Children born very preterm, even in the absence of overt brain injury or major impairment, are at increased risk of cognitive difficulties. This risk is associated with developmental disruptions of the thalamocortical system during critical periods while in the neonatal intensive care unit. The thalamus is an important structure that not only relays sensory information but acts as a hub for integration of cortical activity which regulates cortical power across a range of frequencies. In this study, we investigate the association between atypical power at rest in children born very preterm at school age using magnetoencephalography (MEG), neurocognitive function and structural alterations related to the thalamus using MRI. Our results indicate that children born extremely preterm have higher power at slow frequencies (delta and theta) and lower power at faster frequencies (alpha and beta), compared to controls born full-term. A similar pattern of spectral power was found to be associated with poorer neurocognitive outcomes, as well as with normalized T1 intensity and the volume of the thalamus. Overall, this study provides evidence regarding relations between structural alterations related to very preterm birth, atypical oscillatory power at rest and neurocognitive difficulties at school-age children born very preterm.

早产儿即使没有明显的脑损伤或重大损伤，出现认知困难的风险也会增加。这种风险与新生儿重症监护病房关键时期丘脑皮质系统的发育障碍有关。丘脑是一个重要的结构，不仅传递感觉信息，而且充当皮质活动整合的枢纽，调节一系列频率的皮质功率。在这项研究中，我们使用脑磁图 (MEG) 调查了学龄期早产儿的非典型静息功率之间的关联，并使用 MRI 调查了神经认知功能和与丘脑相关的结构改变之间的关联。我们的结果表明，与足月出生的对照相比，极早产儿在慢频率（δ 和 θ）下具有较高的功率，在较快频率（α 和 beta）下具有较低的功率。研究发现，类似的光谱功率模式与较差的神经认知结果以及标准化 T1 强度和丘脑体积有关。总体而言，这项研究提供了与极早产相关的结构改变、极早产学龄儿童静息时非典型振荡能力和神经认知困难之间关系的证据。