14 DAY TRIAL // Babies who have a low weight at birth, or who are delivered before term, are known to achieve lower cognitive test scores than their peers, but now scientists show exactly how birth issues affect executive functioning. The work focused primarily on attention and memory.
According to the research team, preterm babies are far more likely to develop memory- and attention-related issue during adulthood than kids who are of normal weight at birth. This investigation is one of the very few to look at how this influences the babies during young adulthood.
The work was carried out by experts at the University of Helsinki in Finland, who were led by professor Katri Räikkönen, PhD. The study group included 103 young adults, who weighed less than 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms) at birth.
Data the team obtained from this group was cross-referenced with data obtained from a control group of 105 adults of comparable age, with a birth weight in excess of 3.3 pounds, PsychCentral reports.
Experts developed a series of questionnaires that saw respondents answering questions meant to assess their vocabulary, ability to understand words, memory and IQ skills. It was determined that preterm and low-birth weight individuals fared a lot worse in numerous areas.
These included visual memory capabilities, executive functioning, attention and general intelligence. Interestingly, the team discovered no differences in self-reported academic performances between the two groups.
“Average school grades and the number of years of education completed were not affected by low birth weight in our study. However, our research underscores the importance of a baby’s full development in the womb,” Räikkönen explains.
Details of the new study appear in a paper published in the latest issue of the esteemed scientific journal Neurology.
Past studies have already associated low-birth weight and being born prematurely with a host of negative consequences later in life, including a higher degree of susceptibility to developing illness.
However, the exact extent to which these two factors influence ulterior development has not yet been quantified. The new research is an important step forward in that direction.