PS-160 Volume Of Cerebellum And Thalamus Is Associated With Working Memory Performance In Children And Adolescents Born Very Preterm

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3> Children and adolescents born very preterm (VPT) are at increased risk for altered brain development [1] and impaired cognitive performance [2]. Decreased regional brain volume in VPT infants has been associated with later working memory deficits [3]. This study aims to identify associations between regional brain volume and working memory performance in VPT children. <h3>Design/methods</h3> Thirty-three VPT children between 10 and 16 and 34 term-born peers were examined. Three-dimensional T1- and T2-weighted MR images were acquired on a 3T GE scanner. Regional brain volumes were calculated using FreeSurfer 5.3.0. Working memory was assessed using the spatial working memory (SWM) task of the Cantab test battery. <h3>Results</h3> Neither regional brain volume nor spatial working memory performance differed significantly between VPT and TB children (p &gt; 0.05). There was, however, a significant associations between regional brain volumes and performance in VPT children: After controlling for ICV, the number of errors in the SWM task correlated negatively with the volume of the cerebellar white matter on the right (r = -0.359, p = 0.043), the cerebellar white matter on the left (trend level; r = - 0.315, p = 0.079), the thalamus on the right (trend level; r = -0.331, p = 0.065) and the thalamus on the left side (r = -0.437, p = 0.012). In term born peers, no correlation was found. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Working memory performance is specifically linked to thalamic and cerebellar volumes in VPT but not in term-born children. This implies a specific anatomical correlate of working memory in adolescents at risk for altered brain development. <h3>References</h3> De Kieviet <i>et al</i>., 2012, for a review Mulder <i>et al</i>., 2009, for a review Beauchamp <i>et al</i>., 2008