Giving premature babies even low doses of steroids after birth interferes with development of the brain’s cerebellum, which is important to motor skills, learning and behavior, new research finds. For the study, researchers analyzed MRIs of 172 babies born very early (under 32 weeks’ gestation) at two medical centers, the University of British Columbia and the University of California, San Francisco. Full term is considered 40 weeks’ gestation.
