Abstract
BackgroundPeriventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) affects white matter, but grey matter injuries have also been reported, particularly in the dorsomedial nucleus and the cortex. Both structures have been related to working memory (WM) processes. The aim of this study was to compare behavioral performances and EEG power spectra during a visuospatial working memory task (VSWMT) of toddlers with a history of PVL and healthy toddlers.Methodology/Principal FindingsA prospective, comparative study of WM was conducted in toddlers with a history of PVL and healthy toddlers. The task responses and the EEG narrow-band power spectra during a VSWMT were compared in both groups. The EEG absolute power was analyzed during the following three conditions: baseline, attention and WM retention. The number of correct responses was higher in the healthy group (20.5±5.0) compared to the PVL group (16.1±3.9) (p = 0.04). The healthy group had absolute power EEG increases (p≤0.05) during WM compared to the attention condition in the bilateral frontal and right temporal, parietal and occipital regions in frequencies ranging from 1.17 to 2.34 Hz and in the right temporal, parietal and occipital regions in frequencies ranging from 14.06 to 15.23 Hz. In contrast, the PVL group had absolute power increases (p≤0.05) in the bilateral fronto-parietal, left central and occipital regions in frequencies that ranged from 1.17 to 3.52 Hz and in the bilateral frontal and right temporal regions in frequencies ranging from 9.37 to 19.14 Hz.Conclusions/SignificanceThis study provides evidence that PVL toddlers have visuospatial WM deficits and a very different pattern of absolute power increases compared to a healthy group of toddlers, with greater absolute power in the low frequency range and widespread neuronal networks in the WM retention phase.
Highlights
One of the most common brain injuries in premature infants is periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), it can occur in full-term infants [1,2]
Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) occurs in 50% of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and is defined as necrosis of the white matter, it has been observed in the grey matter [3]
Behavioral Performance The number of correct responses was lower in the PVL group
Summary
One of the most common brain injuries in premature infants is periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), it can occur in full-term infants [1,2]. It starts to develop from five to six months of age, when infants are capable of reaching one object hidden in one of two possible locations after a delay from one to two seconds [9] This task was named the delayed response task (DRT) [10], and this task, along with the Piagetian task A not B [11], is used to study WM. Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) affects white matter, but grey matter injuries have been reported, in the dorsomedial nucleus and the cortex Both structures have been related to working memory (WM) processes. The aim of this study was to compare behavioral performances and EEG power spectra during a visuospatial working memory task (VSWMT) of toddlers with a history of PVL and healthy toddlers
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