RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Cognitive maturation in preterm and term born adolescents
JF Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
JO J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 381
OP 386
DO 10.1136/jnnp.2006.110858
VO 79
IS 4
A1 M Allin
A1 M Walshe
A1 A Fern
A1 C Nosarti
A1 M Cuddy
A1 L Rifkin
A1 R Murray
A1 T Rushe
A1 J Wyatt
YR 2008
UL http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/79/4/381.abstract
AB Background: Adolescence is a critical period of brain structural reorganisation and maturation of cognitive abilities. This relatively late developmental reorganisation may be altered in individuals who were born preterm.Methods: We carried out longitudinal neuropsychological testing in 94 very preterm individuals (VPT; before 33 weeks’ gestation) and 44 term born individuals at mean ages of 15.3 years (adolescence) and 19.5 years (young adulthood).Results: Full scale, verbal and performance IQ and phonological verbal fluency were significantly lower in the VPT group than the term group at both ages. Repeated measures ANOVA showed only one group by time point interaction for semantic verbal fluency (F = 10.25; df = 107; p = 0.002). Paired-sample t tests showed that semantic verbal fluency increased significantly in the term group over adolescence (t = −5.10; df = 42; p<0.001), but did not increase in the VPT group (t = 0.141; df = 69; p = 0.889). For verbal IQ, there was a significant interaction between time point and sex (F = 4.48; df = 1; p = 0.036) with paired-sample t tests showing that verbal IQ decreased in males between adolescence and adulthood (t = 3.35; df = 71; p = 0.001), but did not change significantly in females (t = 0.20; df = 52; p = 0.845).Conclusion: Decrements of intellectual functioning in VPT individuals persist into adulthood. Additionally, there is a deficit in the adolescent maturation of semantic verbal fluency in individuals born VPT.