SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Neurodevelopment”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Status epilepticus and neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age in an extremely low birth weight infant.

Neonatal status epilepticus (SE) is very rare and, to date, very little information exists on SE in preterm infants. Here, we report recurrent SE as a result of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infant, who had favorable neurodevelopment at a corrected age of 2 years. This clinical observation seems to indicate that recurrent SE does not exclude normal long-term neurodevelopment, even in ELBW infants.

Birth Weight↗

PubMed2005

Severe umbilical cord acidemia and neurological outcome in preterm and full-term neonates.

BACKGROUND: Severe intrauterine hypoxia-ischemia and acidemia may lead to a disturbed neurodevelopment. OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of acidemia at birth on neurodevelopment in preterm and full-term neonates. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Short- and long-term outcome were studied retrospectively in 44 inborn preterms and 95 full-terms with severe acidemia at birth defined as a pH of the umbilical artery <7.00. Outcome was compared with 67 preterm and 90 full-term non-acidemic neonates (pH>7.15). Intraventricular hemorrhage (preterms) or seizures (both preterms and full-terms) were considered an adverse short-term outcome. Neonatal death, cerebral palsy or neurodevelopmental delay were considered an adverse long-term outcome. RESULTS: Severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) occurred in 5 of the 44 (11%) acidemic preterms and in none of the 67 (0%) non-acidemic preterms (p<0.01). Seizures were observed in 9 of the 44 (20%) and 11 of the 95 (12%) acidemic preterms and full-terms, respectively, and in none of the 67 (0%) and 1 of the 90 (1%) non-acidemic preterms and full-terms, respectively (p<0.001 for preterms, p<0.01 for full-terms). Nine preterms (6 acidemic, 3 non-acidemic) and 2 full-terms (both acidemic) died in the neonatal period. Adverse long-term outcome occurred in 32% of the acidemic preterms, in 21% of the non-acidemic preterms, in 7% of the acidemic full-terms and in 7% of the non-acidemic full-terms. CONCLUSIONS: Acidemia at birth increased the occurrence of severe IVH in preterm neonates and seizures in both preterm and full-term neonates. However, no significant effect of acidemia on long-term outcome could be demonstrated.

Acidosis↗

PubMed1997

Rescue high frequency oscillatory ventilation for preterm infants: neurodevelopmental outcome and its prediction.

The role of rescue high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFO) in treating very-low-birth-weight neonates with severe respiratory failure in relation to neurodevelopmental outcome has not been evaluated. We performed a retrospective cohort study on 21 patients (out of 52 consecutively admitted preterm neonates with gestational age < or = 30 weeks and birth weight < or = 1.250 g; mortality rate 60%) rescued with HFO between October 1988 and August 1993. Neurodevelopment, including Bayley Scales in Infant Development, was assessed at 12-61 (mean 28.5) months adjusted age. Thirteen normal (scores better than 2 SD below mean, and no sensory or motor disability) (62%) and neurodevelopmentally disabled children (38%) survived more than 1 year for developmental assessment. The mental and performance developmental indices were 94 (78-117) and 89 (68-110), and 63 (49-102) and 49 for the 13 normal and 8 disabled children, respectively (both p < 0.05). The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH; grade 3 or 4), growth retardation, developmental scores and disabilities of these 21 HFO survivors were not significantly different from that of a birth-weight- and gestational-age-matched comparison group. While all HFO survivors had significant improvement in oxygenation 12 and 24 h after starting HFO, FiO2 and the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (A-aDO2) decreased significantly 1 h after starting HFO in survivors with normal neurodevelopmental outcome. The lack of initial response to HFO (20% decrease in A-aDO2 1 h after starting HFO) and the presence of grade 3 or 4 IVH predicted neurodevelopmental disability with a sensitivity of 63%, a specificity of 100%, and positive and negative predictive values of 100 and 81%, respectively. We concluded that HFO could be used as a rescue treatment in sick preterm neonates. The lack of early improvement in oxygenation and the presence of grade 3 or 4 IVH can predict adverse early childhood neurodevelopment in such neonates.

Cohort Studies↗

PubMed2003

Do hypertension and diuretic treatment in pregnancy increase the risk of schizophrenia in offspring?

OBJECTIVE: Diuretics prescribed after the first trimester for treatment of hypertension in pregnant women may interfere with normal plasma volume expansion and cause volume depletion. The authors hypothesized that prenatal exposure to diuretics and maternal hypertension might disrupt fetal neurodevelopment and increase the risk of schizophrenia in offspring. METHOD: Using data from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort of individuals born between 1959 and 1961, the authors studied the relationship of maternal hypertension and diuretic treatment during pregnancy with the risk of schizophrenia (ICD-8 code 295) in the offspring. Prenatal medical information was linked to the Danish National Psychiatric Register. The effects of maternal hypertension and diuretic treatment were adjusted for the maternal history of schizophrenia, social status of the family breadwinner, mother's age, and concomitant drug treatment during pregnancy. RESULTS: In a risk set of 7,866 individuals, 84 cases of schizophrenia were found (1.1% prevalence). Logistic multiple regression analysis identified the following independent risk factors: maternal hypertension (odds ratio=1.69 [95% CI=1.02-2.80]), diuretic treatment in the third trimester (odds ratio=2.55 [95% CI=1.21-5.37]), and maternal schizophrenia (odds ratio=11.12 [95% CI=4.60-29.91]). Prenatal exposure to both hypertension and diuretic treatment in the third trimester conferred a 4.01-fold (95% CI=1.41-11.40) elevated risk. CONCLUSIONS: Children of mothers with hypertension in pregnancy plus diuretic treatment in the third trimester were at significantly increased risk of developing schizophrenia. In pregnancies complicated by hypertension, diuretics may interfere with aspects of fetal neurodevelopment and thus increase the vulnerability of offspring to the development of schizophrenia later in life.

Child of Impaired Parents↗

PubMed2006

The immune response in autism: a new frontier for autism research.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are part of a broad spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders, which occur in childhood. They are characterized by impairments in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and the presence of restricted and repetitive stereotyped behaviors. At the present time, the etiology of ASD is largely unknown, but genetic, environmental, immunological, and neurological factors are thought to play a role in the development of ASD. Recently, increasing research has focused on the connections between the immune system and the nervous system, including its possible role in the development of ASD. These neuroimmune interactions begin early during embryogenesis and persist throughout an individual's lifetime, with successful neurodevelopment contingent upon a normal balanced immune response. Immune aberrations consistent with a dysregulated immune response, which so far, have been reported in autistic children, include abnormal or skewed T helper cell type 1 (T(H)1)/T(H)2 cytokine profiles, decreased lymphocyte numbers, decreased T cell mitogen response, and the imbalance of serum immunoglobulin levels. In addition, autism has been linked with autoimmunity and an association with immune-based genes including human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 and complement C4 alleles described. There is potential that such aberrant immune activity during vulnerable and critical periods of neurodevelopment could participate in the generation of neurological dysfunction characteristic of ASD. This review will examine the status of the research linking the immune response with ASD.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Neurologic condition of healthy term infants at 18 months: positive association with venous umbilical DHA status and negative association with umbilical trans-fatty acids.

Prenatal long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) and trans-fatty acids may affect neurodevelopment. In healthy term children, we determined relationships between relative fatty acid contents of umbilical arteries and veins and neurodevelopment at 18 mo. The study comprised a mixed group of 317 breast-fed, formula-fed, and LCPUFA formula-fed children. Study endpoints were the Hempel neurologic examination resulting in a neurologic classification and neurologic optimality score (NOS), and the Bayley Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) and Mental Developmental Index (MDI). Fifteen children showed minor neurologic dysfunction (MND). The umbilical vein trans, trans-18:2n-6 content was higher in children with MND than in the normal group. The NOS was significantly reduced in infants with an umbilical vein docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content within the lowest quartile. Umbilical vein arachidonic acid (AA) was related to NOS in univariate statistics but not in multivariate analyses. The sum of trans-fatty acids and that of C18 trans-fatty acids showed a negative association with NOS in both univariate and multivariate analyses. No associations were found between AA, DHA and total trans-fatty acids with PDI or MDI. In conclusion, neonates with a relatively low DHA status and those with high trans-fatty acid levels have a less favorable neurologic condition at 18 mo.

Dietary Fats, Unsaturated↗

PubMed2026

Fasudil induces anti-inflammatory transcriptomic changes and increased proliferation in human trisomy 21 neural progenitor cells.

Down syndrome (DS) results from trisomy for human chromosome 21 and is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability. No effective treatments currently exist that improve neurodevelopment and cognition. Atypical brain development in individuals with DS is apparent before birth, which suggests that the optimal time to begin administration of therapies is prenatally. Human neural progenitor cell (NPC) cultures provide a tractable in vitro model system to examine the effects of trisomy 21 (T21) on neurodevelopment and to measure the effects of pharmacological interventions. Here, we report the results of preclinical studies evaluating 24 candidate therapies. RNA sequencing analyses found that euploid and T21 NPCs showed different transcriptomic responses to five candidate pharmacotherapies. The Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase inhibitor fasudil increased proliferation of T21 NPCs, reduced expression of inflammatory pathway genes in T21 NPCs, and reduced markers of inflammation in LPS-stimulated microglial model systems. These results demonstrate that fasudil can alter multiple T21-associated abnormalities in a beneficial manner, suggesting that fasudil warrants further study as a candidate prenatal pharmacotherapy for DS.

Down Syndrome↗

PubMed2003

Megalin and the neurodevelopmental biology of sonic hedgehog and retinol.

Megalin is a receptor expressed by embryonic epithelia that mediates endocytosis of numerous ligands, including sonic hedgehog (Shh) and retinol, the precursor to retinoic acid (RA). The importance of Shh and RA signaling in neurodevelopment, combined with the fact that megalin-deficient mice show profound neurodevelopmental abnormalities, has raised questions as to the possible role of megalin in Shh and RA signaling. Several mechanisms could explain how megalin influences Shh and RA signaling in the context of neurodevelopment. These include the involvement of megalin in the transport of Shh and retinol within neuroepithelia, as well as direct signal transduction as a response to binding of Shh and retinol to megalin.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Exposures of children to organophosphate pesticides and their potential adverse health effects.

Recent studies show that young children can be exposed to pesticides during normal oral exploration of their environment and their level of dermal contact with floors and other surfaces. Children living in agricultural areas may be exposed to higher pesticide levels than other children because of pesticides tracked into their homes by household members, by pesticide drift, by breast milk from their farmworker mother, or by playing in nearby fields. Nevertheless, few studies have assessed the extent of children's pesticide exposure, and no studies have examined whether there are adverse health effects of chronic exposure. There is substantial toxicologic evidence that repeated low-level exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides may affect neurodevelopment and growth in developing animals. For example, animal studies have reported neurobehavorial effects such as impairment on maze performance, locomotion, and balance in neonates exposed (italic)in utero(/italic) and during early postnatal life. Possible mechanisms for these effects include inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase, downregulation of muscarinic receptors, decreased brain DNA synthesis, and reduced brain weight in offspring. Research findings also suggest that it is biologically plausible that OP exposure may be related to respiratory disease in children through dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system. The University of California Berkeley Center for Children's Environmental Health Research is working to build a community-university partnership to study the environmental health of rural children. This Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas, or CHAMACOS in Monterey County, California, will assess (italic)in utero(/italic) and postnatal OP pesticide exposure and the relationship of exposure to neurodevelopment, growth, and symptoms of respiratory illness in children. The ultimate goal of the center is to translate research findings into a reduction of children's exposure to pesticides and other environmental agents, and thereby reduce the incidence of environmentally related disease.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Association of insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 with intelligence quotient among 8- to 9-year-old children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a hormone that mediates the effects of growth hormone and plays a critical role in somatic growth regulation and organ development. It is hypothesized that it also plays a key role in human brain development. Previous studies have investigated the association of low IGF-I levels attributable to growth hormone receptor deficiency with intelligence but produced mixed results. We are aware of no studies that investigated the association of IGF-I levels with IQ in population samples of normal children. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of circulating levels of IGF-I and its principle binding protein, IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), in childhood with subsequent measures of IQ. METHODS: The cohort study was based on data for 547 white singleton boys and girls, members of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, with IGF-I and IGFBP-3 measurements (obtained at a mean age of 8.0 years) and IQ measured with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (at a mean age of 8.7 years). We also investigated associations with measures of speech and language based on the Wechsler Objective Reading Dimensions test (measured at an age of 7.5 years) and the Wechsler Objective Language Dimensions test (listening comprehension subtest only, measured at an age of 8.7 years). For some children (n = 407), IGF-I (but not IGFBP-3) levels had been measured at approximately 5 years of age in a previous study. Linear regression models were used to investigate associations of the IGF-I system with the measures of cognitive function. RESULTS: Three hundred one boys and 246 girls were included in the sample. IGF-I levels (mean +/- SD) were 142.6 +/- 53.9 ng/mL for boys and 154.4 +/- 51.6 ng/mL for girls. IQ scores (mean +/- SD) were 106.05 +/- 16.6 and 105.27 +/- 15.6 for boys and girls, respectively. IGF-I levels were associated positively with intelligence. For every 100 ng/mL increase in IGF-I, IQ increased by 3.18 points (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.52 to 5.84 points). These positive associations were seen in relation to the verbal component (coefficient: 4.27; 95% CI: 1.62 to 6.92), rather than the performance component (coefficient: 1.06; 95% CI: -1.67 to 3.78), of IQ. There was no evidence that associations with overall IQ differed between boys and girls. In a data set with complete information on confounders (n = 484), controlling for birth weight (adjusted for gestation), breastfeeding, and BMI slightly strengthened the associations of IGF-I levels with IQ. Additionally controlling for maternal education and IGFBP-3 levels attenuated the associations (change in IQ for every 100 ng/mL increase in IGF-I levels: 2.51 points; 95% CI: -0.42 to 5.44 points). The weakening of associations in models controlling for markers of parental socioeconomic position and education could reflect shared influences of parental IGF levels on parents' own educational attainment and their offspring's IGF-I levels. In unadjusted models examining associations of Wechsler Objective Reading Dimensions and Wechsler Objective Language Dimensions test scores with IGF-I levels, there was no strong evidence that performance on either of these tests was associated with circulating IGF-I levels, although positive associations were seen with both measures. Associations between IGF-I levels measured at age 5 and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children scores (n = 407) were similar to those for IGF-I levels measured at age 7 to 8. For every 100 ng/mL increase in IGF-I levels at 5 years of age, IQ increased by 2.3 points (95% CI: -0.21 to 4.89 points). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides some preliminary evidence that IGF-I is associated with brain development in childhood. Additional longitudinal research is required to clarify the role of IGF-I in neurodevelopment. Because IGF-I levels are modifiable through diet and other environmental exposures, this may be one pathway through which the childhood environment may influence neurodevelopment.

Birth Weight↗

PubMed2006

Treated hypotension is associated with neonatal morbidity and hearing loss in extremely low birth weight infants.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal hypotension may be a risk factor for neurologic impairment. Few studies have examined the impact of low blood pressure in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants weighing 400 to 999 g on neurodevelopmental outcome. OBJECTIVES: We set out to explore the relationship between treated hypotension in the first 72 hours of life and perinatal factors, morbidity, and mortality in ELBW infants and then to compare neurosensory outcome in ELBW infants with treated hypotension and those who never received treatment for hypotension. DESIGN/METHODS: We performed chart review of all 156 ELBW infants admitted to our level III NICU in 1998-1999. Infants had "treated hypotension" if they received fluid pushes, corticosteroids, and/or vasopressors during the first 72 hours of life in an attempt to increase blood pressure. Follow-up included neurologic examination, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, vision and hearing evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS 11.0. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine morbidities associated with treated hypotension. RESULTS: Fifty-nine infants received treatment for hypotension. Ninety-seven infants did not. The groups had similar race, gender, delivery mode, chorioamnionitis, and maternal socioeconomic status. Thirty-eight (24%) infants expired, including 20 who received treatment for hypotension. Of the 156 infants in the study group, 110 underwent neurodevelopment testing, and 103 were able to undergo complete neurodevelopment testing and Bayley examination. Multivariate analysis controlling for socioeconomic status and neonatal morbidity revealed that treated hypotension is associated with delayed motor development and hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: Treated hypotension in ELBW infants in the first 72 hours of life is associated with significant short-term and long-term morbidity. Infants with treated hypotension are more likely to have delayed motor development, hearing loss, and death.

Blood Pressure↗

PubMed2006

Longitudinal associations between blood lead concentrations lower than 10 microg/dL and neurobehavioral development in environmentally exposed children in Mexico City.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence suggests that 10 microg/dL, the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention screening guideline for children's blood lead level, should not be interpreted as a level at which adverse effects do not occur. Using data from a prospective study conducted in Mexico City, Mexico, we evaluated the dose-effect relationship between blood lead levels and neurodevelopment at 12 and 24 months of age. METHODS: The study population consisted of 294 children whose blood lead levels at both 12 and 24 months of age were < 10 microg/dL; blood lead levels were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy; Bayley Scales of Infant Development II were administered at these ages. The outcomes of interest were the Mental Development Index and the Psychomotor Development Index. RESULTS: Adjusting for covariates, children's blood lead levels at 24 months were significantly associated, in an inverse direction, with both Mental Development Index and Psychomotor Development Index scores at 24 months. Blood lead level at 12 months of age was not associated with concurrent Mental Development Index or Psychomotor Development Index scores or with Mental Development Index at 24 months of age but was significantly associated with Psychomotor Development Index score at 24 months. The relationships were not altered by adjustment for cord blood lead level or, in the analyses of 24-month Mental Development Index and Psychomotor Development Index scores, for the 12-month Mental Development Index and Psychomotor Development Index scores. For both Mental Development Index and Psychomotor Development Index at 24 months of age, the coefficients that were associated with concurrent blood lead level were significantly larger among children with blood lead levels < 10 microg/dL than it was among children with levels > 10 microg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses indicate that children's neurodevelopment is inversely related to their blood lead levels even in the range of < 10 microg/dL. Our findings were consistent with a supralinear relationship between blood lead levels and neurobehavioral outcomes.

Child Behavior Disorders↗

PubMed2006

Comorbidity, hospitalization, and medication use and their influence on mental and motor development of young infants with Down syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Young infants with Down syndrome have an increased occurrence of several well-known medical conditions such as congenital heart and gastrointestinal disease. The aim of this study was to establish consequences like hospitalization and medication use rates and to determine their possible influence on early neurodevelopment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study compared 2 years of thyroxine treatment with placebo in 196 neonates with Down syndrome who were included in a previously reported randomized clinical trial. Parents were interviewed about comorbidity, hospitalization, and medication use at random assignment and regularly thereafter. Data were cross-checked with discharge letters when available. The influence of comorbidity on neurodevelopment at 2 years old (Bayley Scales of Infant Development II) was determined by stepwise multiple linear-regression analysis. RESULTS: Before trial entry, 163 infants with Down syndrome had been admitted to hospital for an average of 14.01 days, whereas during the trial, 95 of 181 infants who completed the trial were hospitalized for an average 19.75 days. Main hospitalization reasons during the trial were lung/airway and congenital heart and gastrointestinal disease. The 48 infants operated on for heart or gastrointestinal disease accounted for 1401 of the total number of 1876 hospital admission days during the trial and for 33 of 62 admissions for lung/airway infection. During their second year of life, approximately 60% of the infants were prescribed drugs, mostly antibiotics and pulmonary. Regression analysis showed infantile spasms, "other" central nervous system disease, and gastrointestinal disease necessitating surgery to be associated with greater developmental age delays at 24 months old (mental: 6.87, 3.52, and 1.69 months; and motor: 3.59, 2.54, and 1.68 months, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Hospital admission and medication use rates in young infants with Down syndrome are still very high, mainly because of congenital heart and gastrointestinal disease and acquired respiratory disease. Central nervous system disease and gastrointestinal disease necessitating surgery were independently associated with a worse developmental outcome.

Child Development↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Magnetic resonance imaging and the neonate.

Over the past decade, advances in neuroimaging have given birth to a new field of diagnostic pediatric neurologic assessment that includes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This invaluable tool helps medical professionals to resolve many clinical and research questions related to neonatal neurodevelopment that other imaging technology cannot explain. Nurses and others who accompany infants to MRI would benefit from a better understanding of early neurodevelopment and of the neuroimaging procedure. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of MRI techniques can help nurses be better patient advocates, parent liaisons, and caregivers to infants having MRI scans.

Brain↗

PubMed2005

Background exposure to PCDDs/PCDFs/PCBs and its potential health effects: a review of epidemiologic studies.

Here we review epidemiologic studies dealing with the dietary intake and the body burden of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)/polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs)/ polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the general population, and potential adverse health effects of these substances, especially on the risk of diabetes mellitus and endometriosis, and on thyroid function and the neurodevelopment of infants. The mean or median intake of dioxin-related compounds among the general populations of various countries is lower than the maximum tolerable daily intake (TDI) set by the WHO in 1998 (4pg TEQ/kg/day). However, there have been few reports on the distribution of intake and the proportion of subjects whose exposure levels exceed the maximum TDL. At present, it remains unclear whether background exposure to dioxin-related compounds is associated with increased risk of diabetes (because of lack of longitudinal studies), endometriosis (because of lack of studies with sufficient statistical power), or altered thyroid function (because of inconsistent results on humans). Consistent results have been reported for the association between exposure to background levels of PCBs/dioxins, especially trans-placental PCBs, and defective neurodevelopment of infants in the U.S. and Europe. Thus, efforts should be made to further decrease the body burden among women of reproductive age by reducing the release of PCDDs/PCDFs/PCBs into the environment.

Benzofurans↗

PubMed1991

The outcome of extremely low birthweight infants.

During the years 1978-89, all surviving extremely low birthweight infants (BW less than 1000 g, ELBWI) in the region of Southern Finland were admitted to the Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and followed up to six years. The number of liveborn ELBWI increased from 30 to 50/year during the first and last third of the follow-up. During the same twelve year period, the number of the surviving infants increased from 8 to 25/year, with the number and proportion of infants with birthweights of less than 800 g and with gestational ages of less than 27 weeks increasing from 3 to 15/year. Despite of the greater proportion of smaller infants the proportion of infants without intraventricular hemorrhage increased from 50 to 85%. The proportion of children with normal neurodevelopment at two years increased from 40-70% during the first five years of the study, to 63-84% during the last three years of the study. The proportion of children with major disabilities decreased from 28 to 8%. The factors associated with poor neurodevelopment were sepsis, year of birth, intraventricular hemorrhage, and birthweight. The neurological status at one year was a valid predictor of the outcome: at four years 94% of the infants were assessed and normal remained normal as neurologically abnormal remained abnormal or slightly abnormal. The neurologically normal ELBWI were tested at six years: visuomotor coordination was immature in 50%, emotional immaturity was found in 25% and delay of language development in 13%. In our unit increased survival of ELBWI infants has not been associated with an increase in the number of ELBWI infants with handicaps.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Birth Weight↗

PubMed2004

Dorcas Hager Padget: neuroembryologist and neurosurgical illustrator trained at Johns Hopkins.

Dorcas Hager Padget was a pioneer in the fields of neurosurgical illustration and neuroembryology who practiced during the early 20th century at The Johns Hopkins University. Without a college degree, she trained as a medical illustrator in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's Department of Art as Applied to Medicine under Max Brödel. She began her career working for Walter Dandy as his medical artist, gaining worldwide recognition for her neurosurgical illustrations. With Dandy's encouragement, Hager Padget undertook her own scientific research, studying neurodevelopment and aneurysm formation in the circle of Willis by using human embryos from the world-renowned Carnegie Collection. She made lasting contributions to the field of neuroembryology, publishing the first major work on neurodevelopment of the cerebral arterial and venous systems. Following Dandy's death in 1946, Hager Padget began a full-time career as a scientific researcher, first at the Department of Embryology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Baltimore and later at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She continued to make contributions to the field of congenital malformations of the brain and spine, coining the term "neuroschisis" to describe a possible mechanism of neural tube damage leading to the creation of a myelomeningocele. The authors describe Dorcas Hager Padget's contributions to neurosurgical illustration and neuroembryology, as well as her remarkable career.

Brain↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Psychosis associated to megacisterna magna].

Megacisterna magna is a developmental malformation of the middle-line brain structures, which exists along a continuum with cerebellum hypoplasia (Dandy-Walker variant) and cerebellum agenesia (Dandy-Walker syndrome). Psychotic disorders, and particularly schizophrenia, are now conceptualised as disorders of neurodevelopment. We report on a patient who presented a psychotic disorder (delusional type), and mega cisterna magna. This is the first report of such an association, and it is suggested that both the psychotic disorder and the mega cisterna magna may be the expression of a single underlying neurodevelopment abnormality.

Antipsychotic Agents↗