Hippocampal volume and everyday memory in children of very low birth weight

Abstract

Children born preterm and of very low birth weight have an increased incidence of learning difficulties, but little is known about the specific nature of their cognitive deficits and the underlying neuropathology. We hypothesized that their vulnerability to hypoxic, metabolic, and nutritional insults would lead to reduced hippocampal volumes and to deficits in memory because of the role of the hippocampus in this domain of cognition. Neuropsychological and magnetic resonance imaging methods were used to investigate this hypothesis in adolescents born preterm (≤30 wk gestation, n = 11) or full-term (n = 8). The preterm group had significantly smaller hippocampal volumes bilaterally, despite e..