The researchers say the new techniques developed here will
allow them to explore how disrupting key processes can also cause diseases such
as autism and will be used in future studies to test possible treatments to
prevent brain damage.
Scientists at King's College London and Imperial College
London used diffusion MRI, a type of imaging that studies the natural diffusion
of water, to observe the maturation of the cerebral cortex, which houses much
of the brain's computing power. By analyzing the diffusion of water in the
cerebral cortex of 55 premature babies and 10 fully born babies, the growing
complexity and density of nerve cells throughout the cortical bone was
determined in the months preceding normal birth.
They found that maturation in this period was fastest in
areas of the brain that related to social and emotional processing,
decision-making, working memory, and visual-spatial processing. These functions
are often compromised after preterm birth, and the researchers found that
cortical development was reduced in preterm infants compared to preterm
infants, with the greatest effect occurring in most preterm infants. In a
re-examination of infants at the age of two years, premature babies with the
slowest cortical development showed poorer performance in the development of
neurological development, demonstrating the longer term impact of premature
birth on cortical maturation.
Professor David Edwards, director of King's College London's
brain development center at Evelina Children's Hospital, said, "The number
of babies born too early is increasing, so understanding our premature babies
has never been more important Improving Birth Affects Brain Development and
Causes Brain Damage We know that preterm delivery is extremely stressful for a
baby, but with a new method we can track infant maturation to identify the
exact processes that may be due to premature birth have used innovative ways to
understand how the development of the cerebral cortex is affected.
Moderate, very, and extremely premature babies born before
the 34th week of pregnancy have more cognitive deficits and learning
difficulties than children born during the semester. The risk of such
difficulties increases with decreasing pregnancy at birth.
Learning problems of premature babies in elementary school,
especially difficulties with mathematics, are associated with lower wealth in
adulthood.
Many parents see late school entry as an intervention that
can help their premature babies to be better at school. Our findings, which are
based on the largest investigation so far, do not support this. Rather, preterm
babies can benefit from going to school at the appropriate age but receiving
additional support at school.
Teachers and educational psychologists receive little
training in premature birth and are often unaware of the appropriate strategies
to support preterm infants in the classroom. Informing teachers about the
special constellation of problems after premature birth is crucial for
preparing for the growing number of premature babies born in the next few
years.
All premature babies born before the 34th week of pregnancy
should be followed up regularly. At the time of school entry, interventions are
required to enable premature babies to best start their school careers.
A late school entrance is not recommended from current
evidence, but further research is needed. Education professionals need to be
trained on the specific needs of premature babies, and tailor-made new approaches
to teaching premature babies are needed.
In England, about 10,000 children are born very early each
year (with a pregnancy of less than 32 weeks), and another 60,000 are born at a
relatively early age (with 32-36 weeks gestation).
The number of premature births has increased over the past
two decades, and more premature babies survive due to improved care for
newborns. However, the prevalence of cognitive, behavioral and emotional
problems in premature babies has not changed. It has been found that preterm
children have specific learning problems, including difficulties with math,
visual-spatial abilities, memory, and attention.
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