Abstract #4162

An fMRI Study of Cognitive Functions in Adolescents with Spina Bifida

Xiawei Ou^1,2, Jeffrey H. Snow³, John J. Hall³, Amy Byerly³, Charles M. Glasier¹

¹Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States; ²Radiology, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR, United States; ³Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States

FMRI studies on adolescents with spina bifida revealed lack of activation in the frontal lobe for a response inhibition task, suggesting poor frontal lobe functions for this population. In addition, normal adolescents had bilateral brain activation while adolescents with spina bifida had primarily right hemisphere activation. This pattern was present in both posterior brain regions and frontal lobes, and may indicate decreased left hemisphere functioning in adolescents with spina bifida.