Children born very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks’ gestation) have alterations in brain white matter and poorer math ability than full-term (FT) peers. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging studies suggest a link between white matter microstructure and math in VPT and FT children, although longitudinal studies using advanced modelling are lacking. In a prospective longitudinal cohort of VPT and FT children we used Fixel-Based Analysis to investigate associations between maturation of white matter fibre density (FD), fibre-bundle cross‐section (FC), and combined fibre density and cross‐section (FDC) and math computation ability at 7 (n = 136 VPT; n = 32 FT) and 13 (n = 130 VPT; n = 44 FT) years, as well as between change in white matter and math computation ability from 7 to 13 years (n = 103 VPT; n = 21 FT). In both VPT and FT children, higher FD, FC and FDC in visual, sensorimotor and cortico-thalamic/thalamo-cortical white matter tracts were associated with better math computation ability at 7 and 13 years. Longitudinally, accelerated maturation of the posterior body of the corpus callosum (FDC) was associated with greater math computation development. White matter-math associations were similar for VPT and FT children. In conclusion, white matter maturation is associated with math computation ability across late childhood, irrespective of birth group.

与足月 (FT) 同龄人相比，极早产儿（VPT；妊娠 <32 周）的大脑白质发生了变化，数学能力也较差。尽管缺乏使用高级模型的纵向研究，但扩散加权磁共振成像研究表明 VPT 和 FT 儿童的白质微观结构与数学之间存在联系。在 VPT 和 FT 儿童的前瞻性纵向队列中，我们使用基于 Fixel 的分析来研究白质纤维密度 (FD) 成熟、纤维束横截面 (FC) 以及纤维密度和横截面组合 (FDC) 之间的关联）和 7（n = 136 VPT；n = 32 FT）和 13（n = 130 VPT；n = 44 FT）时的数学计算能力，以及 7 至 13 岁时白质变化和数学计算能力之间的关系（n = 103 VPT；n = 21 FT）。在 VPT 和 FT 儿童中，视觉、感觉运动和皮质丘脑/丘脑皮质白质束中较高的 FD、FC 和 FDC 与 7 岁和 13 岁时更好的数学计算能力相关。从纵向来看，胼胝体后体（FDC）的加速成熟与数学计算能力的提高有关。VPT 和 FT 儿童的白质与数学关联相似。总之，无论出生群体如何，白质成熟都与童年后期的数学计算能力相关。