PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

MR spectroscopy shows differences in brains of preterm infants

2013-11-26
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Linda Brooks
lbrooks@rsna.org
630-590-7762
Radiological Society of North America
MR spectroscopy shows differences in brains of preterm infants

CHICAGO – Premature birth appears to trigger developmental processes in the white matter of the brain that could put children at higher risk of problems later in life, according to a study being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Preterm infants—generally those born 23 to 36 weeks after conception, as opposed to the normal 37- to 42-week gestation—face an increased risk of behavioral problems, ranging from impulsiveness and distractibility to more serious conditions like autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"In the United States, we have approximately 500,000 preterm births a year," said Stefan Blüml, Ph.D., director of the New Imaging Technology Lab at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and associate professor of research radiology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "About 60,000 of these babies are at high risk for significant long-term problems, which means that this is a significant problem with enormous costs."

Dr. Blüml and colleagues have been studying preterm infants to learn more about how premature birth might cause changes in brain structure that may be associated with clinical problems observed later in life. Much of the focus has been on the brain's white matter, which transmits signals and enables communication between different parts of the brain. While some white matter damage is readily apparent on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Dr. Blüml's group has been using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to look at differences on a microscopic level.

In this study, the researchers compared the concentrations of certain chemicals associated with mature white matter and gray matter in 51 full-term and 30 preterm infants. The study group had normal structural MRI findings, but MRS results showed significant differences in the biochemical maturation of white matter between the term and preterm infants, suggesting a disruption in the timing and synchronization of white and gray matter maturation. Gray matter is the part of the brain that processes and sends out signals.

"The road map of brain development is disturbed in these premature kids," Dr. Blüml said. "White matter development had an early start and was 'out of sync' with gray matter development."

This false start in white matter development is triggered by events after birth, according to Dr. Blüml.

"This timeline of events might be disturbed in premature kids because there are significant physiological switches at birth, as well as stimulatory events, that happen irrespective of gestational maturity of the newborn," he said. "The most apparent change is the amount of oxygen that is carried by the blood."

Dr. Blüml said that the amount of oxygen delivered to the fetus's developing brain in utero is quite low, and our brains have evolved to optimize development in that low oxygen environment. However, when infants are born, they are quickly exposed to a much more oxygen-rich environment.

"This change may be something premature brains are not ready for," he said.

While this change may cause irregularities in white matter development, Dr. Blüml noted that the newborn brain has a remarkable capacity to adapt or even "re-wire" itself—a concept known as plasticity. Plasticity not only allows the brain to govern new skills over the course of development, like learning to walk and read, but could also make the brains of preterm infants and young children more responsive to therapeutic interventions, particularly if any abnormalities are identified early.

"Our research points to the need to better understand the impact of prematurity on the timing of critical maturational processes and to develop therapies aimed at regulating brain development," Dr. Blüml said.



INFORMATION:



Co-authors are Ashok Panigrahy, M.D., Marvin D. Nelson, M.D., Lisa Paquette, M.D., and Jessica L. Wisnowski, Ph.D.

Note: Copies of other RSNA 2013 news releases and electronic images will be available online at RSNA.org/press13 beginning Monday, Dec. 2.

RSNA is an association of more than 53,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists, promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

Editor's note: The data in these releases may differ from those in the published abstract and those actually presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their data right up until the meeting.

For patient-friendly information on MRI, visit RadiologyInfo.org.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New tool developed for profiling critical regulatory structures of RNA molecules

2013-11-25
New tool developed for profiling critical regulatory structures of RNA molecules A molecular technique that will help the scientific community to analyze -- on a scale previously impossible -- molecules that play a critical role in regulating gene expression has been ...

Your first hug: How the early embryo changes shape

2013-11-25
Your first hug: How the early embryo changes shape In research published today in Nature Cell Biology, scientists from the EMBL Australia research team based at Monash University's Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) have revealed new ...

Pill-popping galaxy hooked on gas

2013-11-25
Pill-popping galaxy hooked on gas Our Galaxy may have been swallowing "pills" — clouds of gas with a magnetic wrapper — to keep making stars for the past eight billion years. That's the conclusion of CSIRO astronomer Dr Alex Hill, lead author of a study of the Smith Cloud, ...

Black hole jets pack a powerful punch

2013-11-25
Black hole jets pack a powerful punch High-speed 'jets' spat out by black holes pack a lot of power because they contain heavy atoms, astronomers have found. Black-hole jets recycle matter and energy into space and can affect when and where a galaxy forms stars. "Jets ...

The mushrooms, my friend, are blowing in the wind...

2013-11-25
The mushrooms, my friend, are blowing in the wind... Research at the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting in Pittsburgh shows how the mushroom spews its spores WASHINGTON D.C. Nov. 25, 2013 -- Plants use a variety of methods to spread their seeds, including ...

JCI early table of contents for Nov. 25, 2013

2013-11-25
JCI early table of contents for Nov. 25, 2013 Predicting nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient response to radiation therapy Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) affects cells lining the nasopharynx. The majority of NPC cases can be cured by radiation therapy, ...

Predicting nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient response to radiation therapy

2013-11-25
Predicting nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient response to radiation therapy Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) affects cells lining the nasopharynx. The majority of NPC cases can be cured by radiation therapy, however ~20% are resistant to radiation treatment. ...

Circadian clock proteins maintain neuronal cell function

2013-11-25
Circadian clock proteins maintain neuronal cell function The circadian clock synchronizes the molecular activity of cells to their environment. The "core clock" of the circadian system is made up of a group of proteins that autonomously activate and ...

Identifying targets of autoantibodies

2013-11-25
Identifying targets of autoantibodies Patients with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) produce autoantibodies that target can cause damage to multiple organ systems. The host factors that are targeted by autoantibodies produced ...

Balancing T cell populations

2013-11-25
Balancing T cell populations Depending on the signals received, naïve T cells are able to differentiate into mature T cell populations, which play different roles in the immune system. For example, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important for tamping ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] MR spectroscopy shows differences in brains of preterm infants