Many early life factors contribute to how well a preterm child will develop, and these affect the brain differently based on how early the infant is born. The current study found that earlier gestational age is related to smaller brain volumes and less mature white matter at term-equivalent age. Correlated with these brain measures were lower birthweight SD score, multiple birth or high social risk. We show that infants born moderate and late preterm have altered brain development, not just those born very preterm, and there is a differential effect of early life predictors based on gestational age.
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