Being born 4-6 weeks premature can affect brain structure, function

• Copyright © 2014, The American Academy of Pediatrics

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – The brains of children who were born just a few weeks early differ from those born on time, and these differences may affect learning and behavior, according to a study to be presented Monday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Studies have shown that children who were born between 34 and 36 weeks’ gestation (late preterm) have more social, behavioral and academic problems than children born at full term (37-41 weeks). However, few studies have looked at the brain structure of late preterm children.

Researchers from the University of Iowa conducted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on 32 children ages 7-13 years old who were born at 34-36 weeks’ gestation. In addition, they administered cognitive tests to the children, including the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Benton Judgment of Line Orientation (which assesses visual perception), Grooved Pegboard (which assesses fine motor skills and coordination) and Children’s Memory Scale. Parents also completed a behavioral assessment.

Results were compared to 64 children born at full term who were recruited for another study in which they completed the same cognitive and behavioral assessments, neurological exam, and MRI sequences as the late preterm group.

Preliminary analysis showed differences in both cognitive function and brain structure in the late preterm children compared to full term children. Functionally, late preterm children had more difficulties with visuospatial reasoning and visual memory. They also had slower processing speed. Processing speed refers to the ability to perform automatically a simple task in an efficient manner. Children with slower processing speed may require more time in the classroom setting to accomplish a task.

Structurally, the brains of late preterm children had less total cerebral white matter, which is critical to communication between nerve cells, and smaller thalami, a brain region involved in sensory and motor signaling.

“Late preterm birth accounts for 8% of all births each year in the United States, making it a public health issue,” said presenting author Jane E. Brumbaugh, M.D., FAAP, associate, University of Iowa Stead Family Department of Pediatrics. “The effects of late preterm birth on the brain have not yet been fully characterized, and it has been assumed that there are no significant consequences to being born a few weeks early. Our preliminary findings show that children born late preterm have differences in brain structure and deficits in specific cognitive skills compared to children born full term.”

Parents of late preterm children also reported more problems with hyperactivity, inattention, opposition and aggression than parents of full term children.

“The developing brain is vulnerable to what most might consider a minor ‘insult’ in being born late preterm. Moreover, these effects are enduring,” said senior author Peggy C. Nopoulos, M.D., professor of psychiatry, neurology and pediatrics with University of Iowa Health Care.

To view the study abstract, go to

http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/view.php?nu=PAS14L1_3670.1.

Your 4 year-old: Dealing with a lisp - unclear speech in playschool child

Pronunciation difficulties are still common at four. For example, is your child is still saying "torry" instead of "sorry"? Many children don't master the initial s and z sounds until age 7 or 8. Other sounds that can cause a problem: f, v, l, r, and sh. Usually the culprit is immature control of the muscles used to form sounds.

While you may think his baby speech is cute, don't say so to your child or mimic his pronunciation. He may stick to it even after he doesn't need to. Don't correct his words, either. You don't want to make him any more self-conscious than he may already be. Simply model correct speech.

Lisping occurs when children push out their tongues when forming an s instead of letting their tongue rest behind their teeth. Most children outgrow lisping eventually. But if your child's speech makes him unintelligible or prompts teasing from other children, you may want to see a speech pathologist. In general, the younger a child starts speech therapy, the better the outcome.
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Changes in sexuality after birth of baby occur in both parents

Parents experience a change in sexuality following the birth of a child, with low sexual desire linked to factors related to the care of the baby like stress and fatigue, suggests new research in the US.

The retrospective online survey, involving 114 partners of postpartum women (95 men, 18 women, 1 unspecified), questioned new parents about their sexuality in the 3 months following the birth of their youngest child to determine changes in physical, social, psychological and relational experiences.

The results showed that in the first 3 months following birth, 81.7 percent of partners reported reengagement of sexual intercourse with the birth mother, 69.6 percent reported participating in oral sex and 72.7 percent reported masturbating. Masturbation occurred earlier in the postpartum period than did intercourse (p<0 .001="" all="" and="" between="" birth="" both="" but="" differences="" either="" enjoyed="" enjoyment="" equally="" groups="" higher="" in="" initiation="" intercourse="" it="" masturbation="" mother="" no="" of="" on="" or="" oral="" p="0.359).</p" parent.="" participated="" partner="" postpartum="" reengage="" reported="" s="" sex="" significant="" than="" the="" there="" time="" to="" took="" was="" were="" with="">

Participants ranked factors related to sexual and intimate feeling in participants and their partners as most frequently contributing to high desire and fatigue and stress as the top influences for low desire. Time constraints was selected as the third most common factor contributing to low postpartum sexuality. There were no significant differences between the genders in self-reported perceived stress, body image self-consciousness or average level of fatigue (all p>0.40). However, women partners of new mothers perceived more support from their significant others and friends and had significantly higher overall social support scores than their male counterparts (all p<0 .035="" p="">

“Results from this study and previous research suggest that postpartum sexuality can be conceptualized as an individualized experience within a partnership, as well as one that occurs in a larger social and relational context,” said study author Dr. Sari M. van Anders of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, and colleagues.

“While most studies on postpartum sexuality focus on the birth mother, few if any have examined the role of sexuality in the mother’s partner and whether this in turn influences the birth mother’s perception of her own sexuality,” said Dr. Juan Dominguez, principal investigator of the Neuroendocrinology and Motivation Lab at the University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Psychology.

Dominguez warned that these gender-specific findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size of women partners and time lapse between the postpartum period and the collection of data.

“This small caveat notwithstanding, the study provides a clearer window in which to view the postpartum sexuality of co-parents, how postpartum sexuality may vary between partner’s gender, and the idiosyncratic changes in sexual activity that follow parturition,” added Dominguez. “These findings will be a source of information for health professionals who counsel mothers after birth.”

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