Abstract
AimWe attempted to determine how handedness changes with age and its relation to brain injury and cognition following birth before 26 weeks of gestation. MethodsWe used data from the EPICure study of health and development following birth in the British Isles in 1995. Handedness was determined by direct observation during standardized testing at age 2.5, six, and 11 years and by self-report using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory at 19 years. Control data from term births were included at six, 11, and 19 years. ResultsIn extremely preterm children left handedness increased from 9% to 27% between 2.5 and 19 years, with a progressive reduction in mixed handedness from 59% to 13%. Although individual handedness scores varied over childhood, the between-group effects were consistent through 19 years, with greatest differences in females. In extremely preterm participants, neonatal brain injury was associated with lower right handedness scores at each age and left-handed participants had lower cognitive scores at 19 years after controlling for confounders, but not at other ages. ConclusionIncreasing hand lateralization is seen over childhood in extremely preterm survivors, but consistently more individuals have non-right preferences at each age than control individuals.
Highlights
ObjectivesWe attempted to determine how handedness changes with age and its relation to brain injury and cognition following birth before 26 weeks of gestation
Preterm survivors more frequently have non-right preferences compared with controls
Using multilevel modeling to evaluate the changes over time, we demonstrated that the differences in handedness scores between EP and term-born controls persisted over 19 years
Summary
We attempted to determine how handedness changes with age and its relation to brain injury and cognition following birth before 26 weeks of gestation
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.