Preeclampsia, Fetal Growth Restriction, and 24-Month Neurodevelopment in Very Preterm Infants.

Importance: Preeclampsia has direct influences on a developing fetus and may impact postnatal health, and fetal growth restriction (FGR) is often seen co-occurring with preeclampsia. The development of children born very preterm after preeclampsia diagnosis with and without FGR is not well characterized.

Objective: To examine the associations of preeclampsia and FGR with developmental and/or behavioral outcomes in a cohort of very preterm infants.

Neonatal neurobehavior associated with developmental changes from age 2 to 3 in very preterm infants.

Objective: Understand how high-risk infants' development changes over time. Examine whether NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) profiles are associated with decrements in developmental outcomes between ages 2 and 3 years in infants born very preterm.

Study Design: The Neonatal Outcomes for Very preterm Infants (NOVI) cohort is a multisite prospective study of 704 preterm infants born <30 weeks' gestation across nine university and VON affiliated NICUs.

Contributions of prenatal risk factors and neonatal epigenetics to cognitive outcome in children born very preterm.

Children born less than 30 weeks gestational age (GA) are at high risk for neurodevelopmental delay compared to term peers. Prenatal risk factors and neonatal epigenetics could help identify preterm children at highest risk for poor cognitive outcomes. We aimed to understand the associations among cumulative prenatal risk, neonatal DNA methylation, and child cognitive ability at age 3 years, including whether DNA methylation mediates the association between prenatal risk and cognitive ability.

Two-Year Autism Risk Screening and 3-Year Developmental Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants.

Importance: Use of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised With Follow-Up, a 2-stage parent-report autism risk screening tool, has been questioned due to reports of poor sensitivity and specificity. How this measure captures developmental delays for very preterm infants may provide support for continued use in pediatric care settings.

Objective: To determine whether autism risk screening with the 2-stage parent-report autism risk screening tool at age 2 years is associated with behavioral and developmental outcomes at age 3 in very preterm infants.

Agreement Between Two Behavioral Rating Scales in Preschoolers Born Very Preterm.

Objective: Broadband parent rating scales are commonly used to assess behavioral problems in children. Multiple rating scales are available, yet agreement between them is not well-understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate agreement between the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3), and Child Behavior Checklist 1.

Epigenetic age acceleration, neonatal morbidities, and neurobehavioral profiles in infants born very preterm.

Epigenetic age acceleration is a risk factor for chronic diseases of ageing and may reflect aspects of biological ageing. However, few studies have examined epigenetic ageing during the early neonatal period in preterm infants, who are at heightened risk of developmental problems. We examined relationships between neonatal age acceleration, neonatal morbidities, and neurobehavioral domains among very preterm (<30 weeks gestation) infants to characterize whether infants with early morbidities or different neurobehavioral characteristics had accelerated or decelerated epigenetic ageing.

Neurobehavioral and Medical Correlates of Autism Screening: 2-Year Outcomes for Infants Born Very Preterm.

Objective: To identify neonatal characteristics and 2-year neurodevelopmental outcomes associated with positive screening for risk of autism.

Study Design: Nine university-affiliated neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) enrolled infants born at <30 weeks of gestation. Infants underwent the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale examination before discharge and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, revised with follow-up (M-CHAT-R/F) at 2 years of corrected age.

Risk Factors for Postpartum Depression and Severe Distress among Mothers of Very Preterm Infants at NICU Discharge.

Objective: To identify psychological, medical, and socioenvironmental risk factors for maternal postpartum depression (PPD) and severe psychological distress (SPD) at intensive care nursery discharge among mothers of very preterm infants.

Study Design: We studied 562 self-identified mothers of 641 infants born <30 weeks who were enrolled in the Neonatal Neurobehavior and Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants Study (NOVI) conducted in nine university-affiliated intensive care nurseries. Enrollment interviews collected socioenvironmental data, depression, and anxiety diagnoses prior to and during the study pregnancy.

Prenatal and perinatal factors associated with neonatal neurobehavioral profiles in the ECHO Program.

Background: Single-cohort studies have identified distinct neurobehavioral profiles that are associated with prenatal and neonatal factors based on the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS). We examined socioeconomic, medical, and substance use variables as predictors of NNNS profiles in a multi-cohort study of preterm and term-born infants with different perinatal exposures.

Methods: We studied 1112 infants with a neonatal NNNS exam from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) consortium.

Acoustic Cry Characteristics in Preterm Infants and Developmental and Behavioral Outcomes at 2 Years of Age.

Importance: Acoustic cry characteristics have been associated with severe medical problems in newborns. However, little is known about the utility of neonatal acoustic cry characteristics in the prediction of long-term outcomes of very preterm infants.

Objectives: To evaluate whether acoustic characteristics of infant cry at neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge are associated with behavioral and developmental outcomes at age 2 years in infants born very preterm.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and neurobehavioural outcomes at birth and 2 years in infants born before 30 weeks.

Objective: To identify neurobehavioural risks in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) prior to hospital discharge.

Design And Patients: Longitudinal study of 676 newborns born before 30 weeks of gestation.

Setting: Nine university NICUs affiliated with six universities.

Analysis of Neonatal Neurobehavior and Developmental Outcomes Among Preterm Infants.

Importance: The ability to identify poor outcomes and treatable risk factors among very preterm infants remains challenging; improving early risk detection and intervention targets to potentially address developmental and behavioral delays is needed.

Objective: To determine associations between neonatal neurobehavior using the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS), neonatal medical risk, and 2-year outcomes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter cohort enrolled infants born at less than 30 weeks' gestation at 9 US university-affiliated NICUs.

Association of Abnormal Findings on Neonatal Cranial Ultrasound With Neurobehavior at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Discharge in Infants Born Before 30 Weeks' Gestation.

Importance: Cranial ultrasound (CUS) findings are routinely used to identify preterm infants at risk for impaired neurodevelopment, and neurobehavioral examinations provide information about early brain function. The associations of abnormal findings on early and late CUS with neurobehavior at neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge have not been reported.

Objective: To examine the associations between early and late CUS findings and infant neurobehavior at NICU discharge.

Neurodevelopmental profiles of infants born <30 weeks gestation at 2 years of age.

Background: Infants born <30 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) are at increased risk for neurodevelopmental impairment by age 2. Prior studies report rates of impairment for individual outcomes separately. Our objective was to describe neurodevelopmental profiles of children born <30 weeks PMA, using cognitive, language, motor, and behavioral characteristics.

NEOage clocks - epigenetic clocks to estimate post-menstrual and postnatal age in preterm infants.

Epigenetic clocks based on DNA methylation (DNAm) can accurately predict chronological age and are thought to capture biological aging. A variety of epigenetic clocks have been developed for different tissue types and age ranges, but none have focused on postnatal age prediction for preterm infants. Epigenetic estimators of biological age might be especially informative in epidemiologic studies of neonates since DNAm is highly dynamic during the neonatal period and this is a key developmental window.

Prenatal risk factors and neonatal DNA methylation in very preterm infants.

Background: Prenatal risk factors are related to poor health and developmental outcomes for infants, potentially via epigenetic mechanisms. We tested associations between person-centered prenatal risk profiles, cumulative prenatal risk models, and epigenome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) in very preterm neonates.

Methods: We studied 542 infants from a multi-center study of infants born < 30 weeks postmenstrual age.

Behavior Problems During Early Childhood in Children With Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure.

Background And Objectives: The effects of in utero methamphetamine exposure on behavioral problems in school-aged children are unclear. Our objective for this study was to evaluate behavior problems in children at aged 3, 5, and 7.5 years who were prenatally exposed to methamphetamine.

DNA methylation in children with prenatal methamphetamine exposure and environmental adversity.

Background: Methamphetamine (MA) use during pregnancy is a significant public health concern in the United States and affects long-term brain and behavioral development in children. We hypothesized that prenatal MA exposure would be related to greater DNA methylation of HSD11B2 and postnatal environmental stress.

Methods: The Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle Study (IDEAL), a longitudinal study of prenatal MA exposure enrolled mother-infant dyads in California, Hawaii, Iowa, and Oklahoma.

Sociodemographic and medical influences on neurobehavioral patterns in preterm infants: A multi-center study.

Background: Among preterm infants, neurodevelopmental outcomes are influenced by both medical and sociodemographic factors. Less is known about the impact on these factors on neonatal neurobehavioral patterns.

Objective: To determine associations between demographic, psychosocial and medical risk factors and neonatal neurobehavior.