Visuo-motor coordination in 8-year-old children born pre-term before and after 28 weeks of gestation

Reaching skills of infants born very preterm predict neurodevelopment at 2.5 years

The purpose was to investigate associations between quality of reaching for moving objects at 8 months corrected age and neurodevelopment at 2.5 years in children born very preterm (gestational age (GA), 24-31 weeks). Thirtysix infants were assessed while reaching for moving objects. The movements were recorded by a 3D motion capture system. Reaching parameters included aiming, relative length of the reach, number of movement units, proportion of bimanual coupled reaches and number of hits. Neurodevelopment was assessed at 2.5 years by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III. There were strong associations between infant reaching kinematics and neurodevelopment of cognition and language but the patterns differed: in children born extremely preterm (GA < 28 weeks), planning and control of reaching was strongly related to outcome, while in children born very preterm (GA 28-31 weeks) number of hits and bimanual strategies were of greater relevance. In conclusion, for extremely preterm infants, basic problems on how motion information is incorporated with action planning prevail, while in very preterm infants the coordination of bimanual reaches is more at the focus. We conclude that the results reflect GA related differences in neural vulnerability and that early motor coordination deficits have a cascading effect on neurodevelopment.

A Multi-facetted Visual Analytics Tool for Exploratory Analysis of Human Brain and Function Datasets

Brain research typically requires large amounts of data from different sources, and often of different nature. The use of different software tools adapted to the nature of each data source can make research work cumbersome and time consuming. It follows that data is not often used to its fullest potential thus limiting exploratory analysis. This paper presents an ancillary software tool called BRAVIZ that integrates interactive visualization with real-time statistical analyses, facilitating access to multi-facetted neuroscience data and automating many cumbersome and error-prone tasks required to explore such data. Rather than relying on abstract numerical indicators, BRAVIZ emphasizes brain images as the main object of the analysis process of individuals or groups. BRAVIZ facilitates exploration of trends or relationships to gain an integrated view of the phenomena studied, thus motivating discovery of new hypotheses. A case study is presented that incorporates brain structure and function outcomes together with different types of clinical data.

Visuo-manual coordination in preterm infants without neurological impairments

The extent of and reasons for visuo-manual coordination deficits in moderate and late preterm born infants without neurological impairments are not well known. This paper presents a longitudinal study on the visuo-manual development of twelve preterm infants, born after 33-36 weeks of gestation without neurological complications, between the ages of 6 and 12 months. Visuo-manual integration and grasping were assessed using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, along with bimanual coordination and handedness tests. Visual function was examined once prior to the beginning of the study. Gross motor development was also evaluated every month. Preterm infants were compared to a control group of ten full-term infants according to corrected age. Compared to full-terms, the visual perception of preterm infants was close to normal, with only a measure of visual fixation lower than in full-terms. In contrast, preterm infants had delayed development of visuo-manual integration, grasping, bimanual coordination, and handedness even when compared using corrected age. Tonicity and gestational age at birth were the main variables associated to the delays. These results are discussed in terms of the possible factors underlying such delays. They need to be confirmed on a larger sample of preterm born children, and to be correlated with later development. This would allow developing markers of future neuropsychological impairments during childhood.

Factors influencing the motor development of prematurely born school-aged children in Brazil

Despite technological advances in neonatology, premature children are still susceptible to disruptions in neurological development. The current study aimed to analyze the factors that influence motor development in prematurely born school-aged children in Brazil. This cross-sectional study involved 100 "apparently normal" children, aged 8-10 years, born at less than 35 weeks of gestation or with birth weight< 1500 g. Their motor development was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2). The children's neuropsychological and academic performance was assessed with the Token Test (TT) and Teste de Desempenho Escolar (TDE), respectively. Parents answered questions regarding the child's clinical history and behavior using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and family environment resources (RAF). Hierarchical multivariate analyses revealed that 39% of the children scored lower on the MABC-2, as compared to that expected for their age (manual dexterity: 49%; balance: 35%; throwing/catching a ball: 26%). Multivariate analysis indicated that the lower the birth weight, the maternal age at childbirth, and the RAF score, the greater was the chance of impairment on the MABC-2 scores. The probability of having an impairment MABC-2 scores was four times higher when the mother was not employed. We also found associations between MABC-2 scores and the tasks of tying shoes and opening/closing zippers and buttons. Factors related to children's home environments and birth weight are associated with deficient motor performance in prematurely born Brazilian school-aged children. Deficient motor skills were also associated with difficulty in performing functional tasks requiring greater manual dexterity.

Visuomotor function in children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with chemotherapy only

This study aimed to evaluate visuomotor function in children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The performance of 64 children, 1-7 years post-chemotherapy for ALL, was compared to that of their healthy peers (n = 56) on visuomotor integration (VMI) and motor coordination (MC) tasks. Children posttreatment for ALL displayed significantly reduced VMI, but not MC, performances as compared to controls. Children treated on chemotherapy-only ALL regimes are at heightened risk for visuomotor integration deficits. Monitoring of visuomotor skills and implementation of appropriate interventions targeting higher level visuomotor integration skills should form an important component of any ALL long-term effects program.

Interactions between brain structure and behavior: the corpus callosum and bimanual coordination

Bimanual coordination skills are required for countless everyday activities, such as typing, preparing food, and driving. The corpus callosum (CC) is the major collection of white matter bundles connecting both hemispheres that enables the coordination between the two sides of the body. Principal evidence for this brain-behavior relationship in humans was first provided by research on callosotomy patients, showing that sectioning (parts of) the CC affected interactions between both hands directly. Later, new noninvasive in vivo imaging techniques, such as diffusion tensor imaging, have energized the study of the link between microstructural properties of the CC and bimanual performance in normal volunteers. Here we discuss the principal factors (such as age, pathology and training) that mediate the relationship between specific bimanual functions and distinct anatomical CC subdivisions. More specifically, the question is whether different bimanual task characteristics can be mapped onto functionally distinct CC subregions. We review the current status of this mapping endeavor, and propose future perspectives to inspire research on this unique link between brain structure and behavior.

Difficulty in Mental, Neuromusculoskeletal, and Movement-Related School Functions Associated With Low Birthweight or Preterm Birth: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE. Our objective was to perform a meta-analysis to investigate whether low birthweight (LBW) or preterm birth was associated with difficulty in mental, neuromusculoskeletal, and movement-related school function tasks.

METHOD. Two search strategies produced 40 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis and yielded 549 effect sizes (d). Heterogeneity was evaluated by obtaining Q and I-squared values. Egger’s regression intercept test and a funnel plot were used to check for publication bias.

RESULTS. Children born LBW exhibited considerable difficulties in mental (d = −0.655, p &lt; .0001) and neuromusculoskeletal and movement-related tasks (d = −0.391, p &lt; .0001) compared with children of normal birthweight. Children born preterm also exhibited significant difficulties compared with full-term children in mental, neuromusculoskeletal, and movement-related tasks (d = −0.237, p &lt; .0001).

CONCLUSION. Deficits in mental and motor functions in children born LBW or preterm appear to have significant effects on school readiness and academic achievement.

Effect of preterm birth on motor development, behavior, and school performance of school-age children: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

to examine and synthesize the available knowledge in the literature about the effects of preterm birth on the development of school-age children.

SOURCES

this was a systematic review of studies published in the past ten years indexed in MEDLINE/Pubmed, MEDLINE/BVS; LILACS/BVS; IBECS/BVS; Cochrane/BVS, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycNET in three languages (Portuguese, Spanish, and English). Observational and experimental studies that assessed motor development and/or behavior and/or academic performance and whose target-population consisted of preterm children aged 8 to 10 years were included. Article quality was assessed by the Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scales; articles that did not achieve a score of 80% or more were excluded.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

the electronic search identified 3,153 articles, of which 33 were included based on the eligibility criteria. Only four studies found no effect of prematurity on the outcomes (two articles on behavior, one on motor performance and one on academic performance). Among the outcomes of interest, behavior was the most searched (20 articles, 61%), followed by academic performance (16 articles, 48%) and motor impairment (11 articles, 33%).

CONCLUSION

premature infants are more susceptible to motor development, behavior and academic performance impairment when compared to term infants. These types of impairments, whose effects are manifested in the long term, can be prevented through early parental guidance, monitoring by specialized professionals, and interventions.

Cerebral motor function in very premature-at-birth adolescents: a brain stimulation exploration of kangaroo mother care effects

AIM

  Given that prematurity has deleterious effects on brain networking development beyond childhood, the study explored whether an early intervention such as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in very preterm preemies could have influenced brain motor function up to adolescence.

METHODS

  Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) of 39 adolescents born very prematurely (<33 weeks' gestational age, 21 having received KMC after birth, 18 Controls with no KMC) and nine adolescents born at term (>37 weeks' gestational age, >2500 g) to assess the functional integrity of motor circuits in each hemisphere (motor planning) and between hemispheres (callosal function).

RESULTS

  All TMS outcomes were similar between KMC and term adolescents, with typical values as in healthy adults, and better than in Controls. KMC adolescents presented faster conduction times revealing more efficient M1 cell synchronization (p < 0.05) and interhemispheric transfer time (p < 0.0001), more frequent inhibitory processes with a better control between hemispheres (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

  The enhanced synchronization, conduction times and connectivity of cerebral motor pathways in the KMC group suggests that the Kangaroo Mother Care positively influenced the premature brain networks and synaptic efficacy up to adolescence.

Observed behaviours of pre-term children in a social play situation with classroom peers

BACKGROUND

A number of studies have reported social adjustment problems in pre-term children.

OBJECTIVES

To observe the pre-term's behaviour in an experimental situation and correlate these observed behaviours with the children's peer-rated social behaviours (withdrawal, aggression and sociability/leadership).

METHODS

Of 56 pre-term children, 24 were classified as the sick pre-term (SPT) group and 32 children as the healthy pre-term (HPT) group. The comparison group comprised 56 healthy full-terms. The experimental situation used a game called Rush Hour, a labyrinth-type board game. The play situation was videotaped and behaviours (number of consecutive moves) were coded in real time.

RESULTS

At 12 years of age, the sick pre-term (SPT) group exhibited fewer consecutive moves during the game than the other two groups, especially when the task became more complex (involving four consecutives moves). Moreover, the Complex Task Index was correlated with the social withdrawal score rated by peers.

CONCLUSION

The at-birth sick pre-term gradually became less involved in a complex decision-making task and this was understood as a lesser ability to make a decision in a complex setting.