7th Dutch Bio-Medical Engineering Conference

tag

14:45
15 mins

Nonlinear Transfer Entropy to Assess the Neurometabolic Coupling in Premature Neonates
Dries Hendrikx, Liesbeth Thewissen, Anne Smits, Gunnar Naulaers, Karel Allegaert, Sabine Van Huffel, Alexander Caicedo

Session: Birth & Neonates
Session starts: Thursday 24 January, 13:30
Presentation starts: 14:45
Room: Lecture room 558

Dries Hendrikx (Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) - STADIUS, KU Leuven, Belgium)
Liesbeth Thewissen (Department of Neonatology, UZ Leuven, Belgium)
Anne Smits (Department of Neonatology, UZ Leuven, Belgium)
Gunnar Naulaers (Department of Neonatology, UZ Leuven, Belgium)
Karel Allegaert (Department of Neonatology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Sabine Van Huffel (Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) - STADIUS, KU Leuven, Belgium)
Alexander Caicedo (Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia )

Abstract:
Neurometabolic coupling (NMC) is a regulation mechanism that helps the brain to maintain an appropriate energy flow to the neural tissue under conditions of increased neuronal activity. It is however not yet clear to which extent this mechanism is present in the premature brain. In this study, we explore the use of transfer entropy (TE) in order to compute the nonlinear coupling between changes in brain function, assessed by means of EEG, and changes in brain oxygenation, assessed by means of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). In a previous study, we have measured the coupling between both variables using a linear model to compute TE. The results indicated that changes in brain oxygenation were likely to precede changes in EEG activity. However, using a nonlinear and nonparametric approach to compute TE, the results indicate an opposite directionality of this coupling. The source of the different results provided by the linear and nonlinear TE is unclear and needs further research. We present the results from a cohort of 21 premature neonates, which are stratified in two groups, based on the presence of brain abnormalities observed on routine ultrasound (US) scans. Results indicate that TE values computed using the nonlinear approach are able to discriminate neonates with brain abnormalities from healthy neonates, indicating a possibly less functional NMC in neonates with brain abnormalities.