Researchers from Yale and Brown Universities report in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association that they have measured the actual brain volume of children who were born prematurely, using M.R.I. scans once the children reached eight years of age. They found that the earlier the premature birth, the more insult to the brain, resulting in a related decrease in I.Q. test scores. It's a first step towards quantifying how much delayed brain development affects intelligence. NPR's Michelle Trudeau has the story.
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