Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital defects worldwide, affecting ~1 in 80-100 newborns in Canada. Advancements in surgical techniques and perioperative care have improved survival; yet, children remain at risk for adverse neuropsychological outcomes, such as cognitive, academic, motor, behavioural, and social outcomes. Past research has shown that newborns with CHD and preterm newborns without CHD have similar brain anomalies. To date, there is little research examining neuropsychological outcomes and brain anomalies in preterm neonates with CHD. The proposed research program will examine the neuropsychological profiles of children born preterm with CHD during infancy and at 4-years of age and will examine the brain-behaviour relationships that are associated with neuropsychological outcomes. Using a clinical sample of preterm infants with CHD (N=75), I will conduct a series of 4 studies that will examine preterm infants with CHD's cognitive, language, and motor abilities in infancy (18 and 36 months), as well as compare these outcomes with those of children born term with CHD and children born preterm without CHD. Further, I will examine the neuropsychological profiles of a subset of these children that received an assessment at 4 years (n=40) and identify brain characteristics from the neonatal period that may be predictors of neuropsychological functioning at 4 years of age. This program of research will provide critical knowledge about short and long-term neuropsychological outcomes of preterm neonates with CHD and associated neurological and medical characteristics. This will help inform clinical practice and direct intervention planning initiatives associated with neuropsychological outcome with this unique, understudied population.