title: Altered brain function, structure, and developmental trajectory in children born late preterm.
abstract: Late preterm birth (34-36 wk gestation) is a common occurrence with potential for altered brain development.
  
  
  
  This observational cohort study compared children at age 6-13 y based on the presence or absence of the historical risk factor of late preterm birth. Children completed a battery of cognitive assessments and underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.
  
  
  
  Late preterm children (n = 52) demonstrated slower processing speed (P = 0.035) and scored more poorly in visual-spatial perception (P = 0.032) and memory (P = 0.007) than full-term children (n = 74). Parents of late preterm children reported more behavioral difficulty (P = 0.004). There were no group differences in cognitive ability or academic achievement. Imaging revealed similar intracranial volumes but less total tissue and more cerebrospinal fluid (P = 0.004) for late preterm children compared to full-term children. The tissue difference was driven by differences in the cerebrum (P = 0.028) and distributed across cortical (P = 0.051) and subcortical tissue (P = 0.047). Late preterm children had a relatively smaller thalamus (P = 0.012) than full-term children. Only full-term children demonstrated significant decreases in cortical tissue volume (P < 0.001) and thickness (P < 0.001) with age.
  
  
  
  Late preterm birth may affect cognition, behavior, and brain structure well beyond infancy.
authors.affiliation: Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Brumbaugh
authors.affiliation: Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Jessica K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Ian J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: DeVolder
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: M Bridget
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Vincent A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Magnotta
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Axelson
authors.affiliation: Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.|Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Peggy C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Nopoulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D009929:Organ Size; D012307:Risk Factors