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. 2013:2013:359532.
doi: 10.1155/2013/359532. Epub 2013 Jan 28.

Maturation of corpus callosum anterior midbody is associated with neonatal motor function in eight preterm-born infants

Preethi Mathew  1 , Kerstin Pannek, Pamela Snow, M Giulia D'Acunto, Andrea Guzzetta, Stephen E Rose, Paul B Colditz, Simon Finnigan
Affiliations

Maturation of corpus callosum anterior midbody is associated with neonatal motor function in eight preterm-born infants

Preethi Mathew et al. Neural Plast. 2013.

Abstract

Background: The etiology of motor impairments in preterm infants is multifactorial and incompletely understood. Whether corpus callosum development is related to impaired motor function is unclear. Potential associations between motor-related measures and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the corpus callosum in preterm infants were explored.

Methods: Eight very preterm infants (gestational age of 28-32 weeks) underwent the Hammersmith neonatal neurological examination and DTI assessments at gestational age of 42 weeks. The total Hammersmith score and a motor-specific score (sum of Hammersmith motor subcategories) were calculated. Six corpus callosum regions of interest were defined on the mid-sagittal DTI slice-genu, rostral body, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, isthmus, and splenium. The fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of these regions were computed, and correlations between these and Hammersmith measures were sought.

Results: Anterior midbody FA measures correlated positively with total Hammersmith (rho = 0.929, P = 0.001) and motor-specific scores (rho = 0.857, P = 0.007). Total Hammersmith scores also negatively correlated with anterior midbody MD measures (rho = -0.714, P = 0.047).

Discussion: These results suggest the integrity of corpus callosum axons, particularly anterior midbody axons, is important in mediating neurological functions. Greater callosal maturation was associated with greater motor function. Corpus callosum DTI may prove to be a valuable screening or prognostic marker.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Corpus callosum segmentation schema adapted for neonates by Thompson et al. [10]. RB: rostral body; AMB: anterior midbody; PMB: posterior midbody.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatterplot of total HNE scores versus anterior midbody FA (n = 8; spearman's rho = 0.929; P = 0.001).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scatterplot of total HNE scores versus anterior midbody MD (n = 8; spearman's rho = −0.714; P = 0.047).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scatterplot of motor-specific scores and anterior midbody FA (n = 8; spearman's rho = 0.857; P = 0.007).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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