Abstract
Aim
To evaluate mammillary body abnormalities in school-age children without cerebral palsy treated with therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal hypoxic–ischaemic encephalopathy (cases) and matched controls, and associations with cognitive outcome, hippocampal volume, and diffusivity in the mammillothalamic tract (MTT) and fornix.
Method
Mammillary body abnormalities were scored from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 32 cases and 35 controls (median age [interquartile range] 7 years [6 years 7 months–7 years 7 months] and 7 years 4 months [6 years 7 months–7 years 7 months] respectively). Cognition was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition. Hippocampal volume (normalized by total brain volume) was measured from T1-weighted MRI. Radial diffusivity and fractional anisotropy were measured in the MTT and fornix, from diffusion-weighted MRI using deterministic tractography.
Results
More cases than controls had mammillary body abnormalities (34% vs 0%; p
Interpretation
Cooled children with mammillary body abnormalities at school-age have reduced cognitive scores, smaller hippocampi, and altered MTT microstructure compared with those without mammillary body abnormalities, and matched controls.
To evaluate mammillary body abnormalities in school-age children without cerebral palsy treated with therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal hypoxic–ischaemic encephalopathy (cases) and matched controls, and associations with cognitive outcome, hippocampal volume, and diffusivity in the mammillothalamic tract (MTT) and fornix.
Method
Mammillary body abnormalities were scored from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 32 cases and 35 controls (median age [interquartile range] 7 years [6 years 7 months–7 years 7 months] and 7 years 4 months [6 years 7 months–7 years 7 months] respectively). Cognition was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition. Hippocampal volume (normalized by total brain volume) was measured from T1-weighted MRI. Radial diffusivity and fractional anisotropy were measured in the MTT and fornix, from diffusion-weighted MRI using deterministic tractography.
Results
More cases than controls had mammillary body abnormalities (34% vs 0%; p
Interpretation
Cooled children with mammillary body abnormalities at school-age have reduced cognitive scores, smaller hippocampi, and altered MTT microstructure compared with those without mammillary body abnormalities, and matched controls.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology |
| Early online date | 6 Nov 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 6 Nov 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund (TRUST/VC/AC/SG4681‐7596), David Telling Charitable Trust, Sparks (05/BTL/01 and 14/BTL/01), and the Moulton Foundation. AS is supported by the Wellcome Trust (WT220070/Z/20/Z). JCWB is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MR/N026969/1).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Mac Keith Press.