Greater Increase in Hippocampal Activity During the Early Postnatal Period After Preterm Birth Is Associated With Better Cognitive and Motor Outcomes at 18 Months.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective longitudinal cohort study with neurodevelopmental follow-up
PubMed 41171858 · doi:10.1002/dneu.23018
What was done
Researchers analyzed longitudinal resting-state functional MRI data from 58 preterm infants in the Developing Human Connectome Project. Hippocampal functional activity was quantified using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) at two distinct timepoints during the early postnatal period (prior to 20 weeks after birth). The study evaluated how gestational age at birth and early changes in hippocampal activity related to cognitive and motor performance assessed at 18 months of age.
What was found
The abstract reports directional findings without specific numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values. Greater increases in hippocampal activity between the two early postnatal scans predicted better cognitive and motor function at 18 months of age. Greater gestational age at birth was associated with a greater increase in hippocampal activity between timepoints. Baseline hippocampal activity at the first timepoint showed no significant relationship with 18-month neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Why it matters
This study provides early longitudinal evidence in humans that dynamic functional maturation of the hippocampus shortly after preterm birth relates to cognitive and motor development in toddlerhood, highlighting the value of tracking longitudinal changes over static single-timepoint measures.
Limits
The sample size is modest (N = 58 preterm infants), and the abstract provides no exact statistical metrics or confidence intervals. As an observational cohort without an intervention or documented full-term comparison group, residual confounding cannot be ruled out.
Cited by
- supports Preterm birth negatively impacts psychological development in part by disrupting the balance between neural inhibition and excitation.