Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Section 1 Introduction
- Section 2 Neuroimaging
- 4 Imaging the preterm brain
- 5 Structural magnetic resonance imaging
- 6 Magnetic resonance imaging findings from adolescence to adulthood
- 7 Functional neuroimaging following very preterm birth
- 8 Diffusion tensor imaging findings in preterm and low birth weight populations
- Section 3 Behavioral outcome
- Section 4 Neuropsychological outcome
- Section 5 Applied research
- Section 6 Conclusions
- Index
8 - Diffusion tensor imaging findings in preterm and low birth weight populations
from Section 2 - Neuroimaging
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 July 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Section 1 Introduction
- Section 2 Neuroimaging
- 4 Imaging the preterm brain
- 5 Structural magnetic resonance imaging
- 6 Magnetic resonance imaging findings from adolescence to adulthood
- 7 Functional neuroimaging following very preterm birth
- 8 Diffusion tensor imaging findings in preterm and low birth weight populations
- Section 3 Behavioral outcome
- Section 4 Neuropsychological outcome
- Section 5 Applied research
- Section 6 Conclusions
- Index
Summary
Introduction
Premature birth represents a significant cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. In Europe and North America, driven by improvements in neonatal intensive care, more preterm and low birth weight babies are surviving, even with extreme degrees of prematurity. The sequelae of premature birth may be serious, and include cerebral palsy and learning disability, but many individuals are free of these complications. Nevertheless, developmental problems are becoming apparent even in individuals who come through the neonatal period relatively unscathed. If we are to optimize the health of these individuals as they grow and mature into adults we will require a better understanding of the pathological and developmental processes involved in recovery from this early adversity.
This chapter will focus on the white matter of the brain, in part because it is especially vulnerable to injury in the premature infant [1, 2], but also because development and maturation of white matter may be crucial in enabling individuals to overcome the effects of early adversity [3]. Relatively recent developments in MRI technology have made it possible for us to look at white matter in startling detail in the living brain, and are providing new information about its structure and function. This chapter will introduce one such technique, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and discuss how it can be used to study preterm and low birth weight populations.
A non-physicist's guide to DTI
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI; DT-MRI) exploits a physical property of water molecules – their Brownian motion. That is, on the microscopic scale, molecules of H2O in liquid water are always on the move.
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- Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm BirthFrom Childhood to Adult Life, pp. 97 - 112Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010
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