Peter Bartmann

Childhood Factors and Positive Functioning Among Adults Born Very Preterm or With Very Low Birth Weight Key Points Question Are distinct profiles of positive functioning in adulthood across risk avoidance, wealth, and social relationship domains associated with adult life satisfaction and childhood factors among adults born very preterm (VP) or with very low birth weight (VLBW)?

Abstract Preterm birth is a major risk factor for childhood psychopathology, including higher rates of anxiety and avoidant personality traits persisting into adulthood. While extensive research has documented volumetric reductions in various brain structures associated with emotional processing in preterm individuals, the habenula, a key component in affective and reward processing, has not yet been studied in this context.

Abstract The current view of neurodevelopment after preterm birth presents a strong paradox: diverse neurocognitive outcomes suggest heterogeneous neurodevelopment, yet numerous brain imaging studies focusing on average dysmaturation imply largely uniform aberrations across individuals. Here we show both, spatially heterogeneous individual brain abnormality patterns but with consistent underlying biological mechanisms of injury and plasticity.