Extreme Preemies Show Mental Deficits as Adults, University of Helsinki Study

Young adults who were born very prematurely, but without any serious brain impairments, may still not be as mentally sharp as their peers, a small study published Monday suggests. Finnish researchers found that of 208 young adults they tested, the half born at a very low weight -- less than 3.3 pounds -- generally had lower scores on some measures of memory, attention and other mental skills.

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