Article

The aim of this study was to compare the approximate number system acuity in
children born extremely preterm aged 6 years 6 months and typically developing,
age-matched peers. METHOD: This population-based follow-up study included 65
children born before 27 gestational weeks (35 males, 30 females; mean gestational
age 25.4 wks [SD 1.1 wk]; mean birthweight 789 g [SD 158 g]) and 47 typically
developing children (24 females, 23 males) at the age of 6 years 6 months. A
battery of cognitive tests was administered, including a computerized test for
measuring approximate number system acuity and tests for general cognition,
working memory, processing speed, and visual attention. Approximate number system
outcome measures were means of Weber fraction (w) values and response time in
milliseconds. RESULTS: The 43 extremely preterm children in whom usable data were
obtained performed significantly worse than the typically developing children on
the approximate number system task (w=0.30 [SD 0.23] vs. 0.17 [SD 0.13]; p=0.003)
and were significantly slower (response time=2934 ms [SD 1102 ms] vs 2376 ms [SD
310 ms]; p=0.002). The differences remained when adjusting for differences in
other cognitive functions (p=0.03). INTERPRETATION: Preterm birth has a negative
impact on an individual's ability to rapidly approximate and compare numbers of
visually presented items. This deficiency is thought to be a consequence of
dorsal stream dysfunction. Future studies will investigate whether this
deficiency is correlated with lower mathematical proficiency in this group of
children.
CI - (c) 2013 Mac Keith Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS