MRI and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants Following Administration of High-Dose Caffeine
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2015-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Over the last 30 years the survival rates for babies born prematurely have improved greatly
with research. As these babies grow up, we have found that many of the premature babies have
learning and movement problems. The purpose of this research is to learn why premature
infants are at risk for learning disabilities and movement problems later in childhood and
whether this is changed by caffeine therapy. Caffeine is often used in premature babies to
help them to breathe on their own. Nearly all babies born before 30 weeks gestation receive
caffeine while they are in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Scientists have shown
that caffeine therapy given to premature babies reduces their disabilities.
We will use brain monitoring, including electro-encephalogram (EEG) and magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) to understand how the brain of a premature baby develops and whether caffeine
in high doses enhances protection of the developing brain. Just as we monitor the heart and
lungs to improve our care of premature babies, we wish to monitor the brain so that we can
understand how to improve our care for the brain.
Phase:
Phase 4
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Washington University School of Medicine
Collaborator:
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)