AUTHOR=Pavy Carlton L. , Shaw Julia C. , Moloney Roisin A. , Palliser Hannah K. , Hirst Jonathon J. 

TITLE=Potential for a cerebellar role in moderate-late preterm associated behavioural disorders

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2024.1336137

DOI=10.3389/fped.2024.1336137

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=Preterm birth is known to cause impaired cerebellar development, and this is associated with the 
13 development of neurobehavioral disorders. This review aims to identify the mechanisms through which 
14 preterm birth impairs cerebellar development and consequently, increases the risk of developing 
15 neurobehavioral disorders. The severity of these disorders is directly related to the degree of 
16 prematurity, but it is also evident that even late preterm births are at significantly increased risk of 
17 developing serious neurobehavioral disorders. Preterm birth is associated with hypoxic events and 
18 increased glutamatergic tone within the neonatal brain which contribute to excitotoxic damage. The 
19 cerebellum is a dense glutamatergic region which undergoes relatively late neurodevelopment up to 
20 and beyond birth. Evidence indicates that the cerebellum forms reciprocal connections to regions 
21 important in behaviour regulation such as the limbic system and frontal cortex. Studies using fMRI 
22 (functional magnetic resonance Imaging), BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) response and 
23 morphology studies in humans show the cerebellum is often involved in disorders such as attention 
24 deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety. The vulnerability of the cerebellum to preterm birth 
25 insult and its connections to behaviour associated brain regions implicates it in the development of 
26 neurobehavioral disorders. Protection against preterm associated insults on the cerebellum may provide 
27 a novel avenue through which ADHD and anxiety can be reduced in children born preterm.