Memory and attention in preterm and/or low birth weight in school children

Abstract

Introduction: in Mexico City, there is no literature or evidence of memory and attention deficits in preterm and/or low birth weight school children. Objective: to determine whether there is memory and attention deficits in Mexican school children born preterm or with low birth weight or very low birth weight. Material & methods: we performed a neuropsychologic test in Mexican population, we applied the ENI test to 31 preterm and/or low birth weight school children (age 8-12), we studied short term memory, long term memory (verbal and visual respectively) and also visual and hearing attention. Results: the results we had were: verbal short term memory deficit was reported in 67.74% of the population, visual short term memory was reported in 61.29%; we found a deficit of verbal long term memory in 74.2%, whereas visual long term memory deficit was found in 80.64%. visual attention deficit was reported in 83.87% and hearing attention shortfall was found in 35.49% Conclusions: preterm, low birth weight and very low birth weight children present a high deficit percentage in visual and hearing attention, as well as in verbal and visual long term memory and short term memory.