Disrupted Visual Cortex Neurophysiology Following Very Preterm Birth

Benjamin A E Hunt; Shannon E Scratch; Sarah I Mossad; Zahra Emami; Margot J Taylor; Benjamin T Dunkley

doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.08.012

Disrupted Visual Cortex Neurophysiology Following Very Preterm Birth

Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2020 Oct;5(10):951-960. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.08.012. Epub 2019 Sep 16.

Authors

Benjamin A E Hunt¹, Shannon E Scratch², Sarah I Mossad³, Zahra Emami⁴, Margot J Taylor⁵, Benjamin T Dunkley⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
² Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Bloorview Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: ben.dunkley@sickkids.ca.

PMID: 31706907
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.08.012

Abstract

Background: Visual regions develop rapidly in utero and throughout early childhood, but very preterm (VPT) birth can disrupt the typical maturation of primary cortices, with VPT children exhibiting mild visual impairments in early life and throughout development. This is thought to be due to dysfunctional maturation of occipital cortices. A way to readily index brain function is to examine neural oscillations; these mechanisms play a central role in the modeling and pruning of connections, providing an intrinsic temporal structure that refines the precise alignment of spiking, processing information in the brain, and coordinating networks.

Methods: Using magnetoencephalography, we examined regional oscillatory patterns and functional coupling in VPT and full-term children. Five minutes of eyes-open resting-state data were acquired from 27 VPT and 32 full-term children at 8 years of age.

Results: As hypothesized, the VPT group, when compared with control children, had elevated theta-band power, while alpha amplitude envelope coupling, a marker of connectivity, was found to be decreased.

Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis of spectral slowing in VPT children and more broadly suggest that the developmental arc of visual neurophysiology is disrupted by VPT birth. We conclude that these deficits underlie difficulties in complex visual perceptual processing evident during childhood and beyond.

Keywords: Children; Functional connectivity; Magnetoencephalography (MEG); Neurodevelopment; Neuronal oscillations; Preterm birth; Resting state.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brain
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Magnetoencephalography
Neurophysiology
Pregnancy
Premature Birth*
Visual Cortex*

Grants and funding

MOP-137115/CAPMC/ CIHR/Canada