title: Disconnected neuromagnetic networks in children born very preterm: Disconnected MEG networks in preterm children.
abstract: Many children born very preterm (≤32 weeks) experience significant cognitive difficulties, but the biological basis of such problems has not yet been determined. Functional MRI studies have implicated altered functional connectivity; however, little is known regarding the spatiotemporal organization of brain networks in this population. We provide the first examination of resting-state neuromagnetic connectivity mapped in brain space in school age children born very preterm. Thirty-four subjects (age range 7-12 years old), consisting of 17 very preterm-born children and 17 full-term born children were included. Very preterm-born children exhibited global decreases in inter-regional synchrony in all analysed frequency ranges, from theta (4-7 Hz) to high gamma (80-150 Hz; p < 0.01, corrected). These reductions were expressed in spatially and frequency specific brain networks (p < 0.0005, corrected). Our results demonstrate that mapping connectivity with high spatiotemporal resolution offers new insights into altered organization of neurophysiological networks which may contribute to the cognitive difficulties in this vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Annette X
authors.initials: AX
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: AuCoin-Power
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Margot J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Sam M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Doesburg
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
keywords: Functional connectivity; Magnetoencephalography; Neural oscillations; Phase synchrony; Resting state; Very preterm