Pain Exposure and Brain Connectivity in Preterm Infants.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Early-life exposure to painful procedures has been associated with altered brain maturation and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants, although sex-specific differences are largely unknown.

Objective

To examine sex-specific associations among early-life pain exposure, alterations in neonatal structural connectivity, and 18-month neurodevelopment in preterm infants.

Design, setting, and participants

This prospective cohort study recruited 193 very preterm infants from April 1, 2015, to April 1, 2019, across 2 tertiary neonatal intensive care units in Toronto, Canada. Structural connectivity data were available for 150 infants; neurodevelopmental outcomes were available for 123 infants. Data were analyzed from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023.

SUBMITTER: Selvanathan T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10943417 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature