynamic responses.
  
  
  
  The preterm-born infants demonstrated different cortical face recognition processes than the term-born infants. They had a significantly smaller hemodynamic response in the right frontotemporal areas while watching their mother's face (0.13 μmol/L vs 0.63 μmol/L; P < .001). We also found a negative correlation between the magnitude of the oxygenated hemoglobin increase in the right frontotemporal cortex and regional gray matter volume in the left fusiform gyrus and amygdala (voxels, 25; r = 0.86; P < .005).
  
  
  
  At 6-10 months corrected age, the preterm-born infants demonstrated a different pattern in the maturation of their cortical face recognition process compared with term-born infants.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frie
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ulrika
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ådén
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lagercrantz
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartocci
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared