MRI and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants Following Administration of High-Dose Caffeine

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.