. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Sep 1.

Published in final edited form as: Clin Perinatol. 2012 Sep;39(3):727–740. doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2012.06.017

Table 2.

Vulnerability of the Brain of Preterm Neonates

Time from conception	Developmental Process	Vulnerability	References

10–15 weeks to ? years postnatally	Neurogenesis	Germinal matrix injury¹
		Germinal matrix injury¹
12–24 weeks	Neuronal migration

16–24 weeks	Low vessel density in subcortical white matter

20 weeks to ? years postnatally	Synaptogenesis and synaptic stabilization		^1,60,93,95

20 wk to ? years postnatally	Gliogenesis	Diffuse white matter lesions (periventricular leukomalacia)2	^{2,19,33,37,41,60,61,65,73,82,87,90,94}
			^{2,19,33,37,41,60,61,65,73,82,87,90,94}
22–36 weeks	Maximal thickness of the subplate layer of neurons (from germinal matrix) is reached

28–36 weeks	Blood vessel density in deep white matter is low		^3,60,89,97

28 weeks to ? years postnatally	Neuronal and glial apoptosis	Diffuse gray matter lesions³

36 weeks to ? years postnatally	Myelination