Premature babies don’t appear to have learning difficulties, says two studies

Two independent, but complementary, studies on premature births, indicated that pre-term babies are not necessarily disadvantaged mentally, says New Scientist (26 January, 2013).

Stephen Back at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, America, studied brains of sheep fetuses because they are similar to the brains of human fetuses. His team studied the cerebral cortex to determine the number of neurons. A small cerebral cortex in premature babies was assumed to reflect a lack of neurons, because some of the cells die when there is a reduced blood flow to the brain tissue (called ischemia) that often happens to premature babies.

Back’s team compared neuron numbers in sheep brains that had experienced ischemic injury with non-injured sheep brains. The numbers were the same, indicating that the neurons were intact and not damaged. However, the team noted that the cells were “all squished together” and differed in shape in the injured brains of the premature sheep. They lacked the branches (called dendrites) that radiate from healthy neurons. “Instead of oak trees [in shape], we saw saplings,” Back said.

In a similar study, Steven Miller at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, studied the links between neonatal care and brain development in 95 pre-term babies. Miller’s team noted that the whole brain was not influenced, only the cerebral cortex. The team took MRI scans on babies 32-40 weeks old, which showed the same situation as Back’s team: the neurons were damaged, but not dead.

The two research teams think they are witnessing the same results. They show that premature babies do not have dead brain cells, just damaged ones – which means that they have a “disorder of maturation, not loss.”

Miller’s study indicated that the damaged cells might be nurtured back to health with the right nutrition or cognitive stimulation that could stimulate brain growth. Zoltan Molnar of the University of Oxford in England thinks the work is groundbreaking, but the studies could have assessed other brain regions too, or a more complete picture, reports New Scientist. David Edwards at the University College London says it might be premature to get too excited – although the damaged cells appear to be repairable, he wonders by how much.

Comments

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog