Now, it's possible to predict preemies' at risk of disabilities with help of brain mapping

New Delhi: A new study has found that brain mapping can be helpful in predicting whether your baby will develop disabilities later in life or not.

Lack of oxygen to the brain is the most common form of brain injury in premature infants, resulting in damage to the white matter.

White matter contains nerve fibres that maintain contact between various parts of the brain. Damage to white matter can interfere with communication in the brain and the signals it sends to other parts of the body.

"Babies who are born before 31 weeks gestation have a higher risk of thinking, language and movement problems throughout their lives, so being able to better predict which infants will face certain developmental problems is important so they get the best early interventions possible," said Steven P Miller from The Hospital for Sick Children in Canada.

"Just as important is to be able to reassure parents of infants who may not be at risk," said Miller.
For the study, researchers looked at a group of premature infants who were admitted to the Neonatal ICU at British Columbia's Women's Hospital over seven years.

They found 58 babies with white matter injury who had an MRI brain scan at an average of 32 weeks after gestation. These babies were then evaluated for motor, thinking and language skills when they were 18 months old.

(With PTI inputs)