Association of Preterm Birth and Socioeconomic Status With Neonatal Brain Structure

• DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16067
• Publication Date: 2023-05-31T15:33:28Z
• Authors: Katie Mckinnon; Paola Galdi; Manuel Blesa-Cábez; Gemma Sullivan; Kadi Vaher; Amy Corrigan; Jill Hall; Lorena Jiménez-Sá...; Michael Thrippleton; Mark E. Bastin; Alan J. Quigley; Evdoxia Valavani; Athanasios Tsanas; Hilary Richardson; James P. Boardman
• Keywords: Brain morphometry; Gyrification; Generation R

Importance Preterm birth and socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with brain structure in childhood, but the relative contributions of each during neonatal period unknown. Objective To investigate associations gestational age (GA) SES morphology by testing 3 hypotheses: GA morphology; between vary GA; depend on how is operationalized. Design, Setting, Participants This cohort study recruited participants from November 2016 to September 2021 at a single center United Kingdom. were 170 extremely very preterm infants 91 full-term or near-term infants. Exclusion criteria major congenital malformation, chromosomal abnormality, infection, cystic periventricular leukomalacia, hemorrhagic parenchymal infarction, posthemorrhagic ventricular dilatation. Exposures Birth SES, operationalized neighborhood level (using Scottish Index Multiple Deprivation), family parental education occupation), subjectively (World Health Organization Quality Life measure). Main Outcomes Measures Brain volume (85 parcels) 5 whole-brain cortical measures (gyrification index, thickness, sulcal depth, curvature, surface area) term-equivalent (median [range] age, 40 weeks, days [36 2 45 6 days] 42 weeks [38 46 1 day] for infants, respectively). Results (95 [55.9%] male; 4 166 [2.4%] Asian, 145 [87.3%] White) (50 [54.9%] 86 [3.5%] 78 [90.7%] White infants) median (range) GAs 30 0 (22 day, 32 days) 39 (36 days, day), respectively. In fully adjusted models, was higher proportion volumes (27 85 parcels [31.8%]; β range, −0.20 0.24) than neighborhood-level (1 [1.2%]; = 0.17 [95% CI, −0.16 0.50]) family-level (maternal education: [4.7%]; 0.09 0.15; maternal occupation: 0.06 0.02 0.11] There interactions both subjective regional volumes. area (β 0.10 0.18]) gyrification index 0.16 0.07 0.25]); no measure measures. Conclusions Relevance this UK morphology, low had more widely distributed SES. Further work warranted elucidate mechanisms underlying association early development.