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Poster sessions
Brain neurology (neurosciences)
ENTORHINAL CORTEX AND IQ IN VLBW ADOLESCENTS
  1. M Martinussen1,2,
  2. J S Skranes1,2,5,
  3. G C Løhaugen1,3,
  4. O Haraldseth4,
  5. B Fischl6,
  6. A M Dale7,
  7. A M Brubakk1,5
  1. 1Department Of Laboratory Medicine, Children’s And Women’s Health, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
  2. 2Department Of Gynecology And Obstetrics, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
  3. 3Department Of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal, Norway
  4. 4Department Of Circulation And Medical Imaging, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
  5. 5Department Of Pediatrics, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
  6. 6Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, MGH, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
  7. 7Department Of Neurosciences And Radiology, University Of San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

Abstract

Background The entorhinal cortex serves as an important gateway between the cerebral cortex and hippocampus by receiving afferent information from limbic, modality sensory-specific, and multimodal association fibres from all brain lobes.

Objective To investigate whether thinning of the entorhinal cortex is associated with reduced cognitive skills in VLBW adolescents.

Design and Methods 49 VLBW (<1500 grams) and 58 controls were examined at age of 15 years with Wechsler Intelligence Scale WISC-III and executive/attention function tests. An automated MRI technique for morphometric analyses of cortical thickness was used.

Results The cortical surface model demonstrated 26 areas of regional cortical thinning and thickening in the VLBW group. Among these were thinning of entorhinal cortices, the rostral part of the parahippocampal gyrus on both sides. In the VLBW group, thinning of left entorhinal cortex (white) (figure 1) was correlated with low scores on IQ subtests picture arrangement (p = 0.001) and block design (p = 0.035), resulting in low estimated performance (p = 0.003) and full scale IQ (p = 0.012). Thinning of this area on both sides correlated with low performance on executive/attention function tests, including aspects of working memory.

Figure 1
Figure 1

Martinussen et al

Conclusions Entorhinal cortical thinning is related with low IQ and reduced executive functions in VLBW adolescents.

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