Cognitive trajectories from infancy to early adulthood following birth before 26 weeks of gestation: a prospective, population-based cohort study

What is already known on this topic?

  • The most common neurologic impairment in children born extremely preterm is in cognitive function.
  • Cognitive development has been well described in infancy and early childhood but the trajectory into early adulthood is unknown.

What this study adds?

  • Impaired cognitive function evident in infancy persists into early adulthood among individuals born extremely preterm, with no evidence of substantial recovery or deterioration.
  • Cognitive test scores in infancy and early childhood reflect early adult outcomes.
  • Male sex and moderate/severe neonatal brain injury has an adverse effect on cognitive trajectories in individuals born extremely preterm.

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Publications

Premature birth and circadian preference in young adulthood: evidence from two birth cohorts

A preference for eveningness (being a “night owl”) and preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) are associated with similar adversities, such as elevated blood pressure, impaired glucose regulation, poorer physical fitness, and lower mood. Yet, it remains unclear if and how preterm birth is associated with circadian preference. The aim of this study was to assess this association across the whole gestation range, using both objective and subjective measurements of circadian preference.

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Publications, Uncategorized

Bullying and negative appearance feedback among adolescents: Is it objective or misperceived weight that matters?

This study investigated (1) whether involvement in bullying as a bully, victim or bully-victim was associated with objectively measured overweight or underweight, or whether it was related to weight misperception (i.e., inaccurate perceptions), and (2) whether appearance-specific feedback mediated the relationship between bullying and weight misperception.

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Publications

Naturally occurring circadian rhythm and sleep duration are related to executive functions in early adulthood

Experimental sleep deprivation studies suggest that insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment associates with poorer executive function. It is not known whether this association translates to naturally occurring sleep patterns. A total of 512 of full-term-born members of the Arvo Ylppo Longitudinal Study [mean age = 25.3, standard deviation (SD) = 0.65] (44.3% men) wore actigraphs to define sleep duration, its irregularity and circadian rhythm (sleep mid-point) during a 1-week period (mean 6.9 nights, SD = 1.7). Performance-based executive function was assessed with the Trail-Making Test, Conners’ Continuous Performance Test and Stroop.

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Publications