AI brain scans may forecast learning challenges in children who had birth oxygen deprivation
NCT ID NCT07770035
First seen Aug 18, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at children who had hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) at birth, a condition caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. Researchers want to see if combining MRI scans taken shortly after birth with scans taken at school age can better predict cognitive outcomes like IQ, memory, and attention. They will use machine learning to analyze the scans and compare them with the children's actual school-age performance. The goal is to improve early identification of children who might need extra support.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Machine learning algorithm using MRI brain scans
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a tool that predicts which children with HIE may face cognitive challenges, enabling earlier support and intervention.
- What could go wrong
- The study is observational and relies on past data, so the algorithm may not be accurate for all children. MRI-based predictions are not perfect and may miss some cases.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 196 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Cases: Potential participants will be identified from seven previous studies conducted in Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH), between January 2013-December 2019. Over this period, term infants ≥36 weeks considered at significant risk of HIE were recruited prospectively to these studies as soon as possible after delivery. Clinical data, blood biomarkers, MRI and EEG recordings were collected and stored in the INFANT databank using unique study numbers. Controls: Children aged between 4-12 years of age, who are attending general paediatric outpatients' clinics at Cork University Hospital (CUH) will be selected as potential participants for the control group. Controls will be healthy children born at ≥ 36 weeks gestation now attending mainstream school who did not have a diagnosis of HIE at birth. To be eligible, they must not have been admitted to the neonatal unit in the first 12 hours after birth and have had a 5-minute Apgar score of ≥7.
- Ages
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5 to 12 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Cases: Inclusion Criteria: * Known diagnosis of HIE of any grade and enrolled in one of seven studies carried out in CUMH and born between 01 JAN 2013 and 31 DEC 2020 * Documented parental informed consent for their study data to be used in the future for related research and for them to be contacted again. Exclusion Criteria: * Lack of parental consent for the original study and no permission to be contacted for future research. * Death prior to study initiation * Congenital malformation or genetic syndrome Controls: Inclusion Criteria: * Born at ≥ 36 weeks gestation * Attending mainstream primary school without a specific developmental diagnosis Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia or HIE at birth * Admission to the neonatal unit within 12 hours of birth * Attending a paediatric clinic for a developmental concern * Congenital malformation or genetic syndrome
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University College Cork
Cork, Cork, Ireland
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