engleski

Segmental reduction of corpus callosum is correlated with cognitive performance in adolescents with perinatal white matter brain injury

The aim of this study was analyze in detail the segmental reduction of corpus callosum (CC) and relate it with cognitive performance in adolescent age, in a group of perinatally brain damaged children. Neuropsychological testing, structural magnetic resonance imaging and CC segmentation were performed in a group of 65 children, aged 13-16 years, who suffered hypoxic-ischemic injury and/or hemorrhagic lesions of areas of periventricular crossroads of pathways, as detected by ultrasound. Cognitive assessment included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), verbal fluency task and the Rey-Ostterieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT). The midsagittal section of CC was delineated and segmented into 99 rostrocaudal segments (C1-C99) taking into account the curvature of the CC, which allows a comparison between subjects, regardless of the CC shape. Results of verbal subtests of WISC and verbal fluency task correlated with segments C1-C21, presumptive areas of commissural fibers of prefrontal associative cortical areas, and segments C71-C99, presumptive areas of commissural fibers of associative parietal, occipital and temporal areas. Results of nonverbal subtests correlated with C1-C21 and C41-C99, which involve not only commissural fibers of associative cortical areas, but also of motor and somatosensory areas. Results of ROCFT visuospatial construction task correlated with C41-C96, while the visuospatial memory task of ROCFT was also related to C7-C16. In conclusion, perinatal injury of periventricular crossroads of pathways leads to segmental and general reduction of callosal midsagittal area, which is highly correlated with cognitive results in adolescent age, allowing for a connectivity based explanation of long-term specific neurocognitive deficits.

corpus callosum; cognitive; white matter injury

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