Altered Functional Brain Network Integration, Segregation, and Modularity in Infants Born Very Preterm at Term-Equivalent Age

Objectives To determine the functional network organization of the brain in infants born very preterm at term-equivalent age and to relate network alterations to known clinical risk factors for poor neurologic outcomes in prematurity. Study design Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 66 infants born very preterm (gestational age Results Despite preserved small-world topology and modular organization, resting-state networks of infants born very preterm at term-equivalent age were less segregated and less integrated than those of infants born full term. Chronic respiratory illness (ie, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and the length of oxygen support) was associated with decreased global efficiency and increased path lengths (P  Conclusions Early exposure to the ex utero environment is associated with altered resting-state network functional organization in infants born very preterm at term-equivalent age, likely reflecting disrupted brain maturational processes.