ABSTRACT. Objective. To investigate the effects of early experience on brain function and structure.Methods. A randomized clinical trial tested the neurodevelopmental effectiveness of the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP). Thirty preterm infants, 28 to 33 weeks' gestational age (GA) at birth and free of known developmental risk factors, participated in the trial. NIDCAP was initiated within 72 hours of intensive care unit admission and continued to the age of 2 weeks, corrected for prematurity. Control (14) and experimental (16) infants were assessed at 2 weeks' and 9 months' corrected age on health status, growth, and neurobehavior, and at 2 weeks' corrected age additionally on electroencephalogram spectral coherence, magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging, and measurements of transverse relaxation time.Results. The groups were medically and demographically comparable before as well as after the treatment. However, the experimental group showed significantly better neurobehavioral functioning, increased coherence between frontal and a broad spectrum of mainly occipital brain regions, and higher relative anisotropy in left internal capsule, with a trend for right internal capsule and frontal white matter. Transverse relaxation time showed no difference. Behavioral function was improved also at 9 months' corrected age. The relationship among the 3 neurodevelopmental domains was significant. The results indicated consistently better function and more mature fiber structure for experimental infants compared with their controls.Conclusions. This is the first in vivo evidence of enhanced brain function and structure due to the NIDCAP. The study demonstrates that quality of experience before term may influence brain development significantly. Pediatrics 2004;113:846 -857; preterm infants, NIDCAP, neurobehavior, spectral coherence, diffusion tensor imaging, transverse relaxation time, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, APIB.ABBREVIATIONS. NICU, newborn intensive care unit; NIDCAP, Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; EEG, electroencephalogram; APIB, Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior; Prechtl, Prechtl Neurologic Examination of the Fullterm Newborn Infant; Bayley II, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition; MDI, mental developmental index; PDI, psychomotor developmental index; BRS, Behavior Rating Scale; T2*, transverse relaxation time; DTI, diffusion tensor imaging; ROI, region(s) of interest; E1, principal eigenvalue; E3, tertiary eigenvalue; RA, relative anisotropy; MANOVA, multivariate analysis of variance. T he preterm infant provides an opportunity to study the effects of early postnatal experience on brain development. Increasing evidence suggests that features of brain structure 1-4 and function [5][6][7][8] are different between medically healthy preterm infants and their term counterparts when assessed at a comparable age point. Although some differences are explained by the cumulative ...

Etiology of nephrocalcinosis in preterm neonates: AssociationNephrocalcinosis (NC) occurs frequently in preterm of nutritional intake and urinary parameters.neonates. The incidence varies between 17 and 64%, de-Background. Nephrocalcinosis (NC) in preterm neonates pending on different study populations, ultrasonographic has been described frequently, and small-scale studies suggest nates receive a high intake of calcium, phosphorus, and vs. 2.3 mmol/mmol, P Ͻ 0.05) and a lower mean urinary citrate/ vitamin D in the first months of life in order to prevent calcium ratio (1.1 vs. 1.7 mmol/mmol, P ϭ 0.005). rickets of prematurity. In a prospective study, we exam-Conclusions. NC develops as a result of an imbalance beined the association of stone-promoting and stone-inhibtween stone-inhibiting and stone-promoting factors. A high intake of calcium, phosphorus, and ascorbic acid, a low urinary iting factors with the development of NC in preterm citrate/calcium ratio, a high urinary calcium/creatinine ratio, neonates.immaturity, and medication to prevent or treat chronic lung disease with hypercalciuric side effects appear to contribute to the high incidence of NC in preterm neonates. METHODS Patients

The neonatal brain possesses higher water content, lower macromolecular concentration, and reduced synaptic density than is found in the brain of a 1-year-old child. Changes in MRI characteristics of brain such as relaxation times accompany rapid changes in brain during early postnatal development. It was hypothesized that T* 2 values found in newborns would be significantly higher than those found in 9-month-old children and adults as measured at 1.5 T. Spoiled gradient echo measurements of T* 2 within the brains of newborns, 9-month-olds, and adults confirmed this hypothesis. The results have implications with regard to functional MRI studies in newborns since, in general, BOLD signal optimization is achieved when echo times TE are set equal to the T* 2 values of the tissue of interest. Since significantly longer T* 2 values are found in newborns, it is suggested that the TE values employed for fMRI studies of newborns should be increased to maximize BOLD signal intensity changes and improve the overall reliability of fMRI results in newborns.

Background Advances in neonatal intensive care have not yet reduced the high incidence of neurodevelopmental disability among very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. As neurological deficits are related to white-matter injury, early detection is important. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) could be an excellent tool for assessment of white-matter injury. Objective To provide DTI fractional anisotropy (FA) reference values for white-matter tracts of VLBW infants for clinical use. Materials and methods We retrospectively analysed DTI images of 28 VLBW infants (26-32 weeks gestational age) without evidence of white-matter abnormalities on conventional MRI sequences, and normal developmental outcome (assessed at age 1-3 years). For DTI an echoplanar sequence with diffusion gradient (b=1,000 s/mm 2 ) applied in 25 non-collinear directions was used. We measured FA and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of different whitematter tracts in the first 4 days of life. Results A statistically significant correlation was found between gestational age and FA of the posterior limb of the internal capsule in VLBW infants (r=0.495, P<0.01). Conclusion Values of FA and ADC were measured in white-matter tracts of VLBW infants. FA of the pyramidal tracts measured in the first few days after birth is related to gestational age.

Nephrocalcinosis (NC) in preterm neonates has been reported frequently and small studies suggest an unfavourable effect on renal function. Data on ultrasonic features are limited and the reproducibility of ultrasonography (US) in detecting NC in preterm neonates is unknown. In this study, interobserver and intraobserver agreement of US was determined through videotape recordings of US examinations of preterm neonates. Furthermore, a prospective US study was performed in 215 preterm neonates (gestational age < 32 weeks) to evaluate ultrasonic characteristics, incidence, time course and effect on kidney length of NC. Patients were studied at 4 weeks after birth and at term. Patients with NC were followed for 2 years. NC was defined as bright reflections in the medulla or cortex seen in both transverse and longitudinal direction. The length of the kidneys was noted. The kappa value was 0.84 for intraobserver and 0.46 for interobserver agreement, whereas the overall agreement was 73%. NC was found in 50 of 150 (33%) patients at 4 weeks and in 83 of 201 patients (41%) at term. NC was localized mainly in the medulla. At 1 and 2 years, NC had persisted in 36% and 26%, respectively, of the patients with NC at term. Kidney length was comparable with normal values. In conclusion, US has a very good intraobserver agreement but a moderate interobserver agreement in detecting NC. Medullary NC is common among preterm neonates. During the first 2 years of life, the incidence decreases spontaneously and NC does not influence kidney length.