Brain Maturation Trajectories in Infants Following an Open Heart Surgery
Abstract
Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most frequent neonatal malformation. Children born with a CHD are at a greater risk to present with lifelong developmental difficulties. Based on the most recent knowledge about this condition and their complications, the most probable explanation for the presence of these difficulties stems from the hypothesis that brain maturation of infants with CHD is often delayed during in-utero development. Nevertheless, how much the brain adapts and grows once the cardiac defect has been repaired and how this delayed growth actually relates to the infant s neurodevelopmental difficulties still remain to be determined. Therefore, this study proposes to describe for the first time brain maturation in vivo during the year that follows the infant s open-heart surgery and to evaluate the relationship between brain growth trajectories and neurodevelopmental abilities. Infants born with a CHD and who had an open heart surgery during the first 3 months of life will be enrolled. The infant s brain and development will be repetitively assessed every 2 months for 1 year using a combination of novel and established quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques in addition to a standardized clinical evaluation of infant development. Understanding the relationship between brain growth during its most active period of development after birth and how it relates to clinically observable developmental outcomes will help us better identify abnormal development and subsequently better plan targeted care, such as rehabilitation or psychosocial intervention, for children with CHD throughout their life. Our long-term goal is to optimize neurodevelopment in this highly vulnerable group so that they develop to their full potential.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 07, 2017
- Source ID
- W81XWH1710050
Entities
People
- Marie Brossard-Racine
Organizations
- McGill University Health Centre
- United States Army