Preterm Risk Factors, Epigenetic Age, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes - Takeaways - MDSpire
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Preterm Birth Risk Factors, Epigenetic Age, and Later Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

  • By

  • Rhandi Christensen

  • Chaini Konwar

  • Beryl C. Zhuang

  • Julia MacIsaac

  • Vann Chau

  • Mehmet N. Cizmeci

  • Linh G. Ly

  • Ting Guo

  • Helen Branson

  • Michael S. Kobor

  • Ruth E. Grunau

  • Steven P. Miller

  • October 16, 2026

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  • 1

    Preterm birth is associated with increased risks of developmental delay and cognitive, language, and motor impairments.

  • 2

    Epigenetic age is estimated from DNA methylation, and acceleration or deceleration describes its difference from chronological age.

  • 3

    Prior studies linked epigenetic aging in preterm children to neonatal morbidities and reported associations between age acceleration and higher cognitive and motor scores.

  • 4

    This prospective cohort recruited 195 infants born at 24 to 32 weeks’ gestational age at 2 Canadian hospitals from 2015 to 2019.

  • 5

    The present analysis included 102 participants with epigenetic data and examined associations among epigenetic aging, brain injury, maternal education, and neurodevelopment.

Original Source(s)

Preterm Risk Factors, Epigenetic Age, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

  • by Rhandi Christensen, Chaini Konwar, Beryl C. Zhuang, Julia MacIsaac, Vann Chau, Mehmet N. Cizmeci, Linh G. Ly, Ting Guo, Helen Branson, Michael S. Kobor, Ruth E. Grunau, Steven P. Miller

  • October 16, 2026

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