title: Impaired visual short-term memory capacity is distinctively associated with structural connectivity of the posterior thalamic radiation and the splenium of the corpus callosum in preterm-born adults.
abstract: Preterm birth is associated with an increased risk for lasting changes in both the cortico-thalamic system and attention; however, the link between cortico-thalamic and attention changes is as yet little understood. In preterm newborns, cortico-cortical and cortico-thalamic structural connectivity are distinctively altered, with increased local clustering for cortico-cortical and decreased integrity for cortico-thalamic connectivity. In preterm-born adults, among the various attention functions, visual short-term memory (vSTM) capacity is selectively impaired. We hypothesized distinct associations between vSTM capacity and the structural integrity of cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical connections, respectively, in preterm-born adults. A whole-report paradigm of briefly presented letter arrays based on the computationally formalized Theory of Visual Attention (TVA) was used to quantify parameter vSTM capacity in 26 preterm- and 21 full-term-born adults. Fractional anisotropy (FA) of posterior thalamic radiations and the splenium of the corpus callosum obtained by diffusion tensor imaging were analyzed by tract-based spatial statistics and used as proxies for cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical structural connectivity. The relationship between vSTM capacity and cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical connectivity, respectively, was significantly modified by prematurity. In full-term-born adults, the higher FA in the right posterior thalamic radiation the higher vSTM capacity; in preterm-born adults this FA-vSTM-relationship was inversed. In the splenium, higher FA was correlated with higher vSTM capacity in preterm-born adults, whereas no significant relationship was evident in full-term-born adults. These results indicate distinct associations between cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical integrity and vSTM capacity in preterm-and full-term-born adults. Data suggest compensatory cortico-cortical fiber re-organization for attention deficits after preterm delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstrasse 13, 80802 Munich, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences GSN, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Biocenter, Großhaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Munich, Germany. Electronic address: aurore.menegaux@psy.lmu.de.
authors.forename: Aurore
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menegaux
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675 Munich, Germany; TUM-Neuroimaging Center of Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675 Munich, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences GSN, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Biocenter, Großhaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstrasse 13, 80802 Munich, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675 Munich, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences GSN, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Biocenter, Großhaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neitzel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Josef G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Bäuml
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstrasse 13, 80802 Munich, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences GSN, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Biocenter, Großhaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Hermann J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bartmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom; Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolke
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675 Munich, Germany; TUM-Neuroimaging Center of Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675 Munich, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences GSN, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Biocenter, Großhaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Afra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wohlschläger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstrasse 13, 80802 Munich, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences GSN, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Biocenter, Großhaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Munich, Germany; Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Finke
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675 Munich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München TUM, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sorg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000473:pathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Compensation; Diffusion tensor imaging; Posterior thalamic radiation; Preterm birth; Theory of Visual Attention; Visual short-term memory capacity