Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Cognitive Impairment in Children with Perinatal Stroke

Perinatal stroke is a leading cause of congenital hemiparesis and neurocognitive deficits in children. Dysfunctions in the large-scale resting-state functional networks may underlie cognitive and behavioral disability in these children. We studied resting-state functional connectivity in patients with perinatal stroke collected from the Estonian Pediatric Stroke Database. Neurodevelopment of children was assessed by the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measurement and the Kaufman Assessment Battery. The study included 36 children (age range 7.6–17.9 years): 10 with periventricular venous infarction (PVI), 7 with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS), and 19 controls. There were no differences in severity of hemiparesis between the PVI and AIS groups. A significant increase in default mode network connectivity (FDR 0.1) and lower cognitive functions (p