Abstract #0031

Correlation of Thalamic Volume & Microstructural Abnormalites in Central Visual Pathways in High Risk Preterm Infants

Arabhi C. Nagasunder^{1, 2}, Rafael Ceschin³, Robin L. Haynes⁴, Jessica Wisnowski^{1,
5}, Jane Tavare⁶, Marvin D. Nelson¹, Stefan Bluml^{1,
2}, Lisa Paquette⁷, Ashok Panigrahy^1,3

¹Radiology, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; ²Rudi Schulte Research Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, USA; ³Radiology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; ⁴Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA; ⁵Brain & Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; ⁶Division of Pathology, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; ⁷Division of Neonatology, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Preterm infants are highly vulnerable to a spectrum of cognitive visual disturbances. Here we demonstrate that high risk preterm infants with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) show significant correlation between thalamic volume and microstructural abnormalities in central visual pathways (optic radiation, splenium). In contrast, preterms infants without PVL demonstrate a milder version of the same injury pattern suggesting that damage to central visual pathways is not always associated with PVL. Thalamic injury may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of cognitive visual impairment in survivors of prematurity.