Corpus callosum structural characteristics in very preterm children and adolescents: developmental trajectory and relationship to cognitive functioning
Authors: Siffredi Vanessa , Liverani Maria Chiara , Van De Ville Dimitri , Freitas Lorena G. A. , Tolsa Cristina Borradori , Hüppi Petra Susan , Leuchter Russia Hà-Vinh 
Published: November 2021

Previous studies suggest that structural alteration of the corpus callosum, i.e., the largest white matter commissural pathway, occurs after a preterm birth in the neonatal period and lasts across development. The present study aims to unravel corpus callosum structural characteristics across childhood and adolescence in very preterm (VPT) individuals, and their associations with general intellectual, executive and socio-emotional functioning. Neuropsychological assessments, T1-weighted and multi-shell diffusion MRI were collected in 79 VPT and 46 full term controls aged 6 to 14 years. Volumetric, diffusion tensor and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) measures were extracted on 7 callosal portions using TractSeg. A multivariate data-driven approach (partial least squares correlation) and an age normative modelling approach were used to explore associations between callosal characteristics and neuropsychological outcomes. The VPT and a full-term control groups showed similar trends of white-matter maturation over time, i.e., increase FA and reduced ODI, in all callosal segments, that was associated with increase in general intellectual functioning. However, using age-related normative modelling, findings show atypical pattern of callosal development in the VPT group, with reduced callosal maturation over time that was associated with poorer general intellectual and working memory functioning, as well as with lower gestational age.

Highlights

Callosal development was explored in full-term and very preterm (VPT) aged 6 to 15 years

Neuropsychological, callosal volumetric, tensor and NODDI measures were used

Age-related normative modelling revealed atypical callosal development in VPT

In VPT, atypical callosal maturation was associated with poorer cognitive functioning

In VPT, greater prematurity was associated with increased atypical callosal maturation

CRediT roles

Vanessa Siffredi: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Software; Visualization; Writing - original draft; Writing - review & editing.

Maria Chiara Liverani: Data curation; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Writing - review & editing.

Dimitri Van De Ville: Methodology; Resources; Software; Supervision; Writing - review & editing.

Lorena G. A. Freitas: Data curation; Writing - review & editing.

Cristina Borradori Tolsa: Investigation; Project administration; Resources; Supervision; Validation; Writing - review & editing.

Petra Susan Hüppi: Conceptualization; Funding acquisition; Methodology; Project administration; Resources; Supervision; Validation; Writing - review & editing.

Russia Hà-Vinh Leuchter: Conceptualization; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Resources; Supervision; Validation; Writing - review & editing.