Browsing by Author "Nykänen, Irina"

Objectives: Lateral ventricles (LVs) of the brain enlarge with age, and their size is also affected by e.g. shrinking of the brain as well as some perinatal risks. In adults, large size of LVs is assumed to indicate brain atrophy and it has been noticed to correlate with poorer cognitive performance especially in elderly. In the present study, the size of LVs and cognitive performance is studied in Finnish adults with perinatal risks. The focus of interest is in whether LVs are larger in those with perinatal risks compared to controls, whether there is a relationship between the size of LVs and cognitive performance, and if it is possible to estimate cognitive performance using the relative size of LVs. Methods: The present study is part of a larger longitudinal birth cohort research project examining children with perinatal risk factors. The present sample (n = 313) consists of those 39-45-year-old individuals who participated in the latest follow up study. Some of them were controls and some belonged to one of following perinatal risk groups: low birth weight (LBW), asphyxia or hyperbilirubinemia. LVs size variables (cm3) and VCR (ventricle to cranial ratio) were calculated from participants' MRI data using VolBrain software. Cognitive performance was measured using the scores of neuropsychological tests. Results and conclusions: According to the results, VCR of those in LBW group was larger compared to controls. In hyperbilirubinemia group both VCR and left LV were indicatively larger compared to controls. Nevertheless, overall differences in means were small. There were moderate correlations at most between the LV size variables and cognitive performance mainly in asphyxia and hyperbilirubinemia groups. Correlations indicated that there were association between larger LVs and poorer cognitive performance although exceptions were also found. Cognitive performance could be estimated using VCR only in two of seven examined variables in whole risk group. Present study offers preliminary results about the the size of LVs and its association to cognitive performance in groups with perinatal risks, which haven't been studied before. Based on the results it is possible to start formulating more focused questions e.g. about the neurocognitive aging or reasons behind larger LVs in perinatal risk groups. The answers to these questions could be found using longitudinal study designs.