Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40494323›Full record

ArticleDevelopmental neuroscience2026

Developmental Progression of Inhibitory Control and Flexible Problem-Solving among Infants with Histories of Preterm Birth.

Srishti Jayakumar, Ezequiel Ramos, Kathryn A Carson, Krysten Garcia, Katherine M Raja, Natasha N Ludwig, Ananya Sarkar, Lauren L Jantzie, Shenandoah Robinson, Marilee C Allen and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Developmental neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Srishti JayakumarNeurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, srishtijayakumar@jhu.edu.
Ezequiel RamosNeurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Kathryn A CarsonDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Krysten GarciaNeurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Katherine M RajaNeurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Natasha N LudwigCenter for Psychological and Neuropsychological Assessment, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Ananya SarkarNeurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Lauren L JantzieNeurosciences Intensive Care Nursery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Shenandoah RobinsonNeurosciences Intensive Care Nursery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Marilee C AllenNeurosciences Intensive Care Nursery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
V Joanna BurtonNeurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Gwendolyn GernerNeurosciences Intensive Care Nursery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Funding

QAQC Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational ResearchUL1TR003098 · NCATS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI FORD, DANIEL ERNEST · 2019 to 2023
$57.7M
Sleep and Circadian Dysfunction, Brain and Neurobehavioral Development in AutismP50HD103538 · NICHD · HUGO W. MOSER RES INST KENNEDY KRIEGER · PI S. Ali Fatemi, Bradley L Schlaggar · 2020 to 2026
$9.9M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR003098NICHD NIH HHS P50 HD103538
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionInhibitory control during visually guided reaching allows for the development of flexible problem-solving in healthy infants born at term. Inhibitory control is often impaired among older children born preterm, but the developmental trajectory of inhibitory control in infants born preterm is not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the developmental trajectory of inhibitory control on the Object Retrieval Task in infants born preterm.

methodsThis was a cross-sectional study including a convenience sample of infants born preterm (less than 37 weeks), who were evaluated at corrected ages 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-15, and 16-18 months. Children born preterm with additional diagnoses of congenital anomalies, known genetic disorders, focal stroke, neoplasm, or maternal HIV exposure or children in the care of the state were excluded. Children in each of the age-groups were asked to retrieve a toy from a Plexiglas box with an opening on one side. The orientation of the opening was rotated over three trials, and the visually guided reach patterns were scored based on methods used by Diamond. Visually guided reach patterns ranged from perseverative hitting of the box to immediately reaching through the box opening. Analysis consisted of Fischer's exact tests to compare categorical measures, Jonckheere-Terpstra tests to compare ordinal measures, F test from general linear models to compare continuous measures and ordinal logistic regression to assess the association between brain injury and reach patterns.

resultsThe majority of infants born preterm in corrected age-groups of 5-6, 7-8, and 9-10 months perseveratively hit the box regardless of the orientation of the opening. This pattern of predominant immature visually guided reaching persisted at 12 months corrected age in this cohort of infants born preterm, with 75% participants demonstrating an immature reach with the box opening at the front and to the left and 88% demonstrating this with the box opening to the right.

conclusionsIn this cohort of preterm infants, developmental progression of inhibitory control and progression of visually guided reaching did not follow the same developmental trajectory observed in full term typically developing infants previously documented by Diamond (1994). While 100% of typically developing infants born at term in Diamond's cohort demonstrated inhibitory control and mature visually guided reach patterns by age 12 months, 75% of participants in our cohort of infants born preterm continued to demonstrate a predominance of immature visually guided reach patterns. This study demonstrates identification of early impairments in inhibitory control using a resource-conscious, low-cost, and brief neurobehavioral assessment tool. This provides a window for early interventions to limit problems in executive dysfunction at school age and beyond.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentInfant, PrematureInhibition, PsychologicalPremature BirthProblem SolvingCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleDevelopmentExecutive functionInhibitory controlPreterm infantsProblem-solving

Identifiers

PMID40494323
PMCPMC12280834

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.