Gender-specific attention system subnetwork vulnerability in prematurely born children

Children born prematurely are at high risk for long-term abnormal development, including deficits in attentional abilities that persist throughout adolescence. The severity of these cognitive difficulties varies significantly among preterm-born children, with both the level of prematurity and sex being the most relevant factors for the determination of their neurodevelopmental outcomes. In order to understand the neurostructural correlate of these disabilities, we used a brain connectome approach to analyze the effects of gender and degree of prematurity on the attentional system network related to executive control in school age preterm children. Our results suggest that being born extremely premature, as well as being born male, differentially affects brain connectivity and development.