Infants born prematurely at risk of psychiatric disorders: Study

Babies born prematurely have been found to have weakened connections in brain networks that may cause an increased risk of neurological and psychiatric problems in adult life, a new study revealed. The weak brain networks were linked with attention, communication and processing of emotions.

According to the study, preterm babies are at high risk of developing several brain problems due to early birth, such as cognitive difficulties, motor skills problems, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders and anxiety.

However, the researchers said that their findings would allow experts to potentially change the course of the babies' development by directly treating the brain abnormalities. The brain can be compared with a “plastic” in the early stages of life, which means it can be modified through early intervention, according to Dr Cynthia Rogers, lead researcher and an assistant professor of child psychiatry at the Washington University.

The researchers analysed the impact of premature birth to the brain by comparing brain scans of 58 full-term babies with 76 infants that were born at least 10 weeks early. The team used a functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor brain imaging to collect data.

The full-term babies were scanned on their second or third day, while the premature babies had brain scans a few days before their due date. The researchers found that premature infants have weaker key brain networks, which are associated with attention, communication and emotions.

The findings indicate that premature children have an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, the researchers said. They also discovered differences in the resting-state brain networks of premature babies, particularly with a pair of networks involved in learning as well as developmental problems.

The greatest differences found between full-term and preterm babies were observed in the default mode network and in the frontoparietal network. Both networks contain brain circuits linked with emotion, ADHD and autism spectrum disorders.

Rogers pointed out that the brain circuit abnormalities in premature children could trigger new problems as they get older. To date, the researchers are still following the subjects to further verify the findings. They are also planning another series of brain scans in a few years as the children reach the age of nine or 10.

"We're analysing the data we've already gathered, but we want to bring the children back when they are nine or 10 and continue to follow their development," Rogers said. "We want to look at the evolution of brain development in full-term versus preterm babies, and we want to know how that may affect who is impaired and who is not."

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