Relationships Between Cortisol Levels Across Early Childhood and Processing Speed at Age 4.5 Years in Children Born Very Preterm
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Informa UK Limited
Abstract
Children born very low gestational age (VLGA, 29–32 weeks gestational age [GA]) display slower processing speed and altered hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis function, with greater effects in those born extremely low gestational age (ELGA; 24–28 weeks GA). We investigated trajectories of HPA axis activity as indexed by cortisol output and patterns across cognitive assessment at ages 1.5, 3 and 4.5 years, comparing children born ELGA and VLGA and associations with 4.5-year processing speed. In a prospective longitudinal cohort study, infants born very preterm (<33 weeks gestation) returned for developmental assessment at ages 1.5, 3, and 4.5 years. At each age, children completed standardized cognitive testing and saliva samples collected before (Pretest), during (During) and after (End) challenging cognitive tasks were assayed for cortisol. For the total group (n = 188), cortisol area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg) decreased, while cortisol reactivity to challenge (Pre-test to During) increased from 1.5 to 3 years, remaining stable to 4.5 years. This longitudinal pattern was related to higher Processing Speed (WPPSI-IV) scores at 4.5 years. Children born ELGA displayed higher AUCg than VLGA, particularly at age 3, driven by higher Pre-test cortisol levels. Overall, relative to those born VLGA, children born ELGA displayed greater cortisol responsivity to cognitive challenge. A higher setpoint of cortisol levels at age 3-years in children born ELGA may reflect altered HPA axis regulation more broadly and may contribute to difficulties with information processing in this population, critical for academic and social success.Description
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Stress, cognition, cortisol, preterm, processing speed, 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Behavioral and Social Science, Clinical Research, Pediatric, Neurosciences, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Perinatal Period - Conditions Originating in Perinatal Period, Preterm, Low Birth Weight and Health of the Newborn, 2.4 Surveillance and distribution, 2.3 Psychological, social and economic factors, 4.2 Evaluation of markers and technologies, Reproductive health and childbirth, 11 Medical and Health Sciences, 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Operations Research, 3213 Paediatrics, 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
Source
Child Neuropsychology, ISSN: 0929-7049 (Print); 1744-4136 (Online), Informa UK Limited, 30(8), 1215-1233. doi: 10.1080/09297049.2024.2314958
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© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.