The corpus callosum as anatomical marker of intelligence? A critical examination in a large-scale developmental study.

Intellectual abilities are supported by a large-scale fronto-parietal brain network distributed across both cerebral hemispheres. This bihemispheric network suggests a functional relevance of inter-hemispheric coordination, a notion which is supported by a series of recent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrating correlations between intelligence scores (IQ) and corpus-callosum anatomy. However, these studies also reveal an age-related dissociation: mostly positive associations are reported in adult samples, while negative associations are found in developing samples.

Selective increase in posterior corpus callosum thickness between the age of 4 and 11years.

Establishing an efficient functional and structural connectivity between the two cerebral hemispheres is an important developmental task during childhood, and alterations in this development have accordingly been linked to a series of neurodevelopmental and pediatric disorders. The corpus callosum, the major white-matter structure connecting the hemispheres, has been shown to increase in size throughout the three first decades of life. However, behavioral studies indicate that adult-like performance levels of functional hemispheric interaction are already reached during middle and late childhood.

Genes determining the severity of cerebral palsy: the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms on the amount and structure of apolipoprotein E.

Aim: Apolipoprotein E (apoE) influences repair and other processes in the brain, and the apoE4 variant is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and for prolonged recovery following traumatic brain injury. We previously reported that specific single nucleotide polymorphisms in the APOE or TOMM40 genes affecting the structure and production of apoE were associated with epilepsy, more impaired hand function and gastrostomy tube feeding in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study explored how various combinations of the same polymorphisms may affect these clinical manifestations.

Apolipoprotein E polymorphisms and severity of cerebral palsy: a cross-sectional study in 255 children in Norway.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine whether the presence of the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) allele APOEε4 is associated with less severe manifestations of cerebral palsy (CP), consistent with the suggested beneficial effect of this allele on neurodevelopment in children.

Method: ApoE genotyping was performed on buccal epithelial cells from 255 children (141 males 114 females; mean age 12y, SD 2y 3mo, range 9-17y) recorded in the Cerebral Palsy Register of Norway. The main outcome measure of CP severity was the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS).

Cerebral palsy in Norway: prevalence, subtypes and severity.

Background/aim: To describe prevalence, subtypes and severity of cerebral palsy (CP) in Norway using criteria proposed by the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe (SCPE) network.

Material: All children in Norway with CP born in January 1996-December 1998 were registered in the Cerebral Palsy Registry of Norway. The Medical Birth Registry of Norway provided the perinatal data.

Differentiating prospective control information for catching in at-risk and control adolescents.

This paper investigated the use of prospective control in catching and how the results can be used as a sensitive tool to detect diffuse signs of brain dysfunction. A detailed analysis of 286 catching movements of eight adolescents (two males, six females [four very-low-birth weight {VLBW}, one small for gestational age {SGA}, and three appropriate for gestational age]; mean age 14 y 5 mo [SD 6 mo]; range 14-15 y) was performed blind for this purpose. The moving target approached the participants from the side at three different, non-constant accelerations.

Low-birth-weight adolescents: psychiatric symptoms and cerebral MRI abnormalities.

To explore associations between psychiatric symptoms and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in low-birth-weight adolescents, 55 very low-birth-weight (or=10th centile) were assessed at 14-15 years of age. Outcome measures were Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale IV, Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire, and qualitatively assessed cerebral magnetic resonance images. The very low-birth-weight group manifested increased prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and disorders compared with controls (P < 0.

Cerebral MRI findings in very-low-birth-weight and small-for-gestational-age children at 15 years of age.

Background: A high prevalence of abnormal cerebral MRI findings has been reported in low-birth-weight children.

Objective: To compare MRI findings in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) and term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) children with controls in early adolescence.

Materials And Methods: Cerebral MRI was used to examine 55 VLBW, 54 SGA and 66 controls at 15 years of age.