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Kangaroo mother care had a protective effect on the volume of brain structures in young adults born preterm
Author(s) -
Charpak Nathalie,
Tessier Rejean,
Ruiz Juan Gabriel,
Uriza Felipe,
Hernandez José Tiberio,
Cortes Darwin,
MontealegrePomar Adriana
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.16265
Subject(s) - medicine , confounding , incubator , pediatrics , brain size , multivariate analysis , white matter , radiology , magnetic resonance imaging , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
Aim The protective effects of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) on the neurodevelopment of preterm infants are well established, but we do not know whether the benefits persist beyond infancy. Our aim was to determine whether providing KMC in infancy affected brain volumes in young adulthood. Method Standardised cognitive, memory and motor skills tests were used to determine the brain volumes of 20‐year‐old adults who had formed part of a randomised controlled trial of KMC versus incubator care. Multivariate analysis of brain volumes was conducted according to KMC exposure. Results The study comprised 178 adults born preterm: 97 had received KMC and 81 were incubator care controls. Bivariate analysis showed larger volumes of total grey matter, basal nuclei and cerebellum in those who had received KMC, and the white matter was better organised. This means that the volumes of the main brain structures associated with intelligence, attention, memory and coordination were larger in the KMC group. Multivariate lineal regression analysis demonstrated the direct relationship between brain volumes and duration of KMC, after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the neuroprotective effects of KMC for preterm infants persisted beyond childhood and improved their lifetime functionality and quality of life.