Long-term Effects of Visual Spatial Working Memory Training Program Performed at Preschool Age in Very Preterm Infants With Visual Spatial Working Memory Deficit. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Prematurity tends to increase in France in recent years and more children born extremely premature infants survive. If severe impairments have stabilized, the majority of former extremely premature children have neuropsychological disorders and moderate appearance behavior disorder, but with a significant impact both family, school and social persisting into adulthood.

Executive functions (EF), in general, and working memory (MT), in particular, are frequently altered in older children preterm infants compared to controls born at term.

The identification process of loss in certain diseases, as well as improving knowledge of brain functioning, and development with the possibility of neuronal plasticity has led research teams to develop intervention programs focused on process cognitive qualified of "remediation" cognitive (RC). Schematically, the RC is defined as a rehabilitation or altered cognitive functions. MT can be improved by encouraging the operation of the spots mental stimulant. These programs are effective on MT but do not have the expected impact on other FE, language or nonverbal functions (visuospatial). The functional benefit of cognitive remediation remains controversial.

Improving mental functions untrained as nonverbal MT, attention and secondarily learning is possible but still unproven on wide population. Similarly, randomized trials are needed to test this type of cognitive remediation among preschoolers old very premature.