Neurodevelopment of Survivors Born Very Preterm

Dear colleagues,

Nearly 2% of births are very preterm (<32 weeks gestational age) and most of these infants now survive due to advances in obstetric and neonatal care. However, surviving infants are at risk of a myriad of neurodevelopmental issues, and the prevalence and severity of these problems don’t seem to be reducing with improvements in clinical care. In fact, it is possible that neurodevelopmental outcomes may have worsened with the increased survival of the most vulnerable infants.

The majority of very preterm infants have brain pathology, which influences subsequent brain development and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. In contrast to term born peers, children born very preterm have higher rates of visual and hearing impairments; cerebral palsy and developmental coordination disorder; intellectual impairment and deficits in all cognitive domains; learning disorders and academic underachievement; emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression; as well as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, the pattern and severity of neurodevelopmental disorders varies greatly across individuals, with some children free of impairment while others are inflicted with severe impairment in multiple areas of functioning. Understanding the risk and protective factors associated with this variable outcome is of interest, as this knowledge informs preventative intervention and is critical for identifying high risk infants who warrant close monitoring and early intervention.

This Special Issue is seeking the most recent studies examining the short-term and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of survivors born very preterm. The issue will adopt a lifespan perspective, and encourage papers focusing on infant general movement and neurobehaviour through to adult quality of life and mental health. The issue is interested in all approaches to investigating neurodevelopment including but not limited to clinical assessments of functional domains (e.g. motor, language, cognition), brain imaging, EEG, questionnaires, and data linkage.  Of particular interest will be studies investigating neurodevelopmental comorbidities, changes in outcome across eras, developmental trajectories, biomarkers of neurodevelopmental impairment, and brain–behaviour relationships.  Original research and reviews will be considered.

We are looking forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Peter J. Anderson
Dr. Jeanie LY Cheong
Guest Editors

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