Diagnostic accuracy of neonatal structural MRI scores to predict 6-year motor outcomes of children born very preterm

•Early and Term MRI brain abnormality scores had similar associations and predictive accuracy for 6-years motor outcomes.•Structural MRI had stronger accuracy to predict cerebral palsy (CP) vs mild/moderate motor outcomes.•Early and Term MRI showed high specificity, but low sensitivity for predicting MABC-2 outcome.•Cerebellum scores on Early and Term MRI showed strongest associations to 6-year motor outcome.•Early MRI deep grey matter score had strongest predictive accuracy for an outcome of CP. This study aimed to (1) evaluate associations between Early and Term structural MRI (sMRI) brain abnormality scores and adverse motor outcomes at 6-years corrected age (CA), (2) determine their diagnostic accuracy in predicting adverse motor outcomes and cerebral palsy (CP) at 6-years CA. Infants born