Using Functional Connectivity Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Measure Brain Connectivity in Preterm Infants.
Rita Pickler, Stephanie Sealschott, Margo Moore and 5 others
PMID 29095379WHAT IT FOUND
Brain scans at term were feasible without sedation in seven preterm infants, and network patterns differed between NICU feeding care groups.
This supports the scan method, not the intervention: seven infants cannot show whether the care improved brain development.
Key findings
01The pilot showed functional MRI was feasible: clear images were obtained from all infants, and qualitative group differences were seen in brain networks.
02The scanned sample was seven preterm infants: four in the patterned feeding experience group and three in usual care.
03The authors state the pilot was not designed to measure effectiveness and they cannot draw conclusions about the intervention's benefit.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only seven infants were scanned, four after the patterned feeding experience and three after usual care, so the study cannot show whether the intervention changed brain development. The study was a feasibility pilot, not an effectiveness trial, and the authors state they cannot draw conclusions about benefit. The connectivity differences were described from maps and were not linked to a measured clinical outcome. The infants were medically and thermally stable, and the scans were done without sedation using feed-and-swaddle, so the method may not work for every infant. Functional MRI cost $700 to $1200 for the scan itself, plus analysis costs, and required specialized analysts and collaboration. IRBs rarely allow sedation for nonmedically indicated MRI studies, so research imaging depends on motion control and skilled practitioners.
Declared interests
No author conflicts are stated. The paper is tagged as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the brain network differences as proof that patterned feeding improves infant development. The study scanned only seven infants, was not designed to measure effectiveness, and the authors state they cannot draw conclusions about benefit.