Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41597128›Full record

ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Behavioral and Cognitive Assessment in a Cohort of Term Small-for-Gestational-Age Children.

Rossella Vitale, Annachiara Libraro, Francesca Cocciolo, Mariangela Chiarito, Emilia Matera, Maria Felicia Faienza

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 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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0citing papers 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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Rossella VitaleDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.
Annachiara LibraroDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.
Francesca CoccioloDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.
Mariangela ChiaritoDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.
Emilia MateraDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7541-0616
Maria Felicia FaienzaDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1899-8337

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesChildren born small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk for impaired growth, metabolic disturbances, and neurodevelopmental difficulties. Although previous research has examined cognitive and behavioral outcomes in this population, findings remain inconsistent. Moreover, limited evidence is available regarding the potential effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy on cognitive development. We aimed to assess cognitive performance, emotional-behavioral functioning, and neonatal predictors of neurocognitive outcomes in term SGA children compared with age- and sex-matched peers born appropriate for gestational age (AGA). We also explored potential differences in cognitive outcomes between rhGH-treated and untreated SGA children.

methodsA total of 18 term SGA children and 23 AGA controls underwent anthropometric measurements, biochemical evaluation, cognitive testing using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), and behavioral assessment through the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Birth weight, length, and head circumference were analyzed as potential predictors of cognitive performance.

resultsSGA children demonstrated significantly lower Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores than AGA peers, with marked weaknesses in Perceptual Reasoning index (PRI) and Processing Speed index (PSI), while Verbal Comprehension and Working Memory were preserved. They also exhibited higher internalizing behavioral symptoms, whereas externalizing behaviors did not differ between groups. Birth head circumference emerged as a strong predictor of PRI and a modest predictor of PSI. No associations were found between rhGH treatment parameters and cognitive outcomes. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to clarify how early growth restriction affects brain development and cognition and whether GH therapy influences these processes.

Indexed as

cognitive impairmentintelligence quotientsmall for gestational ageWISC-IV

Identifiers

PMID41597128
PMCPMC12840266

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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.