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Effects of gestational age at birth on perinatal structural brain development in healthy term-born babies

View ORCID ProfileOliver Gale-Grant, Sunniva Fenn-Moltu, Lucas França, Ralica Dimitrova, Daan Christaens, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, Andrew Chew, Shona Falconer, Nicholas Harper, Anthony N Price, Jana Hutter, Emer Hughes, View ORCID ProfileJonathan O’Muircheartaigh, Mary Rutherford, Serena J Counsell, Daniel Rueckert, View ORCID ProfileChiara Nosarti, Joseph V Hajnal, View ORCID ProfileGrainne McAlonan, Tomoki Arichi, View ORCID ProfileA David Edwards, View ORCID ProfileDafnis Batalle
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.02.442327
Oliver Gale-Grant
1Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
3MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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  • ORCID record for Oliver Gale-Grant
Sunniva Fenn-Moltu
1Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Lucas França
1Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Ralica Dimitrova
1Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Daan Christaens
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
4Department of Electrical Engineering, ESAT/PSI, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Lucilio Cordero-Grande
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
5Biomedical Image Technologies, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid & CIBER-BBN, Madrid, Spain
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Andrew Chew
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Shona Falconer
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Nicholas Harper
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Anthony N Price
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Jana Hutter
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Emer Hughes
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh
1Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
3MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Mary Rutherford
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Serena J Counsell
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Daniel Rueckert
6Department of Computing, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
7Department of Medicine and Informatics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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Chiara Nosarti
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
8Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Joseph V Hajnal
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Grainne McAlonan
1Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom
3MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Tomoki Arichi
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
9Paediatric Neurosciences, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
10Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
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A David Edwards
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
3MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Dafnis Batalle
1Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom
2Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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  • For correspondence: dafnis.batalle@kcl.ac.uk
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Abstract

Multiple studies have demonstrated less favourable childhood outcomes in infants born in early term (37-38 weeks gestation) compared to those born at full term (40-41 weeks gestation). While this could be due to lower birthweight and greater perinatal morbidity, gestational age at birth may also have a direct effect on the brain and subsequent neurodevelopment in term-born babies. Here we characterise structural brain correlates of gestational age at birth in healthy term-born neonates and their relationship to later neurodevelopmental outcome. We used T2 and diffusion weighted Magnetic Resonance Images acquired in the neonatal period from a cohort (n=454) of healthy babies born at term age (>37 weeks gestation) and scanned between 1 and 41 days after birth. Images were analysed using tensor based morphometry (TBM) and tract based spatial statistics (TBSS). Neurodevelopment was subsequently assessed at age 18 months using the Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (n=281), and the effects of gestational age at birth and related neuroimaging findings on outcome were analysed with linear regression. Infants born earlier had areas of higher relative ventricular volume, and lower relative brain volume in the basal ganglia, cerebellum and brainstem. Earlier birth was also associated with lower fractional anisotropy, higher mean, axial and radial diffusivity in major white matter tracts. Gestational age at birth was positively associated with all Bayley-III subscales at age 18 months. Linear regression models predicting outcome from gestational age at birth were significantly improved by adding neuroimaging features associated with gestational age at birth. This work adds to the growing body of evidence of the impact of early term birth and highlights the importance of considering the effect of gestational age at birth in future neuroimaging studies including term-born babies.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted May 02, 2021.
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Effects of gestational age at birth on perinatal structural brain development in healthy term-born babies
Oliver Gale-Grant, Sunniva Fenn-Moltu, Lucas França, Ralica Dimitrova, Daan Christaens, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, Andrew Chew, Shona Falconer, Nicholas Harper, Anthony N Price, Jana Hutter, Emer Hughes, Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh, Mary Rutherford, Serena J Counsell, Daniel Rueckert, Chiara Nosarti, Joseph V Hajnal, Grainne McAlonan, Tomoki Arichi, A David Edwards, Dafnis Batalle
bioRxiv 2021.05.02.442327; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.02.442327
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Effects of gestational age at birth on perinatal structural brain development in healthy term-born babies
Oliver Gale-Grant, Sunniva Fenn-Moltu, Lucas França, Ralica Dimitrova, Daan Christaens, Lucilio Cordero-Grande, Andrew Chew, Shona Falconer, Nicholas Harper, Anthony N Price, Jana Hutter, Emer Hughes, Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh, Mary Rutherford, Serena J Counsell, Daniel Rueckert, Chiara Nosarti, Joseph V Hajnal, Grainne McAlonan, Tomoki Arichi, A David Edwards, Dafnis Batalle
bioRxiv 2021.05.02.442327; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.02.442327

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