Abstract #0227

Longitudinal development of white matter fibre density and morphology in children born very preterm

Claire E Kelly^1,2, Deanne K Thompson^1,2,3,4, Sila Genc^2,5, Jian Chen², Joseph YM Yang^2,3,6,7, Chris Adamson², Richard Beare², Marc L Seal^2,3, Jeanie LY Cheong^1,8,9, Lex W Doyle^1,3,8,9, and Peter J Anderson^1,10

¹Victorian Infant Brain Study (VIBeS), Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia, ²Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia, ³Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, ⁴Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia, ⁵Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom, ⁶Department of Neurosurgery, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, ⁷Neuroscience Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia, ⁸Newborn Research, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, ⁹Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, ¹⁰Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

In this long-term follow-up of children following very preterm (VP) birth, we applied fixel-based analysis to study white matter development. At ages 7 and 13 years, VP children had reduced fibre density and cross-section throughout the white matter compared with full-term controls. Longitudinally, VP children had slower macrostructural development of commissural and motor pathways between ages 7 and 13 years. Younger gestational age, smaller birth weight and neonatal brain abnormalities were associated with lower fibre density and cross-section at both ages. Thus, VP birth and concomitant perinatal risk factors are associated with long-term delays and/or disruptions to white matter development.

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